New England Psychologist
DEI: Leadership drives success
By Phyllis Hanlon
Psychologists can play critical role The civil rights movement of the 1960s led to the creation of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs in schools, businesses, and various organizations. In recent years, DEI (also known as EDI) has come to encompass more than just racial justice. The movement addresses disparities regarding sexual orientation, gender identity, religious affiliation, ethnicity, educational opportunities, and other issues. Aliya Webermann, Ph.D., private practitioner in Hampden, CT, works with LGBTQIA+ clients facing bias related to gender identity… Read more »
Leading Stories
DEI: Leadership drives success
Study: High schoolers who use substances at higher risk for mental health disorders Suicidal thoughts, depression reported
Study: High schoolers who use alcohol, cannibas or nicotine at higher risk for mental health disorders
Is self-relevant research a bad thing?
Effects of social media use on children examined
RI to open first supervised drug use site
Stigmatizing questions removed from healthcare credentialing processes
Gun procurement laws under scrutiny
Licensing master’s level psychologists could help fill gaps
NH bill targets transitional housing
Connecticut Medical Center opens new pediatric facility
Text line option offered by Rutland Mental Health Services Community Care Network
Rhode Island joins PSYPACT to increase providers, decrease wait times
CT makes recommendations to improve children’s behavioral health
Practical Practice
I’m dead, now what?
By Ellen Anderson, Ph.D
This provocative title caught my eye at the local bookstore several years ago. It is a practical workbook that functions as both an organizer and end-of-life planner. My siblings (who share a similar dark and cynical sense of humor) appreciated it as a unique holiday gift during the pandemic. The thought occurred to me that this type of planning does not always occur for psychologists in practice. Fewer than half of Americans have a will, according to several Gallup polls… Read more »
Make me an offer: How third-party negotiators suppress out of network claims
By Ellen Anderson, Ph.D
As sensational as this title may sound, in August of 2023, AdventHealth brought an antitrust lawsuit against MultiPlan, Inc. a third-party business that negotiates out of network insurance claims between health care providers and insurance companies. The details of the lawsuit are available online. AdventHealth refers repeatedly to the “MultiPlan Cartel.” I became familiar with MultiPlan last year after I resigned from the panel of an insurance company but continued to submit electronic claims on behalf of existing clients who… Read more »
Marketing to the public versus peers
By Ellen Anderson, Ph.D
When I began my career, in the early 1990s, word of mouth, recommendations from health providers and insurance provider directories were the primary methods I used to find a therapist in independent practice. Psychologists promoted new psychotherapeutic approaches by speaking at conferences, writing manuscripts, and books. In the digital age, there is an inordinate amount of competing content, but it seems that most people still seek out a psychologist through personal referral, recommendation from a health provider, or via an… Read more »
Older Practical Practice Columns...
Interview of the Month
Racial identity, self-esteem among psychologist’s focuses
By New England Psychologist Staff
It has been generally accepted, within psychology and in the broader world, that increasing diverse representation in schools, the workforce, and within the practice itself will lead to a more equitable society. Encouraging the inclusion of a greater variety of people would support greater understanding, improve opportunity, remove biases, and help to reduce divisiveness. But what if we look at the issue from a different angle, starting with the individual rather than from a system-wide point of view, especially because… Read more »
Older Interviews...
Publisher's Note by John M. Grohol, Psy.D.
Thoughts on this issue’s topics
This is an interesting issue in which our contributors explore a wealth of timely topics for clinicians. Our cover story by Phyllis Hanlon takes a deep dive into the diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) movement. DEI has increased in recent years not only in visibility and initiatives, but in results too. Our Q&A with Aaron Y Chew, Ph.D., MSCP talks about why diversity matters and should be more than just checking things off a list. I’m heartened to see that… Read more »
Here’s to what 2024 holds
With another passing year, I look forward to what 2024 brings—especially because 2023 has been something else. We’ve seen the economy struggle and incomes shrink. We’ve watched the political scene denigrate, all the while clinicians struggle with the challenges of working with people who often seem disconnected from their own lives. Youth trauma seems to be rising, as we note in our primary article highlighting the challenges facing residential schools in the New England region. And staffing shortages don’t seem… Read more »
Older Publisher's Notes...
In Person with Alan Bodnar, Ph.D.
Psychologists and poets
Apri is National Poetry Month, and psychologists everywhere are writing poetry. With Wordsworth they are recollecting intense emotion in tranquility and helping their patients do the same. Analysts are reading Rilke who reminds them to live the questions when they don’t know the answers, and they are passing this wisdom on to us all. Even the behaviorists are getting into the act, reinforcing iambic pentameter with a smile and a nod on a continuous schedule. Soon we will all be… Read more »
My life with telescopes
“You have a telescope! Use it much? What can you see? Can we take it outside and look at the moon?” Our visitor is asking about the telescope in the corner or our living room and his enthusiasm is infectious. It revives my own, which has been dampened by a combination of aging eyes and increasing light pollution. Don’t get me wrong. I still enjoy seeing some of the more popular and, by now, familiar sights in the universe. Close… Read more »