New England Psychologist
New England Psychologist is home to independent journalism focused on psychologists and psychotherapists in the New England region. We publish new content every month. Subscribe to our free monthly newsletter to receive updates, or sign-up for a one-year paid subscription now in order to access all of our great content.
Is doomscrolling here to stay?
By Susan Gonsalves
Doomscrolling, a term popularized during the COVID-19 pandemic, refers to the frequent scanning on devices to read negative, distressing news on topics like wars, mass shootings, natural disasters, and political unrest. Though five years have passed since the days of tracking pandemic casualties, the trend continues to escalate and pose a threat to mental and physical health, according to experts at Harvard Medical School. “Our brains and bodies are expertly designed to handle short bursts of stress. But over the… Read more »
Leading Stories
Is doomscrolling here to stay?
Clinicians see politics entering the therapy room
Sweetser to open residential facility for youth
College students at risk could use more mental health support
LGBTQ youth to lose 988 specialized service line
Health anxiety continues to rise
Report: Prevention services should be prioritized
Facilities for at-risk kids in Mass. spared from shut downs
Advocates express concern about autism database proposals
Massachusetts hopes to legalize medical aid in dying
Clinicians saying goodbye to insurance networks
Report sheds light on police shootings
May Institute marks 70th year serving individuals with autism
Mental health screenings key in ME’s ‘yellow flag’ approach to gun violence prevention
Practical Practice
Unpacking the challenges of closing your practice
By Ellen Anderson, Ph.D
Whether you are planning to relocate out of state, retire, or change jobs, there are countless tasks involved with closing a therapy practice. Some of these involve clinical care of the patient, while others pertain to the myriad administrative aspects of practice closure. Begin the process by checking relevant state laws pertaining to termination of the client-practitioner relationship and retention of medical records. Consulting with an attorney about relevant laws and regulations is the best way to avoid costly mistakes.… Read more »
Embracing psychotherapy minimalism
By Ellen Anderson, Ph.D
The very term “psychotherapy” connotes a maximalist approach to addressing mental health challenges. The vision of spending an unknown number of hours over months, if not years, to analyze and address problems in life is a considerable deterrent to help-seeking. The brief consultation, defined as one to three sessions, represents a minimalist approach to psychotherapy practice. Clinicians in private practice can feel stagnant or overwhelmed by a caseload without sufficient turnover. A mix of short and long-term therapy clients adds… Read more »
Older Practical Practice Columns...
Psychotherapy Business & Marketing
Be your own boss: Business practices for good boundaries
By Liz Varney, LICSW
Many therapists choose a private practice to work less and make more money. Yet, when the business is all on your shoulders, you may find yourself working more than you ever have before. Setting limits for yourself is imperative – but can also be a challenge. Because your business is always available to you, the potential to overwork is high. As you become your own boss, you will need to set good boundaries for yourself. When I first opened my… Read more »
Do therapists need an elevator pitch?
By Liz Varney, LICSW
The ‘Elevator Pitch’ tends to conjure up an image of a high-pressure moment where you have “one shot” to make a good impression with someone who can help launch your career. Having to make the most out of a time-limited interaction with a powerful person is unlikely to occur to the average psychotherapist. You might not consider “pitching” your services to others at all, yet the concept of an elevator pitch does hold value for a private practitioner. In fact,… Read more »
Older Psychotherapy Business and Marketing articles...
Interview of the Month
Q&A: Machine learning, mathematical modeling used as tools to predict suicide ideation
By Catherine Robertson Souter
Modern psychology may be about to experience a sea change. While the practice has certainly evolved over the past 100 years, the introduction of machine learning, a form of artificial intelligence that uses large data sets to look at human behavior, may vastly alter the way mental illness is understood and treated. At Yale University, Shirley Wang, Ph.D., who joined the psychology department in July as an assistant professor, is using machine learning and mathematical modeling to attempt to predict… Read more »
Older Interviews...
In Person with Alan Bodnar, Ph.D.
When stories connect
Midday in Boston and my wife and I are standing on the platform at Charles Street waiting for the inbound Red Line train. We are going only two stops to Washington Street to renew our Senior Charlie Cards, but age somehow makes Beacon Hill steeper than it used to be, and so we take the train. At this time of day, we share the space with only one other person, a thin man with long hair, an unkempt beard, and… Read more »
You are here: Our lives with maps
You are here. Without maps, you would still be here, but you wouldn’t know where here is. Or there, or how to get from here to there. I don’t know when I first had this insight, but I do know that I liked maps for as long as I can remember. I started thinking about maps again a few weeks ago when my wife found a National Geographic map of Ukraine at our town’s recycling center. Her find coincided with… Read more »