Discover and read the best of Twitter Threads about #TherapistTwitter

“Treatment goals include areas that are influenceable by work on the self; life goals depend heavily on factors outside one’s control. 🧵

Therapy goals thus might include reducing perfectionism, increasing realistic self-esteem, resolving an internal conflict, making a difficult choice, mourning a painful loss, and so on.

Life goals include, for example, finding a partner or spouse, getting a good job, or becoming a parent. They may be attained more easily when therapy goals have been met, but they are not themselves treatment goals.

@JonathanShedler

In 2010, @JonathanShedler published an article in the flagship journal of the American Psychological Association, The American Psychologist. 🧵

At the time, it was controversial because his article argued that psychodynamic psychotherapy, long derided as irrelevant and ineffective, is empirically supported as effective.

One of my favorite parts of the article was his reference to the work of Blagys and Hilsenroth (2000) who identified by empirical means 7 techniques used by psychodynamic therapists that are different than those of other therapies. They are:

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I find Alonso’s conceptualization of the foundations of psychoanalytic thinking very helpful. But, a lot has changed since she wrote her chapter on the basics of psychodynamic theory in 1989. 🧵

Since she wrote there have been significant shifts in thinking about the structures of the mind, what is motivating people, developmental theory, what constitutes problems in living (pathology),

what might be the source of change in people, how the therapy relationship works and the role of the therapist in the treatment, and the importance of and conceptualization of relationships among other things.

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The last of Alonso’s foundations of psychodynamic theory is the idea that there is an assumption that our mind is in conflict. While we may not be aware of this conflict, parts of our minds are working against each other. 🧵

For instance, we may have needs for closeness while also having needs for separation. These conflicts are often not in our awareness and sometimes experienced as ambivalence or anxiety.

To resolve these conflicts, sometimes we use a defense mechanism (I posted definitions for about 30 of them back in May/June). And, sometimes the cost, in the form of symptoms, make the defenses used less than pleasant.

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Ben Behnen

@BecomingaThera

Last weekend I asked #TherapistTwitter for their best podcast recommendations to grow as a therapist

Here are the Top 15 (in no particular order) and where to find them:

🧵

@EstherPerel

1. Where Should We Begin - @EstherPerel

2. Attachment Theory in Action - Karen Doyle Buckwalter

3. The Homecoming Podcast - @drthema

4. Psychologists Off The Clock - @OTC_Psych

5. Therapy For Black Girls - @therapy4bgirls

@EstherPerel

@EstherPerel @drthema @OTC_Psych @therapy4bgirls 6. The Hip Hop Social Worker - @hhsocialwork

7. Doin' The Work: Frontline Stories - @DoinTheWorkPod

8. Very Bad Therapy - Ben Fineman & Caroline Wiita

9. The Black Psychologist Podcast - @BlackPsychpod

10. This Jungian Life - @ThisJungianLife

Sequoya Hayes, LSW, RYT 200

Ben Behnen

@BecomingaThera

Hey #TherapistTwitter,

what 1-3 books would you suggest a new therapist read their first year?

If you're finding this helpful at all, I have a free newsletter I send out 2x monthly about growing as a therapist.

Sign up below ↓

theragrowth.ck.page/newsletter

Thank you everyone for your wonderful and helpful suggestions!

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@profmasala

I usually ask my clients how they are going to take care of themselves after a therapy session. This week, my client asked me. I shared a few of my spiritual hygiene/cleansing practices with her, so thought I'd talk about them a bit.

#wellness #TherapistTwitter #spirituality

These aren't in any order. 🌱going outside. I go outside after sessions to ground and cleanse. Sometimes I do a few breath exercises 🌬 take my shoes off and plant my feet in the grass🦶🏾I'm an air sign, so I love a warm or cool breeze.

#wellness #TherapistTwitter #spirituality

Rose water spray⚘️ I have a few different sprays but loveee rose water. I spray this around my body, focusing on my crown, heart, and hands area. Sometimes I spray and sweep it up and around, or just spray up and walk through

#wellness #TherapistTwitter #spirituality

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Dissociation is of special importance in the 2nd psychological vital sign of self and object constancy. Dissociation serves to protect one’s self from the pain (physical and/or emotional) one is experiencing now. 1/6

2/6 To do that, a person unconsciously and automatically shifts their attention somewhere else. We’ve all driven from A to B, arrived at our destination, and wondered why we can’t remember the path we took. Our thoughts were somewhere else.

3/6 When this happens as a response to severe pain that occurs repeatedly, it sometimes becomes difficult to be aware of or control the shift in state of mind. In severe instances, the states of mind can become segregated so they don’t seem to drift from one to another.

In the avoidant type of attachment insecurity, the child ignores the caregiver who inconsistently shows attunement. They literally avoid their caregiver. But, this does not mean they lack feelings. In some instances, children with this 1/5

2/5 style appear to approach their caregiver when they’ve been separated and then sometimes, at the last moment, attempt to ignore them. Adults with this type of insecurity often experience themselves and are experienced by others as independent.

3/5 They can appear confident and accomplished. When in relationships though, they sometimes struggle to find closeness and can get to a point in the connection where they feel compelled to distance themselves or break up.

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There are 3 types of insecure attachment: ambivalent, avoidant, and disorganized. In the ambivalent type, the child feels conflicted about being in the presence of the caregiver. It is relatively common to see a child in this situation become angry when a 1/5

2/5 caregiver has left and then returns. It is also common to see that they may be passive or helpless. Adults often experience this insecurity as a sense of low self-worth. When a partner is not attuned to them, even if just occasionally, they can feel as

3/5 if they are not worthy of love and be self-blaming. They sometimes need persistent reassurance that they are loved and lovable. Fear of abandonment can sometimes be overwhelming and sometimes they will cling to the relationship to try to solve their fear.

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Sydney Conroy

@SydneyConroy_

@Imani_Barbarin

Inspired by the insight and knowledge of @Imani_Barbarin's thread (retweeted on my page before this). Specially the tweets on hysteria & disability community & ableism as connected to overturning Roe v Wade.

This is where the mental health industrial complex meets other issues. This is an intersection. Therapists, psychologists, & psychiatrists DIAGNOSED people with hysteria. Drop your moral judgement on that MHPs & look at the implication of our history of harm. #TherapistTwitter

Consider how therapists, social workers, counselors, all versions of US MHPs will be used, as they were then for hysteria, as cops to funnel people into the prison system for criminalized abortion. Hysteria dx put folks in psychiatric hospitals, abortion will put folks in jail.

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Tania A. Marshall Clinical Psychotherapist Author

Sometimes therapists, especially those new to the field, have a powerful wish to be good at their job. And, sometimes this wish clouds their view of their flaws and mistakes. The shame that comes from recognizing one has made a mistake that hurt a patient can be 1/3

2/3 overwhelming. And, it’s common to try to avoid that shame. But, it is important to stay open to the aspects of ourselves that we don’t like. Being aware of the kinds of mistakes and flaws we may have allows us to avoid defensiveness and validate the experience people

3/3 may have of us when we are not at our best. Patient’s often find it a relief when we acknowledge our mistakes and painful when we don’t. #psychoanalysis #psychotherapy #psychology #psychstudent #psychtwitter #therapistsconnect #TherapistTwitter

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Joan

@TherapistJoan

Stop saying something is wrong with your “picker” because you keep ending up with the wrong person. Focus on your “Thrower”!

Don’t ever let your ability to pick the wrong person be stronger then your ability to throw them back 💪🏾!

I don’t care how discerning you are, how much therapy you attend or how self-aware you are, you can still end up aligning yourself with the wrong individual. But once you are aware…let that “thrower” kick in. #TherapistTwitter

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Israa Nasir

@IsraaJN

@amersurveyctr

Making friends as an adult is hard. Keeping friends as an adult is even harder. The @amersurveyctr report on friendships shows that Americans report having fewer close friendships than before. My thoughts on why 🧵

Early to mid adulthood sees a lot of life transitions: moving to different cities to pursue education, jobs, or going with romantic partners. Choosing to become a digital nomad vs staying in your hometown can impact your friendship.

Difference in income. This is the one no one talks about. Some friends might hit the 100K jobs while others are struggling to make 70K. This income disparity creates a disconnect in lifestyle and can result in you growing apart.

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@TaniaAMarshall

I feel a need to apologize on behalf of #psychology
The organisations & #psychologists have burned their profession down. Many still champion this dying spiralling wokeism, in spite of contrary evidence, for their own selfish need for relevance. This damage is likely irreparable

@AustPsych

This toxic wokeism has infected all #Psychology Organizations. The Australian #Psychological @AustPsych Society’s ex president Bob Montgomery is a convicted sex offender in jail & the APS couldn’t even genuinely apologize 👉🏻 abc.net.au/news/2020-06-0…

Then we have the Australian Psychological Society’s one way affirmation medicalisation approach of transgendering children/teens and denial of social contagion as one factor in the 4000% increase & the silencing/harassment of psychologists who disagree 👉🏻 psychology.org.au/about-us/news-…