All posts tagged: psychotherapy

Identity, Space and Time: Acknowledging Social Injustices in Psychotherapy

Identity, Space and Time: Acknowledging Social Injustices in Psychotherapy

Published by Nicci Attfield

A contextual approach to psychology acknowledges the struggles people face within the social environment. From this perspective, an individual is not only influenced by internal forces, thoughts, or feelings. Instead, a person responds to his or her social environment. Social norms and beliefs determine how a person can act in any given situation. This means that a person’s roots influence the routes they can take and the opportunities open to them. Social marginalization can result in mental health challenges. Without recognizing social injustice, an individual may be blamed for their own struggles and forced to adjust. Why is it important to acknowledge social context? Some aspects of identity can lead to people feeling disempowered. This can be due to racial identity, disability, gendered identity, national identity, deaf identity, sexualities, class, health and illness. Sometimes, aspects of identity may combine to create layers of struggle. Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie shares the complexities of raced identity in Americanah: “The only reason you say that race was not an issue is because you wish it was not. We all …

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The Gaming Mind: A New Psychology of Videogames and the Power of Play

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

Published by Michael Kinsey, Ph.D.

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 …

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5 Reasons to Consider Psychiatric Medication

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 …

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Getting reimbursed for therapy

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 …

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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 …

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