Psych and the City

Sarah speaks with Jessica Fern, psychotherapist and author of Polysecure: Attachment, Trauma, and Consenual Nonmonogamy, about...yup, you guessed it - attachment, trauma, and nonmonogamy. Jessica shares about the different dimensions of attachment and how our styles can show up in all areas of life - not just romantic relationships. Sarah and Jessica also talk trauma - particularly the nested model of trauma that Jessica developed. Finally, Jessica shares specifics about what we can do to cultivate secure attachment in our relationships. It has to be said, Polysecure was one of my favorite reads of the year. I refer to it often. Resources: www.JessicaFern.comPolysecure

Sarah speaks with Dr. Tila Pronk, an assistant professor in social psychology at Tilburg University, who specializes in love and relationships. Dr. Pronk guides us through her research on executive functioning (a set of processes that have to do with managing oneself and one's resources in order to achieve a goal), forgiveness, and how to minimize online dating burnout. This episode  discusses questions like - Why some people are better able to protect and maintain a relationship than others. What does it take to forgive? And what are some of the potential psychological drawbacks of uninhibited online dating? Resources:The Stroop Test: https://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/java/ready.htmlDr. Tila Pronk's Research: https://www.tilburguniversity.edu/staff/t-pronkInstagram: @tila.pronk; Twitter: @tilapronkThe articles discussed in this episode are below: A rejection mind-set: Choice overload in online dating Pronk, T. & Denissen, J., 2020, In: Social Psychological and Personality Science. 11, 3, p. 388-396Marriage as a training ground: Examining change in self-control and forgiveness over the first 4 years of marriage Pronk, T. M., Buyukcan-Tetik, A., Iliás, M. & Finkenauer, C., 2019, In: Journal of Social and Personal Relationships. 36, 1, p. 109-130What it takes to forgive: When and why executive functioning facilitates forgiveness.Pronk, T. M., Karremans, J. C., Overbeek, G., Vermulst, A. A. & Wigboldus, D. H. J., 2010, In: Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. 98, 1, p. 119-131How can you resist? Executive control helps romantically involved individuals to stay faithful.Pronk, T. M., Karremans, J. C. & Wigboldus, D. H. J., 2011, In: Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. 100, 5, p. 827-837Sarah KelleherInstagram: @psychandthecitybkTwitter: @psychndthecityWebsite: sarah-kelleher.com

Welcome to season 2 of Psych and the City! Sarah speaks with coworker Dr. Jeffrey Birnbaum, a pediatric HIV specialist who has been working in HIV care since 1992. For the first part of the episode, Sarah and Jeff discuss perinatal HIV, injectable HIV treatment, and why transgender people are at an increased risk for HIV. Jeff and Sarah discuss a somewhat controversy in HIV medicine - if positive parents should breastfeed infants. Jeff is a bit of a pioneer in the field for supporting parents. Next, Sarah and Jeff discuss symptoms and treatment of the STD syphilis so you can know what to expect. While this episode leans a little medical, Jeff helps us understand syphilis and HIV better way better. Plus, we made a jingle. Even nuanced conversations about sex education can be super fun and interesting. Dr. Jeffrey Birnbaum is the Executive Director of HEAT, where he has provided medical care to hundreds of HIV+ and high risk youth ages 13-24 since 1992.  Dr. Birnbaum is an Associate Professor of Pediatrics and Public Health at SUNY Downstate Medical Center. In addition to his clinical work at HEAT, he devotes much of his time in community mobilization efforts to identify and engage HIV+ youth in care.  He has pioneered efforts in Brooklyn to engage young gay and bisexual male youth and transgender youth from communities of color in medical care, prevention activities and HIV counseling and testing efforts. Breakdown of Episode:Introduction to EpisodeBreastfeeding and Perinatal HIV HIV and Transgender CommunitiesSyphilisWhat is Syphilis?Treatment of SyphilisTesting and Additional Information about SyphilisResources:  https://heatprogram.org/about-us/cdc.gov/std/syphilis/Syphilis-pocket-guide-final-508.pdfcdc.gov/std/treatment-guidelines/syphilis.htmcdc.gov/std/syphilis/stdfact-syphilis.htmcdc.gov/hiv/pdf/policies/cdc-hiv-transgender-brief.pdf

Sarah speaks with Tracey Helton, author of The Big Fix, Hope After Heroin and known to many as the Narcan Lady. After getting sober 23 years ago, Tracey has spent her life as a harm reductionist working in overdose prevention and advocating for people who use drugs. Tracey and Sarah discuss shifts in the drug trade, the barriers to recovery and harm reduction services (P.S. it's not the individual), and the policy failures that are deaths from overdoses. August 21 is International Overdose Awareness Day. Today we honor those we have lost and their families. International Overdose Awareness Day is recognized in more than 40 countries. We pause on August 31 to honor those lost as well as raise awareness and instigate action and discussion about evidence-based prevention and drug policy. You are not alone.  https://www.overdoseday.com/about-the-campaign/Below are organizations and people doing incredible work in supporting people who use drugs. Resources: Tracey Helton - Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok: @traceyh415@harm.reduction.saves.lives www.harmreductionsaveslives.orgHarm Reduction Coalition: @harmreductioncoalition, https://harmreduction.org/Understanding Naloxone: https://harmreduction.org/issues/overdose-prevention/overview/overdose-basics/understanding-naloxone/

Sarah speaks with Mariah Grant, a human rights and migration specialist with a focus on migrant and sex workers’ rights, freedom of movement, and labor exploitation. As the Research and Advocacy Director at the The Sex Workers Project of the Urban Justice Center she oversees Sex Workers Project advocacy efforts and development of original research.Mariah and Sarah discuss the initiatives of SWP, labor exploitation, and society's need for real and honest conversations about the realities of sex and work in general. The way SWP likes to look at human trafficking is that for human trafficking to be properly addressed it’s really about protecting and defending the rights of workers - a conversation that regardless of the kind of work we do applies to us all. Resources:The Sex Workers Project is a national organization that defends the human rights of sex workers by destigmatizing and decriminalizing people in the sex trades through free legal services, education, research, and policy advocacy. https://swp.urbanjustice.org/START ACT: https://startactny.org/Instagram: @sexworkersprojectDONATE: https://swp.urbanjustice.org/donate/SEX[UAL] HEALING - https://swp.urbanjustice.org/sexual-healing/#about-debut

Sarah sits virtually down with Mari Wrobi to talk about being intersex. Mari is a nonbinary, intersex, queer, and Latinx interACT youth advocate and educator whose work fights for the human rights of intersex people and educates the public on what being intersex actually means. Turns out - not shockingly at all - there are a lot of misconceptions floating around and harm being caused through forced intersex surgeries. Most of us know little to nothing about being intersex. Here's where to start. Resources and Additional Learning:Mari Wrobi, Instagram: @genderfenderbender; Tiktok: @genderfenderbender, Etsy shop: @genderfenderbender Intersex justice project: https://www.intersexjusticeproject.org/; Instagram: @intersexjusticeprojectInterConnect, Instagram @interconnectsupportgroupInterACT, Instagram: @interact_advHans Lindahl - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBJLp0Da6r88E8soAja29zAPidgeon Pagonis, Instagram @pidgeonEmily Quinn - https://www.youtube.com/user/Emilord; TedTalk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=stUl_OapUsoSean Saifa Wall, Instagram: @saifaemereges River Gallo, Instagram: @rivergalloBooks about being intersex by intersex peopleBorn Both, By: Hida Viloria Intersex (For Lack of a Better Word), By: Thea HillmanContesting Intersex, By: Georgiann DavisXOXY, By: Kimberly Zieselman

Sarah speaks with Zach, a self-proclaimed nerd, sex geek, and consent educator. In this extra long episode, Zach and Sarah discuss A LOT -Zach's 10+ years experience with polyamory, his five pillars of consent, intersectionality and kink, and Zach's life as a Dominant - how it's helped his mental health, his missteps, and what he's learned.  Zach became interested in consent as a topic over 5 years ago as a personal research project. He is currently completing his Masters of Social Work degree at University of Houston to be of even more benefit to his community. Zach also serves as the Gulf Coast Advocate for the National Coalition for Sexual Freedom (NCSF), attending professional social work conventions, providing info on kink & polyamory to social work and mental health professionals. He is currently serving as an intern of social work at Houston’s local LGBTQ Center, where he serves as a group facilitator and clinical student intern. Zach is a member of the Board of Loving More (www.lovemore.com), the nation’s oldest Polyamory Advocacy organization.  Zach puts his Consent Educator muscles to work on www.consentwarrior.com, where he consults and schedules presentations on the topics of ‘The Five Pillars of Consent’©, ‘Radical Self-ish Care’, ‘BDSM & the Law’ and does consultation sessions for self care.Find Zach at: Consentwarrior.com@zinvictuz@black_sexgeek

Sarah interviews Anya Aggarwal @addictionwithanya, an honorary research assistant at Drug Science in the UK about theories of addiction and drug policy. After growing up in Singapore, a country with some of the strictest drug laws in the world, Anya became a proponent of harm reduction tactics and works to demystify drug use and humanize people who use drugs. Later, Sarah brings back her boyfriend Mark to discuss his experience with using Suboxone, a medication-assisted therapy (MAT) for his opiate addiction.Anya Aggarwal has a psychology degree from the university of Bristol and is doing a master’s in addiction at Kings College London. Currently, she is involved in a research project in conjunction with Columbia University (New York) and this has a particular focus on naloxone carriage. After this, she has a PhD offer in public health which will look at ‘understanding and fostering public support for policies designed to improve the health and wellbeing of people who use drugs’More learning:@addictionwithanya@harm.reduction.saves.lives@harmreductioncoalition

Rose Parker, @psychosispsositivity, lives with Schizophrenia, Psychosis, and is recovered from Dissociative Identity Disorder. Rose is a Psychosis Advocate and is about to enter graduate school with the goal of becoming a psychotherapist exclusively for Psychotic people. On this episode, Rose shares her story and experience related to living with Psychosis, Schizophrenia, and Dissociative Identity Disorder and navigating her life in academia and beyond. Additional Resources:The Center Cannot Hold by Ellen SaksThe Collected Schizophrenias: Essays By Esme Weijun WangI’m Not Sick, I Don’t Need Help By Xavier AmadorAmerican Psychosis By E. Fuller TorreySurviving Schizophrenia By E. Fuller Torrey

Cosplay, short for 'costume-play', is the practice of wearing costumes, props, and accessories to represent and embody a character. Typically, cosplay is the extension of a person’s love for a character or genre, such as science fiction and fantasy, anime and manga, comic books, and other creative media.  For cosplayers and fans, cosplay culture is mostly a space of freedom and expression. For people that don't feel the same connection, cosplay is often misunderstood and seen as just plain weird.   So, why do people enjoy cosplay? Why do cosplayers choose to embody certain characters? How do they feel while in costume? Does wearing a mask make them feel different?  Sarah asks these questions and more to professional cosplayer and online content creator, Jess @feministchronicles, whose craft focuses on the integration of cosplay, women’s empowerment, and body positivity. Jess is a South Florida native, has a B.A. in Psychology and a minor in Women's Studies, and has been cosplaying since the summer of 2017.   Jess's Social Media: IG: @feministchronicles  Twitter: @femchronicles_  Further Reading: Robin S. Rosenberg: Expressions of Fandom: Findings from a Psychological Survey of Cosplay and Costume Wear