Wise Counsel Podcasts

Mental Help Net (www.mentalhelp.net) presents the Wise Counsel Podcast (wisecounsel.mentalhelp.net), hosted by David Van Nuys, Ph.D. "Steven Levenkron, MS. on Childhood Sexual Abuse of Women", posted August 15, 2007. Levenkron defines sexual abuse broadly as sexualized contact between an adult and a female child between 1 and 13 years old. Girls who have been abused experience pain and terror. They come to believe that "no one will ever protect me again" and come to act accordingly. Attachment and behavioral disorders may follow, as well as depression, social withdrawal, obsessional symptoms, and trememdous self-blame and self-hatred. The longer abuse remains a secret, the more opportunity occurs for these symptoms to become institutionalized in identity. More severe cases of abuse may result in dissociation, and dissociation-related psychosis (not schizophrenia-style psychosis). Clinically, abuse victims may present with eating disorders, a tendancy towards self-mutilization (e.g., cutting and burning one's self), presumably personality disorders (although these are not described), and precocious addiction and/or sexuality. Victims may also avoid sexuality entirely, and go so far as to make themselves physically and emotionally unattractive (e.g., by becoming obese, by dressing poorly, etc.). Victims may slide into further victimizing relationships, as abuse has become normalized, or may act out pseudo-abusive relationships with others through sexual domination activities.

Mental Help Net (www.mentalhelp.net) presents the Wise Counsel Podcast (wisecounsel.mentalhelp.net), hosted by David Van Nuys, Ph.D. "Steven Shaps on Anger Management", posted June 15, 2007. Anger is a normal human emotion, but also one that can become destructive to self and others. Mr. Shaps describes his approach to working with client's anger concerns both on an individual basis and with couples. His approach promotes insight and awareness of emotions underlying anger and encourages a "notice and transcend" approach to managing it rather than one consisting of venting (which reinforces anger feelings rather than helping them to disolve).

Mental Help Net (www.mentalhelp.net) presents the Wise Counsel Podcast (wisecounsel.mentalhelp.net), hosted by David Van Nuys, Ph.D. "Joanie Gillispie, Ph.D. on Cyber Rules", posted September 1, 2007. Dr. Van Nuys interviews psychologist Joanie Gillispie who, together with colleague Jayne Gackenbach, has written a book titled "Cyber.Rules" which is aimed at helping educate parents about how modern pervasive modern digital media are affecting children and adolescents. This is a complex topic that might pull for a simplistic analysis and prescriptive approach. However, this book apparently offers a more thoughtful and educative approach that Dr. Van Nuys finds refreshing and valuable. Dr. Gillispie's contention is that parents, teachers and clinicians need to become more aware of the ways that the connected world is affecting children so that they can help educate and guide children to avoid the worse outcomes while still benefiting from what is useful and good. Her simple metaphore for how parents, who may be playing catch-up and feeling insecure about how to present themselves as knowledgable, is to deal with the internet in the same way that one would deal with teaching children how to cross a street. This is to say, children need to be protected in developmentally appropriate ways from the worse of the net when they are too young to appreciate its dangers, and they need to be offered the graduated freedom (again in developmentally appropriate ways) to explore the net as it becomes appropriate for them to do so.

Mental Help Net (www.mentalhelp.net) presents the Wise Counsel Podcast (wisecounsel.mentalhelp.net), hosted by David Van Nuys, Ph.D. "John C. Fleming, MD on Preventing Addiction", posted July 15, 2007. Dr. Fleming is a strong advocate for parents taking strict but loving steps to restrict and limit childrens' opportunities for becoming addicted. He suggests that parents do not model drinking in front of children, indoctrinate children against substance abuse in the same way that they would teach children to not run into the street, to not allow children to have long periods of unsupervised time, to lock medications and alcohol away from children, and to use breathalizer and other drug tests on at-risk children to disincentivize them from using or experimenting. So as not to shock children with a sudden change of the rules, these measures should be implemented from birth and be applied consistantly.

Mental Help Net (www.mentalhelp.net) presents the Wise Counsel Podcast (wisecounsel.mentalhelp.net), hosted by David Van Nuys, Ph.D. "John Clarkin, Ph.D. on Transference-Focused Therapy for Borderline Personality Disorder", posted August 1, 2007. John Clarkin, Ph.D., a clinicial psychologist, is a proponant of Transference-Focused Therapy (TFT), a form of therapy that updates older transference based psychodynamic psychotherapy ideas. TFT is a semi-manualized therapy, meaning that its principles are written down in a book, but session-by-session therapist directions are not provided. TFT is highly 'here-and-now' focused, using the relationship that forms between patient and therapist as a laboratory environment in which the patient's interpersonal problems will play out. TFT therapists help patients to understand and become aware of their maladaptive interpersonal patterns so that they can start to alter them. TFT therapists encourage patients, many of whom are disabled, to get out and work, even if that work is only on a volunteer basis. Conflicts that occur in the work environment are discussed in therapy

Mental Help Net (www.mentalhelp.net) presents the Wise Counsel Podcast (wisecounsel.mentalhelp.net), hosted by David Van Nuys, Ph.D. "Steven C. Hayes, Ph.D. on Acceptance and Committment Therapy", posted March 21, 2007. Dr. Steven C. Hayes' Acceptance and Committment Therapy (ACT) is a relatively new variety of psychotherapy that puts cognitive behavioral techniques into the service of helping people excape their symbolic prisons by teaching them how to become more conscious of and less bought into and embedded in their symbolic prisons. When painful experience is not avoided anymore people become more able to connect with what they value and then to act (commit) to actions that are consistant with their values (rather than consistant with avoiding what they fear). Though experiential in orientation and practice, ACT is firmly based in science, and is supported by multiple clinical trials that provide evidence for its' efficacy.

Mental Help Net (www.mentalhelp.net) presents the Wise Counsel Podcast, hosted by David Van Nuys, Ph.D. "David Drimmer, Psy.D. on Positive Psychology", posted February 12th, 2007. Historically, psychology and psychotherapy have focused on understanding and fixing negative states of being, such as mental illnesses like depression and anxiety. Little energy was ever devoted towards helping people understand how to avoid such negative states in the first place, or, for that matter, how to enhance one's normal life experience so as to become a happier, more fulfilled person. Recently, a new movement within psychology has turned it sights towards understanding the positive aspects of human experience; those behaviors and beliefs that help people to thrive through adverse circumstances and to live life to their fullest capacities. In this first ever Wise Counsel podcast, Dr. Drimmer describes how learning how to cultivate happiness and optimism can dramatically impact your life for the better.

Mental Help Net (www.mentalhelp.net) presents the Wise Counsel Podcast (wisecounsel.mentalhelp.net), hosted by David Van Nuys, Ph.D. "Lorna Hyde Graev on Living With Bipolar Disorder". This Wise Counsel Podcast features an interview with Lorna Hyde Graev and is from the patient's rather than from the therapist's perspective. Mrs. Graev, who is diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder, is a public relations professional who serves on the board of directors of Fountain House, a mental illness rehabilitation and advocacy organization based in New York City. She spoke with Dr. Van Nuys about her illness and about the work done by Fountain House on behalf of members suffering with severe and persistent mental illness.

Mental Help Net (Www.Mentalhelp.Net) Presents the Wise Counsel Podcast (Wisecounsel.Mentalhelp.Net), Hosted By David Van Nuys, Ph.D. "shinzen Young on Mindfulness Meditation". in this Installment of the Wise Counsel Podcast, Dr. Van Nuys Interviews Shinzen Young, a Mindfulness Meditation Teacher and Buddhist Scholar. As a Westerner Fluent in the Practice of Eastern Meditation, Young Has Set Himself the Goal of Making Meditation More Easily Available to Average Western People. He Has Reformulated Buddhist Concepts Into Language That Westerners Can Understand, and Has Developed a Website Through Which He Teaches Online Classes so As to Make Meditation Instruction Available to Most Anyone Regardless of Location Or Financial Resources. His Third Goal is to See Buddhism and the Long Training Period Necessary to Learn How to Become a Skillful Meditator Become Obsolete Through the Development of a Merged Western-Eastern Neuroscience and Brain-Based Approach to Meditation. He is Excited to Note That Part of this Merging Between Science and Meditation is Occurring Today With the Development of Mindfulness-Based Forms of Psychotherapy.

Mental Help Net (Www.Mentalhelp.Net) Presents the Wise Counsel Podcast (Wisecounsel.Mentalhelp.Net), Hosted By David Van Nuys, Ph.D. "sarah Chana Radcliffe, M.Ed., C.Psych.Assoc. on Raising your Kids Without Raising your Voice". in this Installment of the Wise Counsel Podcast, Dr. Van Nuys Interviews Sarah Chana Radcliffe, a Canadian Psychologist With 30 Years of Experience As a Parent Educator and Psychotherapist. Ms. Radcliffe Has Recently Written a Book Summarizing Her Advice to Parents, Titled, Raise your Kids Without Raising your Voice. Following the Guidelines Outlined in this Book Will Give Parents Their Best Opportunity to Help Their Children Grow to Become Happy, Healthy and Emotionally Intelligent Adults Who Enjoy Staying in Contact With Their Parents.