Category: Mental Health Matters

By Biserka Rashkova Content warning: Beloved contains frank depictions of sexual assault and racial violence. In one of his most notable papers, Freud reminds us that we are destined to [Read More]

In recent decades we have seen an explosion of research on psychoanalytically-influenced therapies and psychoanalytic concepts. A psychodynamic research listserv, founded over 15 years ago, has over 1,000 researcher members, [Read More]

Twenty years ago, faculty member Joan White decided to bring modern psychoanalysis into the public schools. “The emotional demands made on teachers by their work can be overwhelming,” says Dr. White. “Children who come to school with emotional problems are still expected to perform at grade level. But their feelings get in the way of their learning.” Violence, racism, drugs, non-cooperation, inattentive, and provocative behavior are among the challenges confronting teachers. “And the teachers,” she reports, “take it personally.” They can be left feeling hopeless, frustrated, angry, and helpless. [Read More]

By William Sharp. Which is better?  I hear this question a lot, and the ultimate answer is: it depends. Cognitive Behavioral therapy (CBT) is a short term (often 12 session) approach to treatment that encourages changing your thinking, in order to change your feelings and behaviors.  Psychodynamic and psychoanalytic therapy is usually longer term work, as it is based on more than just the stated symptoms someone walks into treatment with.  [Read More]

When it comes to helping people improve their mental health, many therapists are trained to keep a certain distance between themselves and those they are working with. They are told to maintain an emotional barrier and work hard to never cross it.

This approach is important for keeping strong boundaries when people need them.  However, oftentimes when therapists suppress the feelings that arise in the therapy, they miss out on major opportunities to address the root causes of the persistent emotional struggles. [Read More]

Psychodynamic therapy is different from more cognitively based therapies in that it starts with the assumption that a person’s symptoms are an indicator of a more complex set of emotions – those that are deeply rooted and outside of their awareness. The psychodynamic psychotherapist learns to understand these unconscious factors that prevent positive change, and is able to address them and help people who are struggling to resolve their mental and emotional problems. [Read More]

The first words in the movie, spoken by Connor, are “How does this story begin?” to which the monster replies, “It begins like so many stories. With a boy too old to be a kid, too young to be a man, and a nightmare.” Much like treatment beginnings, we don’t know what any of this means yet – but all the answers are there, in codes we can’t yet decipher until we know the person better.  We have to look at the data the we are presented with to begin making sense of it all, and the group at this BGSP event rose to the challenge.  [Read More]

It’s time again to grapple with what to do to so that the Parkland students’ wish for #neveragain can someday be realized. In the aftermath and the public outcry we ask ourselves why highly specialized military weapons are so easily accessed by obviously disturbed individuals. Will we finally make changes to our gun laws that value human life and safe schools more than the insanity of the NRA and its second amendment fanatics? Is the answer in background checks and improved mental health services? We must do whatever we can to keep killing machines out of the hands of deranged individuals. If improved mental health services are the answer, what kind of improvements should be considered? [Read More]