Interview with a Psychologist

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What is your degree in, specifically?

Ph.D in clinical psychology, board certified in pain management with diplomat status(highest).

What was your inspiration for pursuing psychology in general?

Compassion to always help people, Christianity brought him to this. When he originally came to college was a bible major, decided wasn’t quite what he wanted. Pursued social work, wasn’t satisfying enough for him. Felt that paperwork dominated the occupation, wanted more one-on-one…picked psychology. Worked for a church in D.C., associate minister for ultra wealthy and impoverished all at once.

Why did you pick your specialty?

Stumbled into it. In Philly, private practice, variety of clients. Saw ad for a person specializing in pain in a medical center, was involved developing a new diagnosis for psychosomatic pain disorders. Picked pain management as his dissertation topic focused on this.

How does a typical day in your practice play out?

Thursdays, 5 people a week. Session runs 50 minutes, find out how many people per day. Starts half an hour before first session, reads session reports, and makes sure new intakes have been reviewed, along with medical history. Speaks with other healthcare to aid acquisition of knowledge. Requests information from primary care physician, monitors treatment by medical professionals.

What type of patients do you see?

Usually medically ill patients are taken in. Works with those who cannot manage pain on their own. Hyper vigilant to pain reduces ability to enjoy life and cope more efficiently.

What is your opinion of health psychology?

Professionally, has little contact with Health Psychologists, they are rare and “elusive”. They are more consulting oriented than practice oriented.

What is the difference between clinical psychology and the subspecialty of health psychology?

Licensure is state by state, must practice within specialty. Is your degree approved by the APA and other boards of certification? Preventative versus management.

What is most difficult about being a professional psychologist?

Just starting out is difficult, trying to build a client base. Giving up time to give depositions in court cases.

Have you ever lost a patient to illness or suicide?

Yes, a man at an assisted living center in town had heart problems, talked of suicide. Worked with this man for 6 weeks, and then died of his heart related condition. Purposeful overdose of pain medication has happened.

How does being a professional psychologist impact your family life?

Helps him to become a better parent. Becoming a more personable person. Models genuine and caring nature in all things through his training. Effective to being human or as a professional.

Do you find it difficult to differentiate between your professional identity and your personal one?

Is a workoholic, has to work very hard a balancing focus of life. His studies help him to view his world more clearly, and to interact with other people more effectively. Tools given through his experience aid him in dealing with personal issues.

How often do you utilize chaplains and spiritual aids?

As often as a person requests it. Is ethical to pursue ideas of individual concerning spirituality. Doesn’t impose values, helps to explore it if they wish. Encourages spiritual mentors that align with their personal beliefs. Had an interesting case where a young woman “could not be forgiven”. Worried about not being forgiven.

How would describe a stereotypical psychologist? What is your exemplar?

Caring and genuine

Female

Firm, holding somebody to reality

Originally, 50% had problems, very abstract

Get excited over little things.

Must posses a level of ambiguity and embrace that to be effective.

Being comfortable in being brutally aware of their own limitations.

Putting Things Into Focus.....Ba-dum-dum Psh!

I am going to focus on finding the truth about how my "entire" profession is represented. I am going to hold numerous interviews with professionals on what I consider "both sides" of this issue. Is clinical health psychology all that different from counseling psychology? Are the two siblings borne from the same parent of applied psychology? I will assemble stereotypes, as well as primary source information, then compare the two to see if there are any strands connecting them.

1. What is clinical health psychology all about?

2. Are stereotypes representative of this sub-field within psychology?

3. Would professionals in the differing fields of psychology say that they are ok with the broad stereotypes of the profession? Do they feel they are portrayed fairly, thoroughly, and consistently?

My Choice, Not the Media's

Helping individuals is always portrayed by the media, and can often be the butt end of many jokes/ parodies what have you. I know this is true, and it seems oversimplified.

The media is very quiet about the sub-field I wish to pursue, but I will always be lumped into the category of "psychologist". The media did influence me at a young age. A game, Twisted Metal: Black brought me into the realm of the psychopath, seeing their suffering and to understand that there were those out there who thought more strangely than myself.

I do believe the media is not as interested in success stories as they are in failures. A patient that walks free is occasionally the interest or focus, but the failures, the suicides, murders, tragic deaths are what people want to see. I won't give it to them.

I am happy that my profession is "underground", because I can avoid all of the slander/libel that other professions may have to deal with daily.

Group Members Cross-Referenced with Media

Media

+Finds the mind interesting

+Is patient

+Wants to help people

+Loves to analyze people

+Interested in people beyond just problems

Not Represented

Very perceptive of others

Not intimidated easily

Personal experiences fed into choice

Cares about the elderly

Wants to change the image of the profession

Straightforward and honest

Trident of Knowing, Questioning, and Disproving. RAWR!

1. What is accurate?

• There is a lot of professionalism in the field.
• Lots of private practice.
• There seems to be a lot of cooperation among other healthcare professions.

2. What is false?

• I will not sit in a chair and have patients on a couch.
• I will not be working with children.
• I do not plan to work in or for the military.

3. What am I unsure of?

• Why there are kids always involved in the perception of my profession.
• Why are there all these group sessions?
• Will I have to wear a suit everyday?
• I hope that people don't label me as "soft" or "coddling". I am serious about this business. I am not a buddy, or a friend. I am a scientist that is practicing within the field to make the study of illness and psychology more complete. If people want a "friend" they go to a therapist. I am not a counselor nor am I therapist.
• Making my job separate from my personal life is something I think I will struggle with.

Created vs. Reflected

If anything is created, it is a reflection of another's reality. All created things originate from an idea, and all ideas can be traced back as far as the longest living member of a society. Ideas can be spontaneous, but they originate from fragmented memories that are looking for a way to fit together. Sometimes this assembles itself as a "new idea". If God made man in His image, all of man's actions are influenced down a chain of impossibly long proportions. It cannot be traced, but if one thought about their ideas, and what situations caused cognition, they may find that everything they write, create, or wonder is influenced by direct action within existence. And, in turn, the created products are reflections of the individual's reality, or what they long for. And these images inspire others in their own differing ways. Why is something romantic? Why is giving a bunch of plant sex organs to a woman sweet? Why was cutting off 200 foreskins considered a labor of love to secure a wife for David? These ideas must come from somewhere, vanity, lust, greed, sorrow, and happiness secured through what we know already works.

How have I....Today?

Constructivist

• I enhanced my understanding of media representation in regards to my chosen profession.
• I have assimilated knowledge of what is available into my frame of thinking, while simultaneously accommodating the fact that there is little information from a media point of view, so I must search deeper and more thoroughly for answers.

Feminist

• Women saturate the mental health field, but are under represented in what media that is available.
• I really would be excited to find a woman with similar interests as mine. Being able to discuss the same issues from differing perspectives excites me.
• Women, I believe, are much more nurturing by default, and I could take a lesson from that.
• Knowing how to identify with women, and speak candidly about gender roles/issues would be a valuable asset to my practice.

Themes from Youtube Videos

• There is a real lack of videos pertaining to Clinical Health Psychology
• Psychology is viewed as calm and maybe even coddling
• There is a lot of fun poked at how people are treated
• Men seem to fill the field, but my own experience tells me otherwise
• Interactions are very unorthodox
• All seem to keep cool in stressful situations
• Definite delight in research and finding out new things

The trends are difficult, because of how new the field is. This is a young marriage between medicine and psychology, and they are just now defining themselves.

Pray for the Dead and the Dead Will Pray for You

Behavioral Medicine

Calm, Respected, Understanding, Passionate

Offspring of Medicine and Psychology

Lover of Disease, Traumatic Brain Injury, and Psychoneuroimmunology

Who feels Depressed in a Hospital, Happy at Patient Discharge, Thrilled in the Research Lab

Who gives a comfortable end, a listening ear, and advocacy for the dying.

Who fears losing a patient early, working with over-eager medical doctors, and lawsuits.

Who would like to see thanatology become more widespread, medical school curriculum to include death and dying procedure, and hospice provided through government programs with more quality of life intact.

Who lives alone, with a wife, or with his dog, Blitz.

Clinical Health Psychology

How others view my profession

It is hard to draw something that is obscure to begin with, and the field being new adds another dimension of difficulty to this task. The pictures I received were very spot on for a counseling psychologist, but there was no picture that contained my idea of my profession. I think the individuals did the best they could with what they had.

In every picture, I'm sitting down, most of them had me behind a desk. I can see they understood my desire to help others, but it was in which manner that they didn't know. I do not blame them in the least, because my focus is so very specialized in this choice of calling. Was I offended? I was not. I did see that the stereotype of anything labeled "Psychologist" shone through quite strongly, but it isn't offensive. I appreciate the effort of my peers.

LIII-TUR-A-SEE

Literacy is the ability to understand written, visual, auditory, emotional information. The ability to gain new ideas, and shared common learning. It may be the most important skill to have in this age of technology and communication, seeing as how much of our learning and contact is based upon written text. How literate you are determines how available you can be for acquiring knowledge, and even respect you gain from a society that expects it.

Expectations

I honestly have no clue as to what I am getting into. I have never been in the education building, and I have never been taught by an education professor. I believe I will gain a better understanding of my ideal profession in a nurturing environment. I do have concerns about what will be required of me, being very ungifted in artistic endeavors. I am a little concerned about being on the small ship, S.S. Testosterone, floating about in this wide sea of estrogen. I hope I do not offend anybody, and maybe I will make some new acquaintances. The idea of making a very small, informal network of individuals pursuing other professions excites me, and I look forward to what this class has in store.