All posts filed under: Therapy

Alex Kriss, Ph.D., on “The Gaming Mind: A New Psychology of Videogames and the Power of Play”

Alexander Kriss, Ph.D., is a clinical psychologist and author based in New York. His first book, The Gaming Mind: A New Psychology of Videogames and the Power of Play, was published in 2019. He graduated from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts with a B.F.A. in playwriting. He received his M.A. and Ph.D. in clinical psychology at The New School for Social Research. He is also an adjunct professor of psychology at The City College of New York and Fordham University. He has written about the intersection of mental health and technology for Salon, Psychology Today, and Logic. Alex Kriss on “The Gaming Mind: A New Psychology of Videogames and the Power of Play” . Q: What inspired you to write The Gaming Mind: A New Psychology of Videogames and the Power of Play? AK: I started playing videogames with my father when I was five years old. They were an important part of my life throughout childhood, adolescence, and into adulthood, though I didn’t necessarily appreciate how important for a long time. As I began to develop a professional identity as a clinical …

Dear Survivors of Narcissistic Abuse: Own Your Healthy Narcissism!

Published by Michael Kinsey, Ph.D.

Introduction Search Narcissism on the internet and you’ll see that evocative word does not fill people up with the warm fuzzies that a word like “puppies” might. Anger, despondent wails, grievances and other cries of unfairness would overwhelm anyone who takes the time to sample content from social media, forums, and blogs on the subject. And yet I think we need to change our attitude towards the word. A revered mentor of mine, David Shapiro, used to say that he was unimpressed by Narcissism as a diagnostic label. “Everyone’s narcissistic,” he’d say. “Narcissism is a developmental stage. It’s not really a personality organization,” he elaborated. Narcissism is one of the few topics on which Dr. Shapiro and I disagree. And even though I believe Narcissistic Personality Disorder is a very real phenomenon, Dr. Shapiro says something we should all take very seriously. That is, everyone is narcissistic. Why do we need to re-appropriate the the term “narcissism”? We’re not all narcissistic in the same way, or to the same degree, but we do all have …

Free Play: Why It’s Important and How to Get Your Kids to Participate

Published by Michael Kinsey, Ph.D.

Guest Post by Shalom K. Introduction Play is a crucial part of any child’s growth and development. It is a means for them to explore new things, learn, and develop. Your child learns to depend on their capabilities, building their self-worth and self-esteem. Having raised my kids full time and homeschooling them, I have had to come up with strategies that will help them engage in play and learning. Before we get to the strategy, let’s first understand what free play is and why it’s so essential for kids. What is Free Play? Free play is any unstructured, voluntary, child-initiated activity that lets kids develop their imagination while exploring their environs. It is the spontaneous play that is born from a child’s curiosity, enthusiasm, and love of discovery. It can include playing with dolls, blocks, crayons, clay, paper, and so on: anything that allows free, creative play. Outdoor play is the best form of free play. When kids are outside, they explore different things in nature and discover bugs they would have otherwise missed if …

Envy: The Camouflaged Emotion

Published by Michael Kinsey, Ph.D.

More and more I encounter an emotion in patients that is quiet, hidden, nagging, and insidious. Most people seem surprised when it’s named, and the notion of inviting an open exploration of the feeling in their relationships seems quite unthinkable. To own the emotion feels shameful, and the detection of said emotion elicits guilt in the perceiver. It’s a primitive feeling we can easily recognize, yet conveniently tend not to take notice of. What is the feeling? Envy. It’s at the heart of relationship problems, in families and between lovers. Its corrosive properties lurk at the heart of political divides and toxic discourse. Individuals and groups grow further apart and disparities emerge, more seeds of envy are sewn. What is the Experience of Envy? One thing I find interesting about envy is that it is much easier to feel than it is to define. As stated above, it’s primitive and easy to access in our bodies. But what exactly is it? Before defining it, I invite you to feel in your body. Bring to mind …

Top 5 Reasons to Consider Psychiatric Medication

Published by Michael Kinsey, Ph.D.

Introduction A surprising dichotomy of viewpoints seems to arise around the topic of psychiatry and management; the first is that psychiatrists are real doctors and psychotherapists are quacks. The second is that medication is for suckers, weaklings, and the desperate. The polarization I’ve observed about these topics is surprising considering all evidence seems to indicate that both work pretty well together. While it’s not my place to tell people they must be on medication (As in, legally I’m not allowed to), I can certainly tell you about my experience with medication as a supplement to psychotherapy, and why it may make sense to consult with a psychiatrist about your needs. 1. Step Outside the System Our personalities and individual psychologies are complex dynamic systems. Our character structures consist of many forces, mounting pressures, levers, sources of friction, algorithms, contingencies, etc. that come together to create an overall feeling of goodness or badness of some kind. The important point about our personalities being systems is that they seem to favor repeated, stable, and predictable outcomes, regardless …

Affordable Therapy: 11 Ways to Pay for Therapy When You’re Broke

Published by Michael Kinsey, Ph.D.

Introduction Seeking out psychotherapy to address persisting emotional difficulties, especially when you have never had personal experience with it, is almost always a last resort. Leaving aside unconscious factors captured by the term “resistance,” the cost of competent treatment remains one of the easiest excuses to cite when avoiding needed care. While this list won’t help you address any negative feelings you have about therapy and/or what it costs, my hope is that it will: Help people who are ready for treatment and struggling with how they can afford it; and Gently take away poor excuses for avoiding something that is needed. Remember that therapists like to help. That’s how we got into this profession. Don’t let the cost get in the way of the help you need. If you’re willing to do some legwork, there’s a therapist out there for you.#mentalhealth#therapy pic.twitter.com/xTGVlbxrYX — Michael Kinsey, Ph.D. (@mindsplain) May 17, 2020 1. Ask for a Lower Fee and Present a Budget Many therapists will consult at no cost with prospective patients to determine whether the …

Out-of-Network Insurance Benefits: A Guide to Getting Reimbursed for Psychotherapy

Published by Michael Kinsey, Ph.D.

Introduction: I hear a lot of people (legitimately) complain about the cost of psychotherapy. However, there is a subset of these folks that have great insurance that allows them to be either partially or fully reimbursed for sessions outside their network. Because the paperwork can be a deterrent to seeking therapy, and because it can simply be confusing, I decided to create an informational post about how to submit paperwork for out-of-network claims with a focus on psychotherapy. By the end of this post, you should have the information you need to bill your insurance company for your psychotherapy. Any feedback or questions would be of great help to make this the most user-friendly and informative content on the topic out there. Be sure to read or skim all the way to the end for the additional resources. Getting Started: As a first step, the name and address of your insurance’s claims department must be printed or typed into the upper right hand corner of the CMS-1500. The example below is the address for medicare/medicaid …

What the Heck Is a …? A Guide to the Most Common Mental Health Professions

Published by Michael Kinsey, Ph.D.

Once you have had some experience working with different professionals within the field of mental health, differences between each discipline’s values, style, approach, and skillset can be easy to detect. However, if you are reaching out to a mental health professional for help for the first time, it can be overwhelming to differentiate between the different types of professionals, who may be best equipped to help you, and what practitioner will offer the treatment you have in mind. I’ve provided an editorialized guide to the most common professions within the field to mental health, along with some resources that provide a little less opinion. Psychiatrist Degrees: Medical Doctor (M.D.), Doctor of Osteopathy (D.O.) Years of Training: 7+ Description: Psychiatrists are usually placed at the top of the mental health hierarchy because they are the only clinicians in the world of mental health that are medical doctors (although, they are not necessarily the only mental health practitioners that can prescribe medication). All psychiatrists are trained first as doctors (usually 3 years) before applying to obtain specialized …

What a Long Strange Trip It’s Been: Return of Psychedelics to Mental Health

Published by Michael Kinsey, Ph.D.

What do psychedelics have to do with psychology? The world of psychology has enjoyed an explosion of innovation as of late. The industry has been filled to the brim with creative minds and experimental researchers over the last few years, and some truly groundbreaking research has taken place. One area of research that psychology has been particularly involved in lately is the area of psychedelic drug use. As society’s opinions and acceptance of substance use changes throughout time, medical and psychology experts tend to follow suit- and this particular topic has been no exception. In this blog, we’ll examine the use of psychedelics in the world of psychology, the impact on mental health and the arguments for and against using them in a professional context. What are psychedelics? First things first, what exactly does the term ‘psychedelic’ refer to? The most commonly known examples of psychedelic drugs are LSD, mescaline, Ayahuasca, psilocybin and DMT. These substances are taken by a user in order to achieve a psychedelic experience, which can involve auditory/visual changes, perception …

Find A Therapist: 28 Questions to Ask When Vetting a Therapist

Published by Michael Kinsey, Ph.D.

The psychotherapy consulting room can feel like a foreign place where a different social rules seem to apply. Most clients with whom I meet for the first time are nervous about being in someone else’s space and beginning the daunting process of therapy; this discomfort often impedes their willingness to ask their most pressing questions. I created a list of questions that are very much appropriate to ask (and that most people do not ask). Not every question will be relevant to everyone, and I couch this post with the warning that an indiscriminate litany of questions will not elicit the most generous and flexible approach from a prospective therapist. Ask all that seem relevant and important. If you have sufficiently narrowed down the relevant questions, asked with a sincere curiosity, and avoided a challenging and/or interrogative tone, then any abrupt, non-collaborative responses you get back from the clinician are a poor reflection on the therapist. Finding the right psychotherapist is important, so I encourage you to ask all the questions you need to feel …

Mindsplain

Make mental health playful.

All posts filed under: Therapy

Alex Kriss, Ph.D., on “The Gaming Mind: A New Psychology of Videogames and the Power of Play”

Dear Survivors of Narcissistic Abuse: Own Your Healthy Narcissism!

Envy: The Camouflaged Emotion

Top 5 Reasons to Consider Psychiatric Medication

Affordable Therapy: 11 Ways to Pay for Therapy When You’re Broke

Out-of-Network Insurance Benefits: A Guide to Getting Reimbursed for Psychotherapy

What a Long Strange Trip It’s Been: Return of Psychedelics to Mental Health

Find A Therapist: 28 Questions to Ask When Vetting a Therapist