Wise Counsel Podcasts

Mental Help Net (www.mentalhelp.net) presents the Wise Counsel Podcast (wisecounsel.mentalhelp.net), hosted by David Van Nuys, Ph.D. "Barent Walsh, Ph.D. on Self-Injury". In this edition of the Wise Counsel Podcast, Dr. Van Nuys interviews Barent Walsh, Ph.D. on the topic of self-injury, also known as self-harm, self-mutilation and parasuicidal behavior. The most common forms of self-injurious behavior are cutting and burning one's self (with a blade, with fire). The intent of the self-injury is to create tissue damage there is generally no intent to commit suicide. Self-injury is primarily attractive to people who are experiencing strong and painful emotions such as anxiety, depression, shame or anger as a means of regulating and controlling these negative emotions. People who self-injury repeatedly will typically not have available to them better, more functional ways of coping with painful moods.

Mental Help Net (www.mentalhelp.net) presents the Wise Counsel Podcast (wisecounsel.mentalhelp.net), hosted by David Van Nuys, Ph.D. "John Kihlstrom, Ph.D. on Dissociation". In this edition of the Wise Counsel Podcast, Dr. Van Nuys interviews John Kihlstrom, Ph.D. about Hypnosis, Dissociation and the Dissociative Disorders. Conventional clinical wisdom suggests that a precondition of the more severe dissociative disorders like DID is significant childhood trauma. A causal relationship is implicit in this 'wisdom' to the effect that early trauma is thought to cause later dissociation in susceptible people. Dr. Kihlstrom has specifically examined whether evidence in support of this causal assumption could be generated in the lab. Importantly, he has concluded based on years of doing such research that trauma is not a precondition for developing dissociation disorders. The true cause of dissociative disorders remains unknown, in his view.

Mental Help Net (www.mentalhelp.net) presents the Wise Counsel Podcast (wisecounsel.mentalhelp.net), hosted by David Van Nuys, Ph.D. "Thomas Joiner, Ph.D. on Suicide". In this edition of the Wise Counsel Podcast, Dr. Van Nuys interviews Thomas Joiner, Ph.D. on the topic of why people committ suicide. Dr. Joiner has proposed a new theory of why people suicide which he believes is more accurate than previous formulations. He proposes three key motivational aspects which contribute to suicide. These are: 1) a sense of being a burden to others, 2) a profound sense of loneliness, alienation and isolation, and 3) a sense of fearlessness. All three of these motivations or preconditions must be in place before someone will attempt suicide.

Mental Help Net (www.mentalhelp.net) presents the Wise Counsel Podcast (wisecounsel.mentalhelp.net), hosted by David Van Nuys, Ph.D. "Jonathan Engel, Ph.D. on the History of American Psychotherapy". In this edition of the Wise Counsel Podcast, Dr. Van Nuys interviews Jonathan Engel, Ph.D. about his book "American Therapy" concerning the history of psychotherapy in America. Though recognizing the technical distinctiveness of three major schools of psychotherapy (psychodynamic, humanistic and cognitive behavioral), and the multiple fields that deliver therapy, Dr. Engel's research suggests that practicing therapists are largely pragmatic and eclectic in their orientations. He emphasizes that effective therapy always involves therapists who can deeply empathize with their patients. Some historical figures important in the history of American therapy including Sullivan and Rogers are discussed, as well as the merits of the technically driven modern and empirically validated therapies which have emerged in the last few decades.

In this edition of the Wise Counsel Podcast, Dr. Van Nuys interviews Jurgen Kriz on the topic of Self-Actualization, a concept central to the humanistic school of psychotherapy, and central to the work of Dr. Carl Rogers who was (and remains) arguably the most important psychologist of that school. Dr. Kriz has recently written a book about self-actualization in which he attempts to bring Rogers' ideas up-to-date by integrating them with modern insights from systems theory (e.g., the basis for the family systems psychotherapy). Self-actualization is not really about self-improvement but instead about the self-organizing principle, which is the idea that people are first and foremost intrinsically (internally) motivated, according to their desires, but that they adapt themselves according to social (external) demands. Accordingly, there is no therapist-set goal in person centered psychotherapy, Instead, Rogerian therapists work to provide their clients with the support and understanding they need to recognize and act upon their own intrinsically present goals. As Kriz says, "You do not need to impose order. You can just help people to facilitate their inherent possibilities".

Mental Help Net (www.mentalhelp.net) presents the Wise Counsel Podcast (wisecounsel.mentalhelp.net), hosted by David Van Nuys, Ph.D. "Raul Moncayo, Ph.D. on Lacanian Psychoanalysis". In this edition of the Wise Counsel Podcast, Dr. Van Nuys interviews Raul Moncayo, Ph.D. on the topic of Lacanian Psychoanalysis, a development of the original Freudian psychoanalysis as reimagined by Jacques Lacan, a French Psychoanalyst writing in the middle of the 20th century. In this interview, Dr. Moncayo describes some of the important theoretical contributions made by Lacan, most of which seem to center on the manner in which identity first develops and differentiates, on the central importance of language to this process, and on the limitation of language as a tool for fully comprehending experience. Lacan's approach and concepts are compared and contrasted with those of the traditional Freudians for clarification purposes. As this interview is difficult to comprehend at points, Dr. Dombeck has done his imperfect best to provide a plain English language translation of what is being talked about.

Mental Help Net (www.mentalhelp.net) presents the Wise Counsel Podcast (wisecounsel.mentalhelp.net), hosted by David Van Nuys, Ph.D. "Victoria Lemle Beckner, Ph.D. on Treatments for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder". In this edition of the Wise Counsel Podcast, Dr. Van Nuys interviews Victoria Lemle Beckner, Ph.D. on Treatments for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. Dr. Beckner has written a book, Conquering Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, which seeks to educate people about the best therapies and techniques for treating PTSD, and to help people who are not able or willing to seek out professional treatment for PTSD to use these techniques themselves in a self-help modality.

Mental Help Net (www.mentalhelp.net) presents the Wise Counsel Podcast (wisecounsel.mentalhelp.net), hosted by David Van Nuys, Ph.D. "Morteza Khaleghi, Ph.D. on Treating Emotional Trauma in Addiction". In this edition of the Wise Counsel Podcast, Dr. Van Nuys interviews Morteza Khaleghi, Ph.D. on the importance of addressing emotional issues underlying addictions. Dr. Khaleghi is a Clinical Psychologist, provider of inpatient addiction rehabilitation services, and author of the book, Free from Addiction: Facing Yourself and Embracing Recovery. In the interview, he describes his understanding of the best way to treat addictions, which includes the use of psychotherapy aimed at helping recovering patients to identify and work through past emotional traumas.

Mental Help Net (www.mentalhelp.net) presents the Wise Counsel Podcast (wisecounsel.mentalhelp.net), hosted by David Van Nuys, Ph.D. "Annie Fahy, MSW on Motivational Interviewing". In this edition of the Wise Counsel Podcast, Dr. Van Nuys interviews Annie Fahy, MSW on the topic of Motivational Interviewing. Motivational Interviewing (MI) is a client centered set of psychotherapeutic strategies first developed by William Miller, Ph.D. (and then later developed by Miller and colleague Stephen Rollnick, Ph.D.). MI is applied by the interviewer to a client who is (usually) ambivalent about making a change to some maladaptive behavior they habitually engage in, such as drug use. Despite their client-centered approach, motivational interviewers are directive with clients. They use conversational therapy techniques as first developed by Rogers to advance a therapeutic agenda of helping to clarify and crystallize a client's motivation to change. They are not cohersive or insistent about it, however, in contrast to some addiction therapy approaches that stress confrontation. Motivational interviewing has been well studied, and has been repeatedly shown to help people reduce their problem drug or alcohol use. It fits well into the Harm Reduction psychotherapy framework for addictions as the therapy is okay with such partial improvement and does not demand full sobriety from clients.

Mental Help Net (www.mentalhelp.net) presents the Wise Counsel Podcast (wisecounsel.mentalhelp.net), hosted by David Van Nuys, Ph.D. "Alan Rappoport, Ph.D. on Control-Mastery Theory". In this edition of the Wise Counsel Podcast, Dr. Van Nuys interviews Alan Rappoport, Ph.D. on the topic of Control-Mastery Theory, first formulated by Psychiatrist Joseph Weiss, MD and Psychologist Harold Sampson, Ph.D. in the 1960s and subsequently developed by Dr. Rappoport and other members of the San Francisco Psychotherapy Research Group. The term 'Control' refers to the idea that patients come to therapy in a defensive mode which they have chosen to enact in an unconscious fashion because these defenses have helped them to feel safe in past relationships. The term 'Mastery' refers to the idea that people are innately motivated to heal themselves (e.g., to mastery past issues by learning to function without their defenses constraining their natural inclinations), although they may not know exactly how to accomplish that task. Control Mastery psychotherapy thus attempts to offer patients a safe and accepting therapy space in which they can relax their defenses or controls and work out or master their issues. This is a relationship oriented therapy which proceeds as patients 'test' their therapists through the process of transference. It is less a psychodyanmic psychotherapy, however, and more of a humanistic one, or perhaps, its own thing.