Psych With Mike

Boundaries and confidentiality are important cornerstones to the therapeutic rapport in the psychotherapy relationship. Violations are harmful to the therapeutic relationship and a potential legal threat to the practitioner.

Get the new Psych with Mike and Brett book here.

Amazon https://a.co/d/8zolzEk

Kendall Hunt https://he.kendallhunt.com/product/psych-mike-and-brett-users-guide-being-human

Brett and I are excited to announce that our book is out! We have written 10 chapters divided into three developmental stages. We cover infancy/childhood, adolescence, and adulthood. Topics covered are emotional development, self-esteem, personality, and many more. We hope you pick up a copy and find the information enlightening and useful.

Psych with Mike and Brett: A User's Guide To Being Human. https://he.kendallhunt.com/product/psych-mike-and-brett-users-guide-being-human

Almost everyone who has ever had a family has experienced some kind of estrangement. Sometimes it's a little thing that grows out of proportion. Sometimes it's a big thing that contributes to generational trauma. Whatever the reason, these situations can have profound long-term effects. Check out the video to learn effective ways to navigate family estrangement.

Have we returned to our pre-pandemic normal? Should we even be able to expect that to happen? What do the answers to those questions mean to the psychology of our society going forward?

https://news.gallup.com/poll/612230/four-years-say-covid-pandemic.aspx

Even those in the professional field of psychology may not know much about cluster A personality disorders. This episode is a must-watch if you want to learn more about them and how to identify them.

What is the difference between indoctrination and brainwashing? Are they interchangeable terms and what is the agenda of those using this language?

https://medium.com/bouncin-and-behavin-blogs/the-differences-between-indoctrination-and-brainwashing-092b8c18ce3e

Setting up a new therapy practice, whether you're just out of school, leaving an agency, or separating from a group, can be nerve-racking and scary. Here are some thoughts on how to navigate these challenges. Brett and I wish great success and prosperity for all the souls on the journey.

Personality are the enduring characteristics and behaviors that we use to adapt to life (this is the clinical psychology definition). Defense mechanisms are then a part of our personality. When defense mechanisms become malignant and maladaptive, this can become a personality disorder. In the Diagnostic and Statistical Manuel 5-TR, personality disorders are grouped into clusters that represent a common pattern of maladaptive thoughts and behaviors. Narcissism is in cluster B on the DSM.

Our society has a significant issue with age and a negative perception about getting older. As you can see by the title, this is so prevalent that there is actually a term for this fear, Gerascophobia. The real problem and even irony of this is that the only solution is to NOT get older which is unrealistic or even impossible. So, we condemn ourselves to a perpetual state of anxiety and dread. But this need not be the case. There is a growing body of research about getting older, maintaining our quality of life, and maybe even being happy.

https://psyche.co/ideas/rather-than-fearing-getting-old-heres-how-to-embrace-it

The therapeutic relationship is intense by definition. Clients have to be courageous enough to make themselves vulnerable by sharing information about themselves that they may not share with any other person. Sometimes this leads to the client developing feelings for the therapist and in some cases, these feelings may be sexualized. In psychology, we call this sexualized transference. Practitioners need to know how to handle such situations with care and professionalism.

It is also important for clients to know that this situation is fairly common. And that they can express such feelings in a way that can be therapeutically helpful. The article below can help clients understand and process these feelings.

https://www.verywellmind.com/help-ive-fallen-in-love-with-my-therapist-2337585#:~:text=What%20Is%20Transference%3F,positive%2C%20negative%2C%20or%20sexualized