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Now ye're talking - to a psychologist

Boards.ie: Niamh

Our next guest is a psychologist who has worked in a variety of academic and clinical settings, including community mental health teams and with incarcerated men who’ve committed serious crimes.

She is happy to answer any questions you may have, although protecting confidentiality and anonymity is really important so please understand that she may not be able to answer everything.

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bobwilliams

I appear to have almost no empathy.
Been to concentration camps etc...zero effect.
Seriously,would this be considered healthy in your opinion?
I suppose the reason for the question is the fact that I've read that a lot of violent criminals can exibit such traits or is that moreso a lack of self control and self conscience?
Thanks in advance.

wexie

Presumably from the OP you've worked or at least been involved with in the prison system.

Has this been from an assessment or treatment angle?

Is there (in your opinion) much of an effort being made in the Irish prison system with regards rehabilitation? Would it be useful?

thanks!

(Oh, one more, from what I understand pretty much anyone in Ireland, regardless of education or qualification can call themselves counselor or therapist, how do you feel about this?)

[Deleted User]

Is there a thin line in your experience between objectivity and empathy?

I'm a Psychologist, AMA

0lddog wrote: »

psychiatrist & psychologist

Same or different & in what ways ?

Very different, but a very common question

.

Psychiatrists are medical doctors who specialise in mental health. They can prescribe medication and monitor your physical health, if needs be.

Psychologist is a broad term, but generally means someone with a psychology undergraduate degree and further post-graduate training and study. Psychologists are not doctors and can't prescribe medication or monitor physical health. They can work in a variety of specialist settings, such as mental health, education, forensic systems, counselling, academia, etc.

Psychiatrists tend to use what we refer to as the "medical model" - i.e. mental health can be understood similarly to physical health, with an emphasis on the biological basis of mental illness.

Psychologists who work specifically with mental health are called Clinical Psychologists (which requires a 3 year doctorate to qualify, so they are referred to as Doctor - that increases the confusion!). They tend to take a broader view of mental health, using something more along the lines of the biopsychosocial model of mental health.

0lddog

psychiatrist & psychologist

Same or different & in what ways ?

I'm a Psychologist, AMA

Hi all, looking forward to this!

freshpopcorn wrote: »

Sometimes when we read about a criminal in the media we read they are very evil/bad/etc. Do you ever feel sorry for them or think they aren't as bad as the papers make them out to be?

Absolutely. I've worked with a few people whom you could potentially have heard about on the news, and it's astonishing how different they can be in person to how they are reported on. I remember doing a lengthy assessment with one guy who had such a sad story, and came across as someone who had just ended up going down the wrong path out of desperation and confusion. After i'd finished, I googled him and the way he was reported in the news made him out to be an absolute monster. The pictures the media chose to use were ones where he looked totally crazed, which was not representative of how he looked when I met him.

At the end of the day, everyone is human and everyone has a story. A key part of my role is finding compassion for every person that I work with, even if they've done some abhorrent things.

banie01 wrote: »

Given your breadth of experience.
Have you formed an opinion on nature versus nurture?
And in instances of addiction, do you believe the "disease" model of addiction allows for adequate support and treatment of addiction?

Thanks for taking the time to the AMA, it's the 1st one in a while that's really grabbed my interest

You're welcome!

Nature v nurture is quite contentious these days. Many psychologists will argue that nature has nothing to do with anything (see the recently published Power Threat Meaning Framework if you are interested and have a LOT of time of your hands), but I don't take quite such a hard line. My sense is that people have biological vulnerabilities towards certain things, and a combination of personality and life experiences impact how and to what degree those things become expressed. So there may be a genetic predisposition to psychosis, for instance, but I think that alone isn't enough to mean you'll develop symptoms.

I haven't worked much with addiction, so I can't speak with any authority, but my instinct would be to treat it as above. A disease, to me, implies something like cancer - something you can get with no apparent cause or even when you try your best to avoid it. So I don't feel like that fits too well with addiction. As with anything, I think understanding the reasons behind it are key to making permanent changes - if someone can identify when and why they may have used substances, you can start working from there. I also don't like the passive nature of describing addiction as a disease - to me, it sounds like saying it's out of someone's control. If you feel like you can't control it, where's the incentive to take steps to change?

banie01

Given your breadth of experience.
Have you formed an opinion on nature versus nurture?
And in instances of addiction, do you believe the "disease" model of addiction allows for adequate support and treatment of addiction?

Thanks for taking the time to the AMA, it's the 1st one in a while that's really grabbed my interest

freshpopcorn

Sometimes when we read about a criminal in the media we read they are very evil/bad/etc. Do you ever feel sorry for them or think they aren't as bad as the papers make them out to be?