Dr. Amy Izuno-Garcia is an autism expert–And she’s been in the autism field since she was in diapers. We have just enough time today to scratch the surface of one of the biggest discussions in psychology right now: the autism spectrum.

Honorable Mentions:

-career/grad school journey to autism work

-self-diagnosis vs. clinical diagnosis 

-parents seeking diagnosis after their child is diagnosed

-late diagnosis (adults)

-the secret social rule book

-why is it not ok to say “We’re all a little autistic”?

-diagnosing, overidentifying, and overidentifying WITH, clients

-neurodiversity, vs. disability/disorder

-what’s the best way to “test for autism”?

-masking, camouflaging

-what is the “core” of autism?

Resources:

• ASAN https://autisticadvocacy.org 
• AANE https://www.aane.org 
• Kate Loveland, PhD and the CLASS Clinic at UT Health https://med.uth.edu/psychiatry/autism-spectrum-disorder/ https://www.utphysicians.com/provider/katherine-a-loveland/ 
• Bridgette Kelleher, PhD and the Neurodevelopmental Family Lab at Purdue https://nddfamilylab.weebly.com/dr-kelleher.html 
• Dr. Christine Henry (therapist specializing in therapy for neurodiverse women/adults) https://therapyforpetpeople.com 
• Self-diagnosis help sheet: https://depts.washington.edu/uwautism/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Self-Diagnosed-Adult-Autism-Resources-handout-04.05.21.pdf

Amy Izuno-Garcia is currently finishing her PhD in school psychology from the University of Houston and her doctoral internship at Marcus Autism Center in the clinical assessment and diagnostics track. Her research and clinical interests surround improving outcomes for individuals on the autism spectrum through the provision of high-quality assessment, intervention, and consultative services. Her passion for this work is inspired by her experience growing up with family members on the spectrum. In her free time, she enjoys buying too many clothes at thrift stores, playing video games, and trying new restaurants with her husband.

We're back on the Motivational Interviewing (MI) horse today with Gill's doctoral student, Qi Te, cohosting. We get into the spirit, processes, and roadblocks (i.e., "Don't's") of MI; listener questions about what makes MI different from regular counseling or common sense; debates about using overstatements in MI; and ideas for teachers who want to use MI--or at least its spirit--in interactions with students and parents.

Honorable Mentions:

• William Miller's book for regular people, Listening Well: https://www.amazon.com/Listening-Well-Art-Empathic-Understanding/dp/1532634846 
• Alison Gopnik's parenting book, The Gardener and the Carpenter: https://www.amazon.com/Gardener-Carpenter-Development-Relationship-Children/dp/1536617830 
• CrossFit interview with Stephen Rollnick: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YKwmjYDIa98

Qi Te is a first-year PsyD student at UH Clear Lake. He worked as a high school counselor in Beijing and had a professional background in student leadership development. In his spare time, Qite loves to sweat doing crossfit and washing dishes while listening to his favorite podcasts. His goal this year is to finish his thesis and to find out who makes the best BBQ in Houston.
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Welcome to the Psychologists Podcast, hosted by Drs. Gill and Julia Strait. We're psychologists, we're married, and we're trying to figure out how to keep two small children alive. Join us as we explore psychology research and practice through a very personal lens. ***https://tinyurl.com/Thepsychologists  ***Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thepsychologists ***Twitter @psychspodcast

Welcome to The Psychologists Podcast, where we talk about all things psychology through a very personal lens.

Gill Strait PhD and Julia Strait PhD are both Licensed Psychologists (TX) and Licensed Specialists in School Psychology (LSSPs, TX). They are alumni of The University of South Carolina School Psychology Doctoral Program (Go Gamecocks).

Gill is a teacher, researcher, and supervisor at a university graduate psychology training program.

Julia is owner and therapist at Ocean Therapy in Houston, TX, offering telehealth therapy to young adults in their 20s and 30s who are struggling with anxiety. Check it out here: https://www.oceantherapy.net/

Did you know it takes, on average, 17 years for ideas to get from scientific publication to actual real-world use? Dr. Jonathan Scaccia started out as one of those psychologists who sits in a chair and talks to people. Now he sits in a chair and thinks about how to bring science and experience closer together. Join us as we traverse the vast systems-level landscape of program evaluation and implementation science...and find out how evidence-based psychology practices and the iPhone aren't so different, after all.

Jonathan P. Scaccia, PhD is the Principal of the Dawn Chorus Group https://dawnchorusgroup.com . He is a community psychologist and evaluator with 20+ years of experience working in community-based settings. His career began as a substance-abuse counselor in North Philadelphia. He has extensive experience helping organizations select, adapt, implement, and evaluate community-based improvement interventions. Dr. Scaccia also founded the research synthesis website PubTrawlr https://pubtrawlr.com .

Honorable Mentions:
-Evolution of substance abuse treatment
-Carl Rogers
-program evaluation (is it working?)
-valuing science/EBTs/RCTs *and* lived experiences
-efficacy (lab) vs. effectiveness (real world)
-cultural adaptation vs. WEIRD-centric psychological science
-the sunk cost fallacy

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Thanks for listening to The Psychologists Podcast, where we look at all things psychology through a very personal lens.

Welcome to The Psychologists Podcast, where we talk about all things psychology through a very personal lens.

Gill Strait PhD and Julia Strait PhD are both Licensed Psychologists (TX) and Licensed Specialists in School Psychology (LSSPs, TX). They are alumni of The University of South Carolina School Psychology Doctoral Program (Go Gamecocks).

Gill is a teacher, researcher, and supervisor at a university graduate psychology training program.

Julia is owner and therapist at Ocean Therapy in Houston, TX, offering telehealth therapy to young adults in their 20s and 30s who are struggling with anxiety. Check it out here: https://www.oceantherapy.net/

!!! TRIGGER WARNING: Sensitive listeners, please be aware that strong emotional topics, like self-harm and hospitalization, are discussed in this episode. !!!

We’re coloring outside the lines today with a life coach-comedian-author-and viral slam poet, and it’s one of the more interesting discussions we’ve had on the podcast. Justin Blackburn joins us to talk about connecting to source, purpose, and feeling good, rather than struggling to fit in, accepting a ready-made identity, and believing our own bullshit. We touch on everything, from Carl Rogers, psychiatric medications and mental institutions, spirituality, and negative self-talk, to creativity, fraternities, and the frustrating paradox of marketing oneself to help others. 

Justin Blackburn is a Life Coach https://creatingyourselfcoaching.com, Viral Slam Poet, Author, and Comedian https://www.youtube.com/user/JustinisBlackburn/videos . Always connected to his spiritual gifts, Justin began giving intuitive psychic readings at 22 years old at spiritual shops in the Southeast. From there Justin was hired at different spiritual businesses such as Kimah Healing Art Center, Costa Rica Yoga Spa, and Willow Dreams. From there Justin created his life coaching business, Creating Yourself Coaching, where he inspires people to deliberately create the life they desire.

Honorable Mentions:

• Justin’s favorite authors and Books: 
  • Abraham Hicks https://www.abraham-hicks.com
  • Dr. Jonas Dispenza https://drjoedispenza.com 
  • Louise Hay https://www.louisehay.com 
  • Conversations with God https://www.amazon.com/Conversations-God-Uncommon-Dialogue-Book/dp/0399142789 
  • The Power of Your Subconscious Mind https://read.amazon.com/kp/embed?asin=B07YJGS2VD&preview=newtab&linkCode=kpe&ref_=cm_sw_r_kb_dp_TPV8FD36Y4X6N1KVVVMG  
• The Rosenhan mental institution study (fact check: NOT Rosenberg/Rosenthal, as Julia mistakenly said!), “On Being Sane in Insane Places”: https://www.oulu.fi/sites/default/files/content/AOH%20Terveenä%20epäterveissä%20paikoissa.pdf 

Walt Whitman’s poem “Song of Myself” https://poets.org/poem/song-myself-51 and the Bob Dylan song that quotes it (another fact check for our source memory problems) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pgEP8teNXwY 
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Welcome to the Psychologists Podcast. We're psyc

Welcome to The Psychologists Podcast, where we talk about all things psychology through a very personal lens.

Gill Strait PhD and Julia Strait PhD are both Licensed Psychologists (TX) and Licensed Specialists in School Psychology (LSSPs, TX). They are alumni of The University of South Carolina School Psychology Doctoral Program (Go Gamecocks).

Gill is a teacher, researcher, and supervisor at a university graduate psychology training program.

Julia is owner and therapist at Ocean Therapy in Houston, TX, offering telehealth therapy to young adults in their 20s and 30s who are struggling with anxiety. Check it out here: https://www.oceantherapy.net/

Ever tried to get someone else to change? It’s so freaking hard! How do we help people do things they want to do, but aren’t really doing (yet)? Dr. Gill Strait is an expert on this, and today he gets a reverse interview from his doctoral student, Qi Te, on his favorite topic besides Widespread Panic: Motivational Interviewing. (This is PART 1 of a multi-part series on MI with Gill and Qi Te.)

Qi Te is a first-year PsyD student at UH Clear Lake. He worked as a high school counselor in Beijing and had a professional background in student leadership development. In his spare time, Qite loves to sweat doing crossfit and washing dishes while listening to his favorite podcasts. His goal this year is to finish his thesis and to find out who makes the best BBQ in Houston.

Honorable Mentions:

• MI book by Miller and Rollnick Motivational Interviewing: Helping People Change, 3rd Edition (Applications of Motivational Interviewing)https://www.amazon.com/dp/1609182278/ref=cm_sw_r_awdo_A1Z9AW9GF5T7K3MYG2WX 
• Paper we published on cognitive appropriateness of using MI with adolescents https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/1754730X.2012.736789 
• Student checkup https://studentcheckup.org 
• Lao Tzu: Tao Te Ching: A Book about the Way and the Power of the Way https://www.amazon.com/dp/1611807247/ref=cm_sw_r_awdo_C2TP35TGPM5PDYEV80RW 
• The Tao of Leadership: Lao Tzu's Tao Te Ching Adapted for a New Agehttps://www.amazon.com/dp/1623860199/ref=cm_sw_r_awdo_15X9GT58XB67SEYMGA77 
• Cultural implications for MI (eg Guilt vs shame in Eastern Asian thought)
• Spirit Vegetables

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Welcome to the Psychologists Podcast, hosted by Drs. Gill and Julia Strait. We're psychologists, we're married, and we're trying to figure out how to keep two small children alive. Join us as we explore psychology research and practice through a very personal lens. ***https://tinyurl.com/Thepsychologists  ***Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thepsychologists ***Twitter @psychspodcast

Welcome to The Psychologists Podcast, where we talk about all things psychology through a very personal lens.

Gill Strait PhD and Julia Strait PhD are both Licensed Psychologists (TX) and Licensed Specialists in School Psychology (LSSPs, TX). They are alumni of The University of South Carolina School Psychology Doctoral Program (Go Gamecocks).

Gill is a teacher, researcher, and supervisor at a university graduate psychology training program.

Julia is owner and therapist at Ocean Therapy in Houston, TX, offering telehealth therapy to young adults in their 20s and 30s who are struggling with anxiety. Check it out here: https://www.oceantherapy.net/

Funnest episode ever award goes to this one, in which we talk with Dr. Emily Fessler, sex therapist and marriage and family therapist/couples therapist and professor of MFT, about marriage and relationships, sex (yep, sex!), and the 5 Things she recommends for people looking to grow or maintain their romantic connection.

Emily Kahumoku Fessler (therapy practice web site: http://Therapyco.net and Instagram: @thefullemilyexperience)  is a native Hawaiian/Irish professor of Marriage and family therapy and a private practitioner. She’s got a casual, laid-back approach to therapy (and life) and doesn’t sweat it when things get heated in session. She’s been described by one of her long-time clients as “the everyday people’s sex therapist” and can’t count on both hands how many times she been cornered at a party by someone that says, “Can I ask you a weird question?”

Honorable Mentions:

• Barry MCarthy (sex researcher)
• “The 5 Things” you can do to maintain/build your romantic relationship
• Responsive sexual desire

Recommended Reading:

• The 80/80 Marriage, by Kaley Klemp and Nate Klemp PhD
• Come As You Are, by Emily Nagoski PhD (women-targeted)
• She Comes First, by Ian Kerner PhD (husband-targeted)

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Welcome to the Psychologists Podcast, hosted by Drs. Gill and Julia Strait. We're psychologists, we're married, and we're trying to figure out how to keep two small children alive. Join us as we explore psychology research and practice through a very personal lens. 

***https://tinyurl.com/Thepsychologists 

***Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thepsychologists 

***Twitter @psychspodcast

Welcome to The Psychologists Podcast, where we talk about all things psychology through a very personal lens.

Gill Strait PhD and Julia Strait PhD are both Licensed Psychologists (TX) and Licensed Specialists in School Psychology (LSSPs, TX). They are alumni of The University of South Carolina School Psychology Doctoral Program (Go Gamecocks).

Gill is a teacher, researcher, and supervisor at a university graduate psychology training program.

Julia is owner and therapist at Ocean Therapy in Houston, TX, offering telehealth therapy to young adults in their 20s and 30s who are struggling with anxiety. Check it out here: https://www.oceantherapy.net/

Welcome back to the Psychologists Podcast, where we talk about all things psychology through a very personal lens.

In this instant smash hit episode, Gill and Julia interview their former student, 4-months-from-graduating doctoral candidate Jocelyn Gomez, about how growing up in hospitals with Osteogenesis Imperfecta (OI) and Spanish-speaking parents shaped her desire to connect, mentor, and help others through hospital- and primary-care-based clinical psychology services.

Jocelyn is a doctoral candidate at the University of Houston-Clear Lake and is completing a psychology residency in pediatric psychology at Nemours Children's Health - Delaware. Starting this fall, she will be completing a pediatric psychology fellowship at Baylor College of Medicine/Texas Children's Hospital. Jocelyn identifies as a disabled Mexican-American and provides services in Spanish and English to children and their families.

Honorable Mentions:

• Jocelyn on Twitter: jocelyngomez_03 (she's kind of a big deal)
• Jocelyn on Instagram: jocelyn_gomez03 
• Osteogenesis Imperfecta (OI) Foundation https://oif.org
• National Latinx Psychological Association https://www.nlpa.ws 

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Hosted by Gill Strait PhD and Julia Englund Strait, PhD.

We're psychologists, we're married, and we're trying to figure out how to keep two small children alive. Join us as we explore psychology research and practice through a very personal lens. 
***https://tinyurl.com/Thepsychologists 
***Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thepsychologists ***Twitter @psychspodcast

Welcome to The Psychologists Podcast, where we talk about all things psychology through a very personal lens.

Gill Strait PhD and Julia Strait PhD are both Licensed Psychologists (TX) and Licensed Specialists in School Psychology (LSSPs, TX). They are alumni of The University of South Carolina School Psychology Doctoral Program (Go Gamecocks).

Gill is a teacher, researcher, and supervisor at a university graduate psychology training program.

Julia is owner and therapist at Ocean Therapy in Houston, TX, offering telehealth therapy to young adults in their 20s and 30s who are struggling with anxiety. Check it out here: https://www.oceantherapy.net/

Welcome back to The Psychologists Podcast, where we talk all things psychology through a very personal lens. It's Season 2, and we're dusting off the mics and re-subscribing to a pro Zoom account. Oh, and we are figuring out how to work Twitter this year! (judge our ridiculously bad social media savvy at @psychspodcast)

Today, Gill and Julia talk with psychologist Cynthya Campbell Palmer, PhD about:

• starting a nonprofit
• culturally competent mental health services
• work-life balance (including burnout red flags, passion vs. fit, individual vs. systemic responsibility)
• the importance of having CHOICES in work and in therapy

Dr. Cynthya Campbell Palmer ( https://drcampbellpalmer.com ) received her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from Loyola University Chicago. She has served as a director of a clinical psychology training clinic and as a clinical assistant professor. Dr. Palmer’s clinical experience includes working in medical settings as a pediatric psychologist and as a behavioral health consultant at a large federally qualified health center. In addition to providing clinical service, Dr. Palmer has worked as a researcher on various projects. Her current interests include researching mental health services among communities of color and help seeking through organizations of faith. She has published in peer-reviewed journals on topics related to mental health. She also trains, supervises and mentors pre-licensed professionals. Dr. Palmer currently owns a private practice providing therapy to youth and adults and conducts workshops and presentations on various topics related to mental health.

Honorable Mentions:

• New Journey Counseling Center (Houston, TX metro area; coming soon!)
• LEAD (Letting Everyone Achieve Dreams) https://www.linkedin.com/company/letting-everyone-achieve-dreams/about/
• Dr. Palmer's private therapy practice: https://drcampbellpalmer.com

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Hosted by Gill Strait PhD and Julia Englund Strait, PhD.

We're psychologists, we're married, and we're trying to figure out how to keep two small children alive. Join us as we explore psychology research and practice through a very personal lens. ***https://tinyurl.com/Thepsychologists ***Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thepsychologists ***Twitter @psychspodcast

Welcome to The Psychologists Podcast, where we talk about all things psychology through a very personal lens.

Gill Strait PhD and Julia Strait PhD are both Licensed Psychologists (TX) and Licensed Specialists in School Psychology (LSSPs, TX). They are alumni of The University of South Carolina School Psychology Doctoral Program (Go Gamecocks).

Gill is a teacher, researcher, and supervisor at a university graduate psychology training program.

Julia is owner and therapist at Ocean Therapy in Houston, TX, offering telehealth therapy to young adults in their 20s and 30s who are struggling with anxiety. Check it out here: https://www.oceantherapy.net/

We’re baaaaaaack!

Welcome to The Psychologists Podcasts, where we talk about everything psychology through a very personal lens.
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Hosted by Gill Strait PhD and Julia Strait PhD, psychologists, parents, married people, humans.
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We're psychologists, we're married, and we're trying to figure out how to keep two small children alive. Join us as we explore psychology research and practice through a very personal lens. *** https://tinyurl.com/Thepsychologists *** Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thepsychologists *** Twitter @psychspodcast

Welcome to The Psychologists Podcast, where we talk about all things psychology through a very personal lens.

Gill Strait PhD and Julia Strait PhD are both Licensed Psychologists (TX) and Licensed Specialists in School Psychology (LSSPs, TX). They are alumni of The University of South Carolina School Psychology Doctoral Program (Go Gamecocks).

Gill is a teacher, researcher, and supervisor at a university graduate psychology training program.

Julia is owner and therapist at Ocean Therapy in Houston, TX, offering telehealth therapy to young adults in their 20s and 30s who are struggling with anxiety. Check it out here: https://www.oceantherapy.net/

…The final Miniseries episode (for now), In which my inner conflict about diagnosing people emerges :)
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Some people call us “testers,” so what is a psychological test??? I’ll tell you about the pros and cons of three kinds of measures (scales, tests, whatever) that are commonly used in psychological evaluations (and research).

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In this special Miss Diagnosis miniseries, we're looking behind the scenes at psychological assessment--the underused and little known but totally helpful psychological service that helps you answer questions like, "Am I normal?", and/or "Do I have ADHD...or PTSD, or Autism, or OCD, or Bipolar, or...?", and/or "What treatment(s) will be best for me?"

Look for polls and comment on posts on my Instagram @drjuliatx as we go through the series. I want to know what you want to know!
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I'm Julia Strait, and I'm a licensed psychologist specializing in comprehensive, trauma-informed, neurodiversity-inclusive, collaborative psychological assessment. You can find me...

• on Instagram @drjuliatx
• at the private practice where I work: https://steppingstonetherapy.org/strait/
• at Psychology Today: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapists/julia-strait-webster-tx/444237
• on the Psychology Today blog, This Emotional Mind: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/emotional-mind
• on Amazon, with an anxiety book for teens (adults can use it too :)): https://www.amazon.com/Panic-Attacks-Workbook-Teens-psychology/dp/1648766137

Welcome to The Psychologists Podcast, where we talk about all things psychology through a very personal lens.

Gill Strait PhD and Julia Strait PhD are both Licensed Psychologists (TX) and Licensed Specialists in School Psychology (LSSPs, TX). They are alumni of The University of South Carolina School Psychology Doctoral Program (Go Gamecocks).

Gill is a teacher, researcher, and supervisor at a university graduate psychology training program.

Julia is owner and therapist at Ocean Therapy in Houston, TX, offering telehealth therapy to young adults in their 20s and 30s who are struggling with anxiety. Check it out here: https://www.oceantherapy.net/