Articles, Columnists
The risks of restraint and seclusion
By Edward Stern J.D.
Last month, New England Psychologist looked at the use of restraint and seclusion. In this installment, the column examines some of the risks of these methods to both...
Use of restraint, seclusion is controversial, Part 1
By Edward Stern J.D.
The first of a two-part column.
When the justice and mental health systems believe that someone is a risk to himself/herself or a threat to others, the courts...
Half-finished notebooks
By Alan Bodnar Ph.D.
At morning rounds the other day while waiting for something important to record in my recycled, spiral-bound notebook, curiosity nudged me to flip through the filled front...
Getting to know you
By Alan Bodnar Ph.D.
The woman glided into the room on tiptoes, trepidation and confidence contending for control of her gait, her tortured smile reflecting some inner struggle about which we knew...
In wake of suicides, anti-bullying bill passed
By Edward Stern J.D.
Bullying. The word itself conjures up images of uneven relationships and unfair advantages. The differentiation or inequality is primarily in size, power and strength....
Re-thinking the right stuff
By Alan Bodnar Ph.D.
The last time I changed jobs I thought I had found the best way to sort, pack and move important stuff from my old workplace to the new office. That was a time of volatility in...
Recall woes hit psychologists
By Alan Bodnar Ph.D.
The big news over the past few months has been the recall of thousands of cars by the world’s largest auto manufacturer. First it was an accelerator problem, and then it was...
A tribute to my colleagues
By Alan Bodnar Ph.D.
For the past several months, I’ve been writing about the impact of the closing of Westborough State Hospital on the lives of patients and staff. It is much too early to know...
Wish you were here
By Alan Bodnar Ph.D.
When the hospital closes, sometimes the best we can do for a patient is to transfer him or her to another hospital where they will receive similar care until they are ready to...
Lawsuit pertains to definition of marriage
By Edward Stern J.D.
On July 9, 2009 the Commonwealth of Massachusetts filed a lawsuit against the federal government in the U.S. District Court of Massachusetts. The name of the case is...