Introducing New Media to Psychologists: Lessons learned from Bob Dylan, Lady Gaga, and Harry Potter

Photo by Jorge Quinteros

New and emerging media have changed the way we get information (e.g. Google), share information (e.g. Twitter, blogs), and interact with each other (e.g. Facebook). It's clear that these technologies represent a revolution in the way we learn and communicate.

However, psychology as a profession has been slow to adopt these technologies. This is probably due to gaps in technology literacy, a fear of new ethical challenges, and a scarcity in recommendations for using these technologies.

In this 3-part article, I will outline simple steps psychologists can take to adopt new media technologies. Part 1, The Times Are Changing, summaries what new media are and why they are important. Part 2, Be Like Gaga, describes how to develop an online identity. Part 3, The Sword of Gryffindor, details the ethical implications of new media and recommended strategies for their effective use.

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APAGS at the 2011 APA State Leadership Conference

From March 12 through March 15, 18 members of the APAGS Committee and the APAGS Advocacy Coordinating Team joined numerous state psychological associations at the American Psychological Association (APA) Practice Organization's State Leadership Conference in Washington, D.C.

Opening Session of the Conference

Attendees discussed the future of psychological practice, participated in leadership training, and advocated for professional psychology on Capitol Hill. Below are highlights from the conference.

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8 Ways Cognitive Behavior Therapy Can Change Your Life or: How I Learned to Take One Photograph a Day for One Year

I love photography. It allows me to explore the world in a very different way from psychology.

However, for the past few years I’ve felt stuck. My photos began to look the same. The composition was fine, but I didn't feel an emotional connection to my work. I realized that I needed to make big changes in my life in order to grow as a photographer.

One of my friends suggested I embark on a Project 365. The goal of the project is to create 1 photo every day for a year. Not only does this project challenge you to experiment with photography, it also helps you to become more aware of yourself and your surroundings.

Highlights from my Project 365

On February 1st, 2010, I started my own Project 365. What follows is an overview of how I used 8 strategies from cognitive behavior therapy to successfully take 365 photographs.

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Update From the Fall 2010 APAGS Committee Meeting

From October 21st through October 24, the APAGS Committee met in Washington, D.C. to discuss issues affecting psychology graduate students and to develop resources to meet the needs of our diverse constituency. This meeting represented one of the largest in APAGS’ history. In addition to APAGS staff, 9 elected committee members, 5 appointed subcommittee chairs, 3 appointed liaisons, and 5 invited delegates were in attendance. Collectively, these 22 graduate student leaders represented a wide variety of psychology subfields, training programs, and geographic locations.

The APAGS Committee approved the development of several initiatives that highlight the key goals of our organization – to serve the needs of all psychology graduate students, promote diversity in psychology, nurture the professional development of graduate students, and advance the effective use of technology in psychology.

Below you can find summaries of these new initiatives.  

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A Beginner’s Guide to Treating Trichotillomania: Separating Science from Pseudoscience

Note: This article is written in honor of the National Trichotillomania Awareness Week. To learn more about Trichotillomania, visit the Trichotillomania Learning Center.

I often tell my colleagues that trichotillomania (hair pulling disorder) represents the wild west of psychological disorders. Unfortunately, it remains one of the least researched and most misunderstood disorders in the DSM. Additionally, there is a lot of pseudoscience, snake oil, and plain old quackery on the internet about the best way to treat it.

In this article, I will highlight what we do know about scientifically supported treatments for trichotillomania. As a disclaimer, this is only an introduction to treating trichotillomania and is not intended to formally train clinicians. Lastly, I will not be reviewing medical treatments for trichotillomania (you can learn more about those here).

Historical Treatments

Photo by Gregory Parker

The first scientifically based treatment for trichotillomania was Habit Reversal Training (HRT) (Azrin, Nunn, & Frantz, 1980; Duke, Keeley, Geffken, & Storch, 2010). During HRT, individuals become more aware of their hair pulling behavior and practice interrupting the behavior by engaging in incompatible behaviors. For example, people who use their hands to pull from their scalp might practice reaching down towards one’s knees. While HRT has been effective in the treatment of tics and Tourette’s Disorder, it doesn’t work for everyone who has trichotillomania and also has a high rate of relapse. Why? As I described in a previous article, trichotillomania is a very heterogeneous disorder and affects each person differently. A “one size fits all” treatment just won’t work for trichotillomania.

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