#clinical psychology phd programs

[prashasconsulting]

The Value and Importance of an Honorary Doctorate

An Honorary Doctorate is a prestigious recognition awarded to individuals who have made significant contributions to society in fields such as academia, arts, business, or public service. While it is not an academic degree earned through coursework, it acknowledges the individual's lifetime achievements, impact, and expertise.

Receiving an honorary doctorate enhances personal credibility and opens doors to greater opportunities in professional and social spheres. It’s a mark of respect and an endorsement of one's contributions to their field or society at large. This recognition can also boost one's profile, attracting new collaborations, speaking engagements, and influence in various domains.

At Prashas Research Consulting, we assist deserving candidates in securing honorary doctorates, recognizing their accomplishments, and helping them elevate their professional standing.

[nathaslosthershit]

How Old? (LH44) [Blind Items AU]

(Part 7 in the Blind Items AU [can be read separately]) Summary: A driver, unknown to the public, seems to have found himself a younger girlfriend. There isn't anything morally (nor legally) wrong with the relationship, and the pair are doing quite well in their private bliss, but the internet likes to insert itself in other's business. Luckily, Lewis is doing too good to care about what the internet has to say.

‘Young, dumb, impressionable girls who don’t know any better’. Lewis laughed at the thought. 

He had met his girlfriend 3 years ago when she was 24, because no, she wasn’t 25. They had immediately clicked, being introduced by a mutual friend. His girl had just finished getting her PhD in child psychology, because she was far from a ‘dumb girl’. She had accelerated in her schooling from the time she started school. She worked with special programs to continuously learn at her level, not her age level. The party they met at was her graduation party that Lewis’ friend had invited him to, thinking the two would go well together.

Lewis would be lying if he said her age wasn’t something he considered when they both began to like each other. But it was more so that they were in very different stages career-wise. She was in a transitional period from school to practicing, and with the upcoming move to Ferrari, Lewis didn't know what his future looked like. How could they make a relationship work when their careers were their highest priority?

So they didn’t date, remaining ‘friends’ and seeing each other whenever possible. 

That was until around a year after they met.

One night, after Lewis had been having one of the best racing seasons in a while, and after she had been succeeding in her clinical trials, proving just how much this was the perfect path for her, Lewis came over to celebrate. 

Tensions had been building up since they had agreed to keep it friendly because they simply couldn’t commit to a relationship right now. That night though, it reached its peak.

Neither had been drinking, drunk purely on lust. After two hours of dinner and good conversation, one experimental kiss led to another, which led to a longer kiss, then full on making out, until the two were in a frenzy of trying to take the others’ clothes off as fast as humanly possible. 

That night then led to a weird period for the two. They cared for each other deeply, talked like a couple, acted like a couple, but when asked by friends on the status of their relationship, it was simply a friendship with ‘hot and passionate’ sex on the side. 

Nothing more, even though they both wanted so much more. But they refused to talk about committing again. 

That was till she found out she was pregnant. 

They had been careful, condoms and birth control, but it was just some freak accident, or a blessing.

She couldn’t tell Lewis for about a month, as he was on a triple header in F1 which thankfully ended in summer break. 

By then, she had enough time to sit and think about what she wanted. It wouldn’t be easy, both their careers are demanding. If it was anyone but him, she would have had way more doubt in her partner’s ability to balance both, but she had no doubt Lewis would be anything but an amazing father. 

She was about 9 weeks when she saw him again. They had made plans to go on vacation for a week during the break (supposedly as friends, even though Lewis had booked them a honeymoon suite), so she knew she had to ask right away, before they went on vacation. The last thing she needed was things going wrong and being stuck in the South of France, pregnant, with a man who didn’t want to be a father.

“I’m pregnant.” She blurted out the moment she opened the door. 

They both stared at each other wide eyed. She hadn’t meant to say it straight away. 

Instead of clarifying, she immediately turned around and went to the kitchen. Lewis reluctantly followed, confused as to if she wanted to talk to him at the moment. 

She refused to look at him, busying herself with getting plates and utensils for the takeout Lewis had picked up.

“Are we- are we going to talk about it?” He asked. She turned around to finally look at him, seeing as he slowly walked towards her with his hands in the air.

“God, Lewis, I am pregnant, not a kicked puppy, I'm not going to bite if you come near me.” He quickly put his hands down. 

Silence fell as they both looked at each other, wishing the other one would talk first. When that didn’t happen, they both gave in, speaking over each other. “No- sorry you first.” He said.

“No, no its okay you can go.”

Once again they were both silent, til they both chose the exact same time to speak. It was thankfully what the situation needed. They laughed, immediately severing the tension and awkwardness in the room. 

As they finally calmed down, Lewis said, “So… what are we going to do?”

No ‘what are you going to do’, no immediate shut down. She was once again grateful that out of all people in the world, it was Lewis who was by her side.

“Its… hard and most would say it is not the right time for either of us. But I want to be a mother, and I want to do so now.” 

“Okay, do you still need time to think or-”

“No, no- I have had a month to think and my decision hasn’t changed since the moment I found out.” 

Now was the most stressful part, waiting for what he would say, how he would react.

“Then we can make this work, we can find a way around any complications. There is no one I’d rather do this with, honey.” 

The two of them sat in silence, but it was a comfortable silence, both envisioning the future they were going to work for, a future they were going to achieve no matter what. 

That had been almost two years ago, and they had been happy and in love ever since. Even more so when their healthy baby girl was born. 

A content smile covered Lewis’ face as his girlfriend walked in, holding their daughter. 

“What’s got you so happy?” 

“Just my two wonderful girls.” He responded.

She rolled her eyes, “Such a sap you old man. Will you please come help me build the chair for the baby’s room now?”

Happy to oblige, Lewis shut his phone and got up to help his girlfriend, completely forgetting about what the internet had to say about his private life.

[whatdaikesneed]

One of the bartenders at the not-quite-a-gay bar I frequent is an out-and-proud lesbian working her way through a psychology PhD. She's 23, early in the program, straight out of undergrad. She's been working at this bar since she turned 21, so I've known her for a few years. She's also, like, fucked up. I love talking with her about school, because she gets visibly horny talking about studying abnormal psych and abuse.

This semester she's in a seminar on familial abuse, and a few weeks ago she's telling me all about this family where the parents are grooming the kids from when they're preteens, and she's talking to me about trying to look the right amount of disgusted in class, meanwhile fantasies are swimming around in her head about getting abused like that. I asked her if she would masturbate to a client's trauma story if their parents had sexually abused them. She said, "Probably not in front of her."

I know she's not planning on going into clinical therapy, but I kind of want her to. Bet she'd come back and tell me great stories about the confidential shit that's happened to her patients.

Anyway she says she's so glad to be able to talk to me, because she's got no one to talk to about any of this stuff, but it's hard at the bar because she can't be as graphic as she wants to while she's working. So I offer to make plans to hang out at my place, where she can come get it all off her chest.

Two days later she shows up at my place with a laptop, so excited. We sit down on the couch and she opens up the laptop and goes to fansly. She's subscribed to like twelve accounts, that don't look like they have anything to do with her.

She pulls one of them up, scrolls down a bit, and finds a particular video, which she plays. The girl in the video is doing an RP video with a dildo sticking in from off camera, talking to her "Daddy" and sucking and fucking it. And the bartender girl says, "Her dad really fucked her like this. Almost beat for beat." I noticed that the performance felt a lot less contrived than these things usually do, like there's a whole backstory but she's not worried about filing you in on it.

After a few minutes of that one, she goes over to a femboy with a huge cock, and pulls up a video of him riding a dildo until he makes himself cum hands free. No mention of family here, but while he fucks himself she explains, "he didn't get molested, but his sisters both did. He said he wonders sometimes if that's what made him want to be so feminine, because that was how you got Dad to want to play with you. Later, he raped one of his sisters. She still won't speak to him, but he said it was worth it, because it was the best sex of his life. He thinks she might eventually admit how good it was and come back for another round. He also thinks about raping the other one, to see if it's just as good. He doesn't think she knows about her sister."

Bartender girl fully had her hand down her yoga pants and was rubbing her clit, watching this oiled up twink cum, and, I imagine, wishing she were his sister.

"How do you know this stuff?"

"My advisor works on sex workers and trauma. She interviewed all these people."

"And she told you about it?"

"Fuck no," she said, queueing up another video. "I broke into her filing cabinet and took photos. Look, see this girl? That guy fucking her is her real brother."

That video was a good half hour long, and she was settling in to masturbate right through it, so I said, "Do you mind if I join you?"

"please do," she said, and I took my cock out and started stroking. She reached up her shirt and started playing with her nipple, then noticed me looking and pushed her shirt up to show off her tits. A couple minutes after that she pulled her yoga pants and underwear down her thighs, and went back to masturbating.

She said "this is my favorite part," and rubbed herself so hard as the boy—the girl's brother—pressed deep into her and came.

The girl said "did you just cum inside me?" And he goes "yeah." She says "you can't do that, idiot! I'm not on the pill!"

But this is only like halfway through the video, and this guy straight up cuddles up to his sister, says it's gonna be okay, strokes her hair, then opens her legs and starts fucking her again.

Without turning to her, I ask bartender girl, "What was your dad like?"

And she said, "What? Fuck!" And doubled over herself, rubbing so much harder.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine! Ask me again!"

"What was your father like?"

"Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck—"

I put a hand on her back, and said, "What kind of man was your father?"

She had a shaking, screaming, whole-body orgasm.

When she began to regain her composure, she said, "Thank you. That was so good."

"Anything you need help with, I'm your daddy."

She nuzzled up to me, and said, "do you mean it?"

I said, "Of course, sweetheart. I'd do anything for my favorite daughter."

Tremors shot up and down her body as she took that in, and she said, "Thanks, Dad."

(to be continued)

[slowburningechoes]

remediation

Summary: When your first forensic interview isn't up to program standards, you are forced to meet with your obnoxiously intelligent teacher's assistant to brush up on your knowledge and skills... but he ends up being much different than you imagined.

Pairing: TA!Spencer Reid x Graduate Student Fem!Reader

Content Warning: 18+ Content (NSFW/NSFM) | Slow burn with eventual smut, angst, fluff, pining, sexual tension, office encounters, oral (f)

Word Count: 7.4k

This had to be the most mortifying experience of your life. You had never failed at anything before. Aside from negative lab results from the hospital, your record of passing tests and proving your competency in various areas has never been a problem. Academic accomplishment was your strong suit.

And now, you found yourself here.

In your professor's (who also happens to be the director of the entire program) office, along with his teaching assistant, who happened to be the most obnoxious man you'd ever encountered.

Even though he was only a teaching assistant, Professor Walters always made sure that we called him Doctor Reid since he already had two PhDs and was on his way to a third. He wasn't even a psychology student, he just picked up being the PSY745: Advanced Forensic Psychology TA for fun. Who does that? How was he even allowed to do that?

Those factors alone were enough to vex you, but the reasons just continued to pile up. His hair always being tucked behind his ears, the loose professional clothes swallowing his lanky body, the thick black framed glasses he would wear sporadically... but the absolute worst of all were the tangents.

Somehow, Dr. Reid always knew something about everything - and everything about that something. He would ramble on past the point of relevance, stating the most arbitrary statistics in the most interminable manner. You swear he rambled on last week for nearly an hour about the specific neurochemical indictors associated with criminal deviance. That was the only one you could recall the specifics of since it was slightly interesting and mildly related to the topic of the lecture... but still exasperating, nonetheless.

Now, you found yourself in a predicament stuck in the same room with him for an indeterminate amount of time. You hoped that Dr. Walters would take the lead on this very critical (and frankly, mortifying) conversation... but unsurprisingly, Dr. Reid opened his mouth first.

"Well, miss y/l/n," he started, propping his right ankle upon the opposite knee. "I assume you know why you're here?"

You fight the urge to roll your eyes and maintain professional, responding blankly, "Yes. I do. I made a C on my clinical interview at the men's correctional facility."

Dr. Walters chimed in, "Correct. I believe that you may benefit from some additional guidance before your next session. Until then, pending the results of that interview, you will be placed on remediation."

He was right. You had entered the interview room of the prison, something you had looked forward to accomplishing throughout your entire adult life, and completely froze. You couldn't figure out for the life of you why, whether it was realizing the heinous crimes of the man across from you or knowing that both the men who sat across from you now were standing behind the two-way mirror analyzing your every move. When you finally formed words, they were careless and disorganized, allowing the subject to completely take over the interview. It was humiliating... but this sit-down may be even worse.

"I think that would be very beneficial. Thank you, Dr. Walters," you say, swallowing your pride.

"Perfect. Up until your next interview, you will meet at least twice weekly with Dr. Reid," he states matter-of-factly.

There was no inquiry in his tone, no inflection requiring a response from you. It was set in stone. Dr. Reid was your new tutor for the next two and a half weeks. That meant 4 meets at the very least. But you had to agree as a compliance to your remediation. Your academic success was on the line, and that was a bigger disruption to your life than having to put up with Mr. Know-It-All a couple times a week.

"How does tomorrow at 8:30 work for you?" Dr. Reid asks, opening his leather bound planner.

"In the morning?" You raise your eyebrows, to which he responds with a nod. "On a Saturday?" Another nod.

Alright, you were convinced this man was truly insane. The delay in your speech caused him to tilt his head, signally for an answer. You had already planned a school work-free night of copious wine consumption with your roommate, but you decided you had nothing to lose in agreeing to meet sooner rather than later.

"I have a feeling you'll need some caffeine. Do you want to meet at The Roast?" he offered generously.

You hadn't expected him to care about how conscious you would be, since he had already suggested an early morning meeting on the weekend.

"I'll see you there," you agree, leading his pencil to jot down the information under tomorrow's date. "Thank you, again, Dr. Walters... Dr. Reid."

Your eyes meet for a moment longer then expected before you quickly gather your belongings and head out of the office.

⋅•⋅⊰∙∘☽༓☾∘∙⊱⋅•⋅

The progressively louder beeps from your alarm woke you up with a jolt from your wine-induced slumber at 7:15 am. The first thing you noticed was the splitting headache spreading across your forehead and deep behind your temples. Probably not your best idea, but you weren't going to sacrifice plans you had already set in stone just for a good night's sleep before meeting with some overly intellectual teaching assistant.

You pop a few Tylenol and take a quick scalding hot shower, and the hangover begins to wear off. As you brush your teeth, you contemplate just showing up as you are - sweatpants and wild hair barely held back by your scrunchy, but you figure that may reflect just as poorly on your professionalism than failing your interview assignment. Plus, you know Dr. Reid will inevitably be dressed to the nines. He probably even expected you to show up looking slovenly. You decide to prove him wrong.

You sort through your closet in an attempt to find the most obnoxiously academic outfit you own. The typical black suit-white blouse combination that most forensics students donned was certainly not enough to prove your point. As you reach the end of your professional clothes, you see the perfect outfit: a pencil dark chocolate brown tartan skirt with a long sleeve cream mock-neck shirt. To finish the outfit off, you grab the matching blazer for the skirt, dark tights, and black chunky loafers.

You pulled your hair back so most of it was off of your neck and face, but a few wispy parts fell to the front before glancing down to check the time on your phone.

8:05 am. You can't believe you spent so much time searching for an outfit for your mandatory tutoring session - how embarrassing. You had to pick up your pace, the coffee shop was at least a fifteen minute walk and you sure as hell weren't going to be late. You were certain that Dr. Reid had already ordered some piping hot bitter black coffee and overanalyzed the room to choose the most ideal seating for optimal heat flow or something completely ridiculous like that.

You manage to throw together some light coverage makeup, swiping gel through your brows and managing to get one coat of mascara on before your stumbling out the door with your backpack swung over one shoulder.

The walk is chillier than you expect and for a moment you regret being bare legged in the middle of fall in New England, but the impact of the outfit would make up for bracing the frigid air.

⋅•⋅⊰∙∘☽༓☾∘∙⊱⋅•⋅

By the time you enter the coffee shop, your nose and cheeks are bright pink from cold and the heat inside was so warm it stung your skin. You pull out your phone to check the time just as your body fully passes through the doorway.

8:25 am. The cold had slowed you down a bit, but you were still technically early.

You scan the room and lock eyes with Dr. Reid in the corner booth diagonal from the doorway. His usually straight and studying stare was strangely one that seemed to be of concern, with furrowed brows and widened eyes. As you stride towards him, he suddenly stands up.

"This side is warmer, sit here," he says, gesturing to wear he had just been seated.

You give him a confused look. "No, Dr. Reid. That's alright, really."

"No, no, you look like you're freezing," he motions to the bench and places his hand on your back. "I insist."

You didn't feel like arguing, especially since all you could think about was getting off your feet - those loafers definitely weren't broken in all the way. Why did you care to impress him so much anyways?

You sit down and hand his briefcase off to him from across the table. He was right, though, this side was pretty cozy already.

"You haven't even ordered anything yet. What would you like?" Dr. Reid asks, moving his own cup across the table.

You catch a glimpse at the abbreviations on the side that translated to: 20 oz latte with two extra shots of espresso and - 6 packets of sugar? This man definitely wasn't the straight black coffee man you pinned him to be. He certainly needed the caffeine boost, but he needed enough sugar to kill a small animal in order to down it.

You glance up at him and his head is perched to the side, waiting for an answer to his inquiry.

"Uh - don't worry, I'll go grab something real quick!" You urge, fiddling through your backpack for your wallet.

"It's alright, let me get it. Something to make having to sit with me a little less miserable," he states, spitting the first self-deprecating and non-savant joke you'd heard him say. "What will it be?"

You manage to half-grin through your frozen cheeks, agreeing to his offer. "A hot dirty chai with oat milk would be perfect."

You swear you caught a smirk flash across his face before he turned and headed for the counter. You had never thought of Dr. Reid as being anything less than some kind of humanoid robot, but he was managing to quickly tear down that perspective. When he arrived back with your drink, he continued to deconstruct that idea entirely by a simple phrase.

"You can call me Spencer, by the way."

Spencer. You, of course, knew his first name couldn't possibly be "doctor" but there was never an inkling that he would be okay with you calling him anything but that title.

"Then you can call me y/n, not miss y/l/n," you respond teasingly, slipping the warm drink from his hand.

An embarrassed grin spreads across his lips. "Yeah, I'm sorry about all that. It's an old school formality that Dr. Walters insists upon. But here, I'm Spencer and you're y/n."

Something about the way he said your name made all of your cheeks radiate with heat, thankfully the wind-burn rash covered up the fact that you were blushing. That was even more embarrassing than spending a ridiculous amount of time on your outfit, especially since it seems to have had no influence on him whatsoever compared to the fact you looked frozen. Now he was making you blush, what the hell?

"So, what do you say we get to it?" Spencer inquires, opening up his briefcase to remove multiple books and a file with your name on it. "What has been giving you the most trouble?"

You down another sip of your tea before reaching into your backpack to remove your laptop. "Honestly, reviewing general interview skills would probably be beneficial."

He opened the black folder with your name on the front and shuffled through the stack of papers in its right pocket. Spencer pulls out numerous papers from various points in the stack and laid them out between the two of you. They were some of your verbatim transcriptions from your practice interviews from throughout your previous semester and current forensic psychology classes. Each had a red circled "A" on the top right-hand corner with various positive comments along the side.

"You know the content, y/n. You have the skills and you demonstrated them well when practicing with your peers. We can go over them again if you like, but I don't want to repeat things you already excel at," Spencer said matter-of-factly, pointing to the multiple successes spread in front of you.

You were silent for a moment, stunned that he had said you "excelled" and generally unsure of how to proceed. You couldn't admit to him that you had just become paralyzed as you entered the room. That you felt incapable and that your heart was beating a thousand times per second as soon as the door slammed shut behind you. The doubt permeated and transformed into anxiety, which completely ruined not only your confidence but now your competency level. You wanted, still, to prove yourself as capable and qualified in your pursuits.

Spencer eventually broke the silence, sensing your discomfort. He proceeded to go back over the basic intervention skills with you and pose a variety of practice questions for the next few hours until it was close to lunch time. He was right, it did feel repetitive and quite pointless, but if it helped you overcome the remediation period that's all that mattered.

As you wrapped up your first session together and headed for the door of the cafe, Spencer noticed how your face winced as the cold air hit your body.

"Let me drive you home, y/n," he insisted, adjusting the long strap that held his briefcase on his arm. "You were practically frozen when you came in this morning."

"The sun is out now, so it won't be as cold," you responded quickly.

He gave you a smug and perplexed look. "Don't be ridiculous. My car is right around the corner."

You gave in and walked beside him down the sidewalk, bundling your coat around you for warmth. Spencer eventually halted beside an old fashioned cream colored car and placed his keys in the passenger side door. Once unlocked, he opened the door and motioned for you to take a seat.

When you sat down you noticed the cool touch of the dark leather against the back of your thighs and a faint scent of bergamot and vanilla surrounded you. Soon, Spencer sat down beside you. The make of the car was so antique there was no console to separate your knees from accidentally bumping his.

"Where am I headed?" he asked, wrapping his long arm around the back of your seat to turn and look out the rearview window. That scent of warm bergamot and vanilla completely engulfed you as the space between the two of you was closed more than ever.

It takes you a moment to gather yourself and respond, "Uh - about 8 blocks that way. I live at the apartments off third."

He nods with understanding as he shifts gears and then proceeds to turn on the radio. The soft classical music made the silence of the short drive bearable.

As the car rolled to stop in front of your apartment building, you didn't expect Spencer to get out and open the door for you once again - but he did.

Almost simultaneously, you both reach towards the floor of the car to grab your backpack. You accidentally bump heads and find yourself nose to nose with your now not-so-annoying and kind-of-handsome teacher's assistant. For a moment, neither of you move or say a word. In fact, you try your best not to breathe too sharply. You lock eyes with Spencer and notice a fervor in his gaze that made your heartbeat begin to beat so hard that you swore that both of you could hear it.

Suddenly, he pulls away and stands parallel to the opened door. As you come out of the car and stand in front of him, he quickly states, "I'll email you... to set up our next session."

You can't ignore the tension and manage to crack a half smile in a failed attempt to break it.

"That sounds great. Thank you, again," you respond, swinging your backpack over your shoulder and stepping further onto the sidewalk.

Spencer's posture was like a stone wall and his sweet demeanor from earlier in your interactions suddenly formed back into that of a strict professional.

"You're welcome," was all he managed to spit out before abruptly closing the passenger side door and entering back into the car.

His sudden attitude shift was nerve-racking and even as he drove away, it left you dumbfounded standing beside your building's entryway. Was there something about being close to you that was truly that off putting? Self consciousness filled your mind as you considered the fact that maybe it was your breath or that you forgot to put on deodorant... but nothing seemed to make sense.

You tried your best to let it go as you walked the steps up to your apartment, but you found yourself growing more nervous for your next session than you were for your first - not because of academic stress, but because of the unpredictability and complexity of Dr. Spencer Reid.

⋅•⋅⊰∙∘☽༓☾∘∙⊱⋅•⋅

That Tuesday in class, Dr. Reid - Spencer - or whatever he wanted to be called at this point, avoided eye contact with you throughout the entire lecture. Even when he passed out a case vignette, he managed to dodge your gaze. It had been two days and obviously whatever it was that happened was still on his mind. He hadn't even emailed you about your next session yet and it was 10:00 am on the second day of the week - he's usually a Monday at 8:00 am kind of instructor. Shockingly, though, the remediation session concern was secondary in your mind to the fact that he seemed to actively attempt to evade you. Even after class, you went to speak with him at the lectern, but he seemed to rush out of the classroom with unorganized stacks of papers in his hand.

Fine, you thought. Office hours it is.

You didn't even bother to knock on his door before opening it swiftly. There he was behind a vintage wooden desk with a collection of papers skewed in front of him. He was studying them so intently it was almost as if he hadn't heard you enter at all, so you cleared your throat to get his attention.

When Spencer looked up and saw you, his eyes widened with surprise and what seemed to be a touch of anxiety. "Oh - y/n, hello. Wh-what can I do for you?" He shuffled the papers in front of him into a drawer quickly.

"Setting up our next session would be nice," you state matter-of-factly. He goes to open up his agenda as you continue. "And maybe an explanation to why you've been acting so strange with me."

His eyes dart up quickly and he adamantly protests, "I have no idea what you mean."

You place the heel of your palms on the edge of his desk and lean over closer towards him. "Well, you haven't emailed me -"

"I forgot."

"Forgot? Aren't you known for having an eidetic memory or something?" you respond in disbelief.

He has no rebuttal to that.

"You wouldn't look at me or even walk by me during lecture. And I had to chase you all the way to your office in order to speak to you at all," you say before flopping down onto the brown barrel chair across from his desk.

"I'm sorry," Spencer says, his head hanging low. "I've just had a lot on my mind... well, more than usual. Personal stuff. I should've been more accessible to you, I know that the remediation period is stressful enough already."

The apology and explanation seemed reasonable enough, so you dropped the subject and moved on to schedule your next meeting. Together, you agreed upon the meeting back in his office following day after your final lecture was over at 5:00 pm.

⋅•⋅⊰∙∘☽༓☾∘∙⊱⋅•⋅

5:00 pm rolled around and you found yourself alone in Spencer's office. He was always punctual without fail, but you didn't worry too much since he said he had a lot going on. You took the extra time to walk around the small area and look at all the little trinkets and decor he had set up. There were fossils, stacks of unfinished crosswords, and numerous books about a vast variety of subjects among so many other things.

You tried not to look at his desk, since you were certain there was confidential information about your peers, but your interest was piqued whenever you saw your name at the top of a piece of paper sticking out of the top left drawer. You quietly pulled it open a few more inches and fingered through the stack of paper. Each and every one read "y/l/n, y/n" somewhere on them. Your academic transcripts, your curriculum vitae, your personal statement, and multiple research papers were among the stack. You realized that the papers he had been studying so diligently yesterday were all of your documents. You were stunned and felt stuck in place, you didn't find it creepy but you did find it baffling.

Suddenly, the office door creaked and you practically jumped to sit down across from the desk. Spencer entered with a deep breath and walked past you to get to his seat, but his leg bumped into the still-open drawer on the way. You had to hold back from gasping and tried your best to regain your composure, acting as if you had seen nothing.

Spencer swiftly closed the drawer and walked back around towards you to sit on the edge of his desk. "I can explain," he said softly.

"I don't know what you're talking about," you claim.

"Y/n, I know you saw them," Spencer sighed, crossing one of his ankles on top of the opposite thigh.

You didn't know how to respond or if you even could with the growing knot in your throat. His eyes surprisingly looked upon you gently, not the sharp angry gaze you expected to see.

"I - I didn't mean to pry," you managed to blurt out, shame causing your body to radiate with heat. "I'm sorry."

A scoff left his lips, "I'm the one that should be sorry. I didn't mean to pry either, I just - had to know more."

"About me?" you inquired, looking up at him with furrowed brows.

Spencer threw his head back and inhaled deeply before responding, "Yes. I guess I thought that going this avenue would keep it more professional than... personal."

"Personal?" you spouted another question since your brain could hardly compute the situation.

"I really enjoyed meeting with you the other day and...I guess I just wanted to learn more about you outside of academics," Spencer mumbled.

"Like as a friend?" you asked, attempting to clarify his motivations.

His tone suddenly jumped with alarming certainty as he responded, "Yes, yes! Like friendship."

The tension that was previously between the two of you had shifted to an uncertain resolve, but it was settled enough to feel less on edge and continue the session. Despite feeling less tense, you had to admit you were slightly disappointed that he didn't seem to have felt the same shock to the system that you did when you were so close just a few days earlier. As you studied techniques, common personality types of offenders, and assessed your interview transcript, you attempted to forget that feeling you had experienced and accept Spencer's offer of friendship - but he kept getting in the way.

He would use his long fingers to scan down sentence by sentence and would frequently bite down softly on his bottom lip when considering how to word certain critiques. Strands of Spencer's hair would fall in front of his glasses and you were so tempted to tuck it back behind his ears like he always had it. About halfway through the session, he rolled up the sleeves of his light blue horizontal striped shirt up to his elbows. You never thought that the mere exposure of someone's forearms could make you speechless, but his soft skin and slightly protruding veins did you in.

As you struggled to concentrate, you started to notice the silence. Spencer hadn't gone on any tangents, in fact he seemed not to say much more than what he had to... and surprisingly, you kind of missed it.

Before you could even think about the words leaving your lips, they fell out. "Could you - tell me more?"

"About predictors of criminal behavior?" Spencer perked up at the suggestion, continuing without a prompt. "Well, one of the most well known indicators of future criminal behavior is a diagnosis of a disruptive behavior disorder at a young age or antisocial personality disorder in young adulthood..." As he rambled on, he reached for a large academic book before leaning closer towards you as he flipped through the pages. Spencer continued to switch between verbatim recitation of text and numerous statistics. You couldn't help but stare at him, completely taken by his excess of knowledge and the way that the most elaborative words rolled of his tongue like they were the most common lay terms.

Spencer closed the book tight and locked eyes with your obvious gaze of adoration and he smirked. "Was that what you wanted?"

"Mhm - I mean, yes. Thank you," you said quietly, trying to ignore the heat radiating beneath your skin.

"I think this may be a good stopping point for this session," Spencer states, rising to stand in front of where you were still seated. "I'll see you in class on Monday, and how about another meeting afterwards?"

"Back here?" you ask, with hope he'll say yes.

He nods in agreement, with a tone slightly more suggestive than you expected. "Yes, back here. If that's alright with you."

"More than alright, that sounds perfect," you say as you gather your belongings before standing up to where the bodies were nearly touching. The tension was back again, but it wasn't that of uncertainty - rather of expectation.

⋅•⋅⊰∙∘☽༓☾∘∙⊱⋅•⋅

Much unlike the week before, the following Monday's lecture was filled with your eyes meeting more often than they should. That may be attributed to the fact that you purposefully chose to wear another outfit that you hoped would grab his attention, making sure to provide plenty of layers so his concern about your body temperature didn’t get in the way. You opted to wear a heavier top than before, specially the most cozy, drop shoulder, cream sweater. You had an extra layer of warm on top with a bulky faux fur lined jacket and your bottom half covered with dark tights and an addition layer of a neutral brown thigh high stockings to accompany your loafers. The skirt you had selected was what you were beating real money on, though: a deep brown houndstooth print mini skirt. On top of it all, you decided to test out your rarely-worn-but-desperately-needed prescription glasses with a thin gold wire frame.

You weren’t able to pinpoint which part caught his attention most, but every time that Spencer would turn to speak to your side of the class and catch a glimpse of you, he began to uncharacteristically fumble over his words. When you bit the tip of your pencil to contain your laughter, it seemed to make his reaction even more unhinged.

As your cohort members shuffled out of the room to head to their inevitable hours of reading, Spencer followed, presumably to prepare himself better than your last encounter… or at least hide whatever sensitive information he had lying about.

When you arrived at his office, you suspicions were confirmed. Spencer had speed organized what he could within his office and certainly made sure to shut and lock all his desk drawers. He was sitting in his office chair with his lanky legs propped up on the corner of the desk, openly flipping through your file which was propped up in his lap.

“I thought you said you could just ask,” you teased, swinging your book bag into the spare chair.

Spencer shrugged and provided a sarcastic response, “But this is so much easier! Y/l/n, y/n: full ride scholarship for your undergraduate education, numerous scholarships and research grants, and absolutely glowing letters of recommendation from some of the leading members in the field of psychology. Impressive.”

“Yeah, none of that seems like something a friend would be interested in knowing unless they were some secret job interviewer,” you roll your eyes and snatch the file from his hand before dropping it on his desk. “What kind of information are you even trying to find? Because unless it’s academic, this file won’t get you anywhere.”

“That’s not exactly true, there is a section on your extracurricular activities,” Spencer responded adamantly.

You flash him an expression of exasperation before bending over to grab your materials from your backpack. When you did so, you heard a faint hitch in Spencer's breathing. As you turned back around, he still hadn't closed his mouth from gaping slightly and his eyes were still focused on your body.

You didn't know what to say, so you just asked, "Are you alright?"

That broke his trance and he came to the other side of his desk and suddenly put his hand on your waist, closing the space between you for the first time. You couldn't help but look up at him with wide and confused eyes.

"I want to know everything about you, y/n - what your favorite color is and what makes you tick, what makes this interview so hard for you, what you wear to sleep at night, how you feel... how you taste..." Spencer spoke lowly, his voice trailing off at the end.

The warmth of his body against yours and the words that he said left you dumbfounded, barely able to mutter, "T-that's a lot more than a friend would know."

"I know," he sighed, before leaning down to whisper in your ear. "I lied."

Chills went down your neck and you felt a simultaneous sense of relief and need permeate your entire body. You were afraid he hadn't noticed you the way that you had him, but apparently you had been very wrong. "Why - why didn't you just say that?"

"I privilege myself on being controlled... professional, but I just can't stand it anymore - not while you look so good in that skirt and you keep staring at me during class... biting that pencil, god."

"You stared first," you insist, but you are cut off by his massive hand on the side of your face pulling you to a passionate kiss.

"Shut up," Spencer says, pulling away breathlessly.

You tug him back down to your level by his tie and press your lips against his with even more force. Spencer's lips are incredibly soft and as they eventually part to involve his tongue in your kiss, a small moan falls from them. That sound was like music to your ears, motivating skillful and calculated movements from both of you. You ran your fingers through his luscious brown waves and latched on firmly, tugging to emit another faint groan. With that, his hand moved from your waist and down to your ass, gripping it firmly and massaging it in his hands.

"I think we'll have to reschedule your study session," he mumbled breathlessly before hoisting you up onto the clear edge of the desk and planting wet kisses along your neck. "We'll be a little preoccupied today."

You whimpered softly at the intoxicating feeling of Spencer gently sucking on the most tender parts of you neck. "I-I agree, Dr. Reid."

He hums against your neck and it reverberates down your spine, making your entire body more sensitive and a well of warmth grow in between your legs.

"The first time you came into lecture, you were wearing a skirt almost as short as this w-with your hair pulled back and these perfect pink lips. I wanted to j-jump you right then," he said pulling away from you for a moment, causing you to groan in disappointment at the lack of his touch. "Then you came into the cafe and I could've looked at you for ages if you hadn't been shivering. God, then you opened your mouth and the more you talked the less I could concentrate..."

You had a feeling he'd continue to go on and on if you didn't stop him, so you cut him off. "So, that's why you were acting so odd when you dropped me off."

"I was afraid I'd kiss you when we both reached for your bag, and then I knew I had to drive away quickly or else I'd try to convince you to let me come upstairs."

"Maybe I would've let you," you purred in his ear before lightly bringing his earlobe between your teeth. "And what would we have done?"

"I - I...," for the first time since you've known him, he could barely form words. "I would have touched you."

"How?" you inquire, smirking against his skin as you loosened his tie.

Spencer slowly untucked your sweater from your skirt and ran his cool hands up along your torso and up to cup your tender breasts. As he felt them full in the palm of his hand, Spencer couldn't help but mutter a few curse words under his breath. "L-like this."

You continued to work his tie off and unbutton his shirt as he shut his eyes in pleasure. "And where would I have touched you?" you ask, running your hands down to open his shirt, revealing soft skin and slightly defined abs.

Spencer took his free hand to guide one of yours down to the bulge that his black dress pants were concealing.

"Here," a moan huffed from his mouth, followed by a desperate "yes".

Spencer's IQ of 187 had reverted back to a brain filled with nothing but desire and his body full of the same aching need as yours, which became apparent as he rushed to lock his office door before stripping your sweater off. All he could do was stare down at your chest, now scattered with goosebumps and barely contained by your bra. Spencer was able to unclasp it in a less than a second and as you slouched it off the sudden temperature shift caused your nipples to become hard. He looked between your face and your breasts for a few moments, mouth gaping in disbelief before he enveloped one with his hand and the other with his mouth. Spencer swirled his tongue around your sensitive bud and twirled the other between his thumb and index finger, looking up at you with contentment in his golden brown eyes. The wetness between your thighs grew and the throbbing of want became excruciating.

Before you could consciously gather the words, they escaped you, “I need you, Spencer.”

“God, say my name again. Please,” he begged, kissing your rib cage.

You worked down your skirt and tights, kicking off your shoes as you went, leaving you standing before him in nothing but a pair of cheeky black panties. “Please, Spencer. Touch me here.”

He brought you in for a forceful kiss before dropping to his knees and bringing two fingers to press against the outside of your underwear. When he brought them back away, they were glistening lightly.

“I’m going to do more than touch you,” he growls, hooking his fingers on either side of your panties and pulling them down in one stride. “I’m going to taste you.”

Pushing you back onto his desk, Spencer pried open your legs to reveal the most beautiful sight he had ever seen. Your pussy was already slick with wetness and your clit was swollen with need. He had the perfect view of it, your tits, and every facial expression you would make. Throwing your legs around his shoulders, he licked a stripe up your slit causing your toes to curl. He lapped at it skillfully and placed kisses along the lips before wrapping them around your throbbing clit and sucking softly. You couldn’t help but grab onto the desk edge and wrap your other hand through his hair in an attempt to contain your cries. Spencer soon brought two of his fingers to join, pumping in and out of you as he put his focus on your bundle of nerves.

“S-Spencer, if you keep going like this I’ll cum,” you whimper desperately.

He shook his head while still putting in the work. “No, no, y/n. The only place you’ll be coming tonight is on my cock.”

That nearly sent you over the edge, but he pulled away just before you hit your peak. You whined at the loss of contact, but quickly sat up to help him undo his belt and strip him of his black slacks. His heather gray boxer briefs were tented in the middle, barely containing his erection. You caught yourself licking your lips as you reached to stroke it gently before tugging down his underwear. When he sprung up in all his fullness, an audible gasp slipped from your mouth. You had considered what he looked like shirtless and maybe the fleeting thought of him naked, but you had never thought about how big he might be. Despite this, you had to admit that you were pleasantly surprised. Spencer's cock was long and hit just above his navel and he was girthy enough you were nervous that he may not fit, but you sure wanted to give it a try.

"How do you want me, Dr. Reid?" you query, looking up at him with suggestive eyes.

A low rumble came from Spencer's throat and he wrapped his arm around you to flip you over his wooden desk. A large hand squeezed your ass before parting to expose your core.

"Mmm, so wet for me," he grinned, rubbing the tip in between your folds.

The feeling was euphoric already and he hadn't even entered you yet. There wasn't anything on your mind except the overwhelming need for him and the fact that every touch felt like electricity.

"Please, more," you cry softly, looking back at him desperately and spreading your legs wider.

"Fuck - of course, angel. Anything you want," Spencer said fervently, slipping a new nickname for you just as smoothly as he entered you.

Inch by inch your walls stretched for him in a painful bliss that had your hands intertwined with his and hushed moans of passion filling the air surrounding you. By the time he bottomed out, your eyes were tearful and he had reached the crest of your cervix. It was unlike anything you had ever felt before, like someone was formed to fit into you perfectly and you never wanted him to leave. You both sat still for a moment, adjusting to the pressure, but Spencer gave the first stroke and you both crumbled.

The first few pumps were cautious, but they quickly devolved into uncontrolled sloppy thrusts. He threaded his lengthy fingers through your hair and lifted you up by it just enough that your head was off the desk. The rhythm he had taken on was perfect and the sensation of his thighs slapping against yours made it vibrate through your body. Uncharacteristic cuss words drabbled from his mouth and primal whimpers for more flowed from yours. He was hitting every spot just right, not slamming into your cervix but tapping it just enough that you felt it in your stomach.

"Rub your clit, angel," Spencer demanded. "I-I don't have enough hands, please. I want you to feel good."

"I feel more than good already, but -," you reached down between your legs and began to rub your clit in figure eights, causing your words to trail off into meaningless mumbles.

His pace became steady as he found a spot that he realized made your toes curl. The combination of the hair pulling, perfect placement, and clitoral stimulation you found yourself quickly back on the edge of a climax. Pressure built in your abdomen and your leg muscles began to tense up. Apparently, he felt it, too, as your walls contracted around him causing him to moan your name breathlessly.

"Spence, I - I'm going to cum," you whimper, your finger movements becoming more rapid.

"Y/n, I'm begging - please cum on my cock," Spencer cried, the sense of desperation in his voice real and adamant. "Please please please,"

His begs motivated your climax to roll through you, causing your fingertips to become soaked and your cum to coat his cock along with your wetness. "S-Spence, baby - I want your cum inside me."

He thrusted into you deeply and a guttural groan escaped him. "Fuck, angel. Are you sure?"

With what little strength you had left you nodded vehemently, "I-I'm on the pill, I never miss a day. Please, sir."

You believe the "sir" is what did him in, slamming into you only four more times before coming undone. The feeling of his cock twitching inside of you and his cum filling you completely was one that admittedly made you feel feral and powerful. The noises that escaped him were irrepressible and the grip he had on your ass was as well. Even after he was finished, he held on tightly for a few seconds before slowly pulling out... but you still felt so full of him.

"You know," Spencer said. "I'm not really the make love and leave kind of guy."

"So is that what we did - make love?" you approach him and press a small teasing peck on his lips.

He smirks down at you, "You know that wasn't just some regular fuck."

"Mmm," you hummed. "Now, that is very true. So, what are you suggesting?"

"Would you want to come back to my place and... spend the night?" he suggests, a tone of shyness in his voice.

You don't even consider the alternative before agreeing and wrapping your arms around his neck for a long kiss.

⋅•⋅⊰∙∘☽༓☾∘∙⊱⋅•⋅

"You know," Spencer starts, handing you a mug full of chamomile tea. "It's a real shame I won't get to grade your papers anymore. I always enjoyed reading your perspectives."

You sip on the cup and prop yourself up on a pillow. "Well, maybe if you're lucky I'll let you proofread them."

Spencer crawls in bed beside you, wrapping his arm around your upper body to pull you closer to him. "I think I might have figured out what was making you so nervous during your interview," he said.

"And what is that?" you inquire.

"Well, self-doubt for one. Even though, like I said before, you know the content like the back of your hand. But I think the main part was the fact that you were being observed."

"You think I'm afraid of Dr. Walters and you," you scoff, sitting the tea on the bedside table.

"Afraid isn't quite the word, intimidated maybe? I mean we don't appear to be the most approachable pair. Walters never shows emotion and is known for being a tough professor, and I'm -," he says before you cut him off.

"Obnoxiously intelligent with nearly three doctorate degrees?"

"Obnoxious?" He scoffs with a sarcastic tone. "Thanks for letting me know how you really feel."

You roll your eyes, "Yes, obnoxious. If you hadn't been so approachable during our first session I would have continued to think that you were a strict academic who didn't know how to let loose and have some fun."

"Ouch!" Spencer clutched at his heart. "Well, I sure proved you wrong today."

"That you did, Spence," you kiss his cheek. "And fine, maybe you're right - most of my nerves were probably tied to the fact that I was intimidated by your very serious demeanors."

"I like it when you call me that." You were surprised he had seemed to ignore the other half of your statement.

"What? Spence?" you ask, cuddling close to his chest.

"Yes," he responds, and you hear his heart skip a beat. "I don't think anyone's ever called me that before."

"No one has ever called me angel before either," you say, drawing a line down the valley of his chest.

"Well, I think you'll do wonderfully on your remediation interview, angel," Spencer states, bringing your hand up to place a kiss upon it.

You snuggle closer, engulfed in his warmth and the scent of spiced vanilla. "I think so, too. I'm way more comfortable with the content... and my assessors."

please feel free to request! (or let me know what you think!)

[transmutationisms]

never really gave much thought to it until now but it is so weird to experience disordered eating tendencies solely cause of food insecurity but all i ever really heard about it was how its related to beauty standards etc, and so i never really took ot seriously and developed some very shitty habits due to food inaccessibility.

do you maybe have some articles or anything worth checking out about that side of eds? thanks in advance, love your blog so much!!

When the researchers sat down and started analyzing the results, they found almost linear correlations between eating disorder symptoms and food insecurity. A replication study in 2019, conducted in an even larger population at the same food bank, found almost identical results. “It was some of the saddest and most beautiful data that I had ever seen,” Becker said.

Her work challenged preconceptions about what eating disorders actually were.

Singh, the New York dietician, said those preconceptions stem from the fact that people who have eating disorders and can afford to seek help tend to be wealthier. And most research is done on patients who show up in clinics.

Food insecurity never even entered the picture of how psychology and psychiatry conceptualized an eating disorder, Singh said. As a result, starving yourself to lose weight was considered a disorder, but no one thought about starving yourself to ensure your family had enough to eat.

Results suggested that individuals in the child hunger insecure group had the highest levels of eating disorder symptoms. Seventeen percent of individuals in this group had a clinically significant eating disorder, compared with 9.4% in the food insecure group, 2.6% in the household food insecure group, and 2.9% in the not food insecure group. Binge eating, overeating, night eating (waking up to eat a large amount of food with distress at night), vomiting, laxative/water pill use, skipping at least two meals in a row, exercising harder than usual because of eating too much food, and weight/shape concerns were all more common in the child hunger food insecure group than the other three groups. There were no differences between groups for the eating disorder symptoms based on sex, race, or ethnicity. Similarly, internalized weight stigma and worry was greatest in the child hunger group.

There are several implications for this study. First, these data reiterate that eating disorders do not discriminate on the basis of socioeconomic status. Individuals who are food insecure need to be considered in future research in order to fully understand risks that are specific to this population (e.g., food restriction for any reason). Second, prevention, intervention, and treatment programs need to be designed so they can reach individuals who do not have the money to access these programs. For example, current treatments for eating disorders are primarily delivered face-to-face with a trained clinician, which is difficult to disseminate to a wide range of individuals. Finally, although not directly assessed, anti-obesity programs may negatively affect individuals who are food insecure and overweight or obese, given that internalized weight stigmatization was high in a proportion of these individuals. Additional research in this population will be critical to better understand risk factors for eating disorder symptoms in this understudied population.

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/eat.22735 (<-link to study discussed above)

Many people (incorrectly) believe that eating disorders (ED) are more prevalent in the higher socioeconomic status (SES) groups. Studies conducted in the 1960s and 70s corroborate this statement; however, their methods may have biased the results. Recent studies using health questionnaires distributed to large heterogeneous populations have shown that EDs equally effect all people, regardless of SES. These studies have also demonstrated that females of the lower SES group report higher rates of disordered eating behavior (vomiting, use of diet pills, diuretics, or laxatives as a means to lose weight).

[coochiequeens]

I'd rather be called a TERF than be someone who is ok with TQ+ organizations dedicated to minors without the commonsense approach of vetting the adults in the organizations or someone who pushes TQ+ studies without caring that the author is a pedo.

By Genevieve Gluck April 16, 2024

A gay couple who co-founded a Swiss LGBTQIA+ youth organization are being investigated by the public prosecutor after sexually exploiting two teenagers who were in their care. The men had created locations for their youth group, Sozialwerk.LGBT+, for children aged 13 and up in the city of Chur and in the municipality of Buchs, Switzerland.

While their identities were concealed by the press in Switzerland, Reduxx is naming the men involved as Holger Niggemann and his husband, Björn.

Holger, 42, is alleged to have had sexual contact with two 17-year-olds who had sought help for bullying with the organization. Holger was a board member of the group at the time, while his husband Björn was the business manager. The two men are said to have had a three-way sexual relationship with one of the teens, a 17-year old boy, according to a report by Tages-Anzeiger.

Numerous documents substantiate what happened in the group, including text messages, emails and voice messages, reports Tages-Anzeiger. Founded in 2020, Sozialwerk.LGBT has received public funding to set up facilities for at-risk youth as young as 13 who believe they are LGBT+.

During an investigation into the allegations, local media spoke to fifteen people close to the group to check the veracity of the allegations. The majority of those who came forward decided to remain anonymous.

One exception is Daniel Huber, a former board member of the association, who, with one other board member, reported the couple to public prosecutor Annina Grob, co-director of Avenir Social, the professional association for social work in Switzerland.

“For us, the behavior of the two is a total abuse of power, and the young people also felt that way. I brought it up again and again,” said Huber, who attended the meetings as a teenager before joining the board in a leadership role. “It is important not to look away from such behavior.”

According to statements from anonymous sources, the Niggemanns also took the 17 year-old boy on vacation to Germany with them.

See rest of article

By Genevieve Gluck April 13, 2024

Reduxx can reveal that a Dutch-American academic with a history of advocating for the normalization of adult-child sexual relationships has had a working relationship with the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH). Theodore Sandfort’s research has been presented at the organization’s symposium as recently as 2016.

Sandfort, a Columbia-affiliated academic and LGBT activist, previously worked with self-declared pedophiles in the Netherlands, documenting adult men’s sexual abuse of boys as evidence to support his theory that adult-child relationships are “predominantly positive.”

Prior to relocating to Columbia University, Sandfort received a PhD in Clinical Psychology from Utrecht University in the Netherlands. He was also the Chairman of the Interfaculty Department of Lesbian and Gay Studies at Utrecht University and Director of the Research Program “Diversity, Lifestyles and Health” at the Netherlands Institute of Social Sexological Research.

A faculty member at Columbia’s Mailman School of Public Health, Sandfort has also been employed as a Professor of Clinical Sociomedical Sciences, and worked at the university’s HIV Center alongside former WPATH president and Director of the institution’s Gender Identity Program, Walter Bockting. Like Sandfort, Bockting relocated to Columbia University from the Netherlands, having completed his doctoral degree in psychology from the Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam.

Bockting and Sandfort also worked together in a professional capacity while acting as members of the editorial board for the academic journal Psychology and Sexuality in 2015.

The following year, in 2016, research co-authored by Sandfort was presented at a WPATH symposium in Amsterdam.

The paper, titled “Gender nonconformity and peer victimization: Sexual attraction and gender differences by age,” focused on the experiences of Dutch same-sex attracted adolescents aged 11 to 18. The study concluded that gender non-conforming youth were bullied by their peers, leading Sandfort and his colleagues to recommend that “key educational messages that address sexual and gender diversity should be delivered during childhood before early adolescence.”

However, Sandfort’s prior work dealt with sympathetic portrayals of pedophilic relationships between adult men and adolescent boys. In recent years, he has also had access to vulnerable youth in New York City’s foster care system, and, in 2020, he was dismissed from this position when his troubling research history dealing with the sexuality of children came to light.

In 1983, Sandfort authored an article for Youth and Society (Jeugd en Samenleving) titled “Erotic moments in working with children,” a small-scale study of sexual desires among five adult group leaders for the children in their care.

The men described deriving sexual pleasure from working with children, specifically when exercising together, bathing the children, or holding them on their laps. One man, identified as “Lex,” spoke of being aroused while “tickling” children aged “2 or 3,” wearing only his underwear, and proceeding to touch the toddlers’ genitals.

See rest of article

[thotsfortherapy]

i've been reflecting on my time in uni, and while i think it was a great experience and was worth it for me, i also want to reiterate that not everyone's paths are going to look the same, and that is a good thing. here's a list of things my friends are currently doing:

undergrad -> masters, and phd in clinical psychology (SO HARD to get into, they are already making waves in clinical research!)

undergrad in psych, masters in counselling (side business of art and tattooing)

dropped out after 3rd year to become a farmer

dropped out after 1 year of engineering to work full time at a hardware store, eventually went back to school with the hopes of starting their own business

is in the process of dropping out of university and pursuing something completely different

did university at home, graduated, still at home but with a fiance and a cat now lol

never went to university, stayed home, did therapy, and learned a trade

went to school, got a business degree, and decided that they preferred working at mcdonalds in a small town and supporting their partner's education

me: moving across the country to have a city girl moment and hopefully do an online program to become a counsellor

and this is just a handful of examples of the people in my circle... none of them are failures, they've all found success in ways that matter to them. i think it's very easy to get caught up in the idea that once you get out of highschool, you have to go to university, you have to move out of your parent's house, you have to get a job... but you don't have to do anything. you just gotta live, be a decent person, and love the people around you

[kervl-klear]

I was wondering, if Huchu attempted cognitive behavior therapy then how did he run those sessions in terms of what did he do to try to help the others? Considering you wrote that, in doing so he caused the others to "internalize their problem to the point they cannot be helped anymore including himself". Also, did he think he could be like a psychiatrist (or at least provide similiar service) due to the fact that psychiatrists work with medicine?

I hope my question is clear enough. If not, feel free to ask what I am trying to ask (^^)

Thank you for tuning in to my frequency! The answer contained potentially triggering contents, so I'll hide it under the cut. Please enjoy. ✨

Huchu’s Qualifications

Huchu has bachelor's degree in neuroscience, master's degree in Pharmacy. D. and is currently studying PHD on medical instrumentation engineering. Aside from taking class, he’s a neurosurgeon at marine corps hospital, take shift as a battlefield surgeon at marine camp and use the rest of his free time to operate Lubi service so he has the following active licenses, Pharmacist license and P&S license.

In Northland, here’s the requirements for attaining psychiatrist certification: Be a graduate of an accredited medical school certified by International Red cross committee, complete all trainings in a program approved by Northland mental care bureau, have an active, full, unrestricted medical license, and have satisfactorily completed the Northland mental care bureau’s specialty training requirements.

So do keep in mind that Huchu is not qualified to do psychiatrist work as he lacks item 2 and 4.

Does Huchu think he is qualified to do psychiatrist works?

Unfortunately, yes. Despite lacking all the correct trainings, he tried to be both therapist and psychiatrist for C2ISTAR as you can see Hongcha mentioning Huchu being the one who prescribed Risperidone for Angae in [🌹for Angae].

This is because Huchu think that Clinical Psychology is like Neuroscience but less scientific. Similar to our world, neuroscience is praised as the hardest medical major in the world. So naturally Huchu look down on psychology as an easier neurology mixed with social study. So, in his little head. If mental care staffs can do it, then definitely neurosurgeon can do it too.

Clinical Psychology in the world of C2ISTAR

In the world of C2ISTAR, Mental illnesses are usually deemed as invalid illness, so the mental care industry is constantly being look down upon. The discrimination also discourages many people in this world from studying clinical psychology. Even if Huchu open his mind and take studying clinical psychology seriously, it is still very unlikely that he will produce good result as study material for clinical psychology in this world is ineffective at best from the very beginning due to the lack of interest this world has toward it.

The acceptable branches of psychology are study by the industrial, intelligence and defense service for the purpose of manipulation, interrogation and indoctrination which is very different from clinical psychology in practice.

Clinical psychology is also heavily associated with the Aldehyde cult. A multi-faith cult that believes mental illness is a sign of ascension. The more soldiers lose touch with reality, the closer they are to heaven and if they are close enough to heaven. These soldiers will be able to give birth to the new Angel that will be savior to their world. They often kidnapped veteran from asylum so they can use these veterans to birth a new Angel.

Huchu's treatment on C2ISTAR

Huchu might be well intention and most faults mainly resulted from ignorance, but the damage is still there. In fact Huchu is actually skeptical that CBT would produce result, however, C2ISTAR seems to need it and Huchu is weak to that. Here are the treatments Huchu did on each C2ISTAR alongside its effects.

Orenji’s treatment

Orenji is Huchu's first patient for CBT service with his main problem being Paruresis. Huchu choose Journaling and Cognitive restructuring technique for him. However, the underlying root of Orenji's Paruresis is Urolagnia so Orenji can't quite be honest with his thought. However, the cognitive restructuring is somewhat almost effective due to the other physical treatment. Orenji had chronic UTI that connected with bladder infection, so Huchu often insert catheter for Orenji whenever he needs it. This seems to cause Orenji to associate Huchu with relieve, hence the reason why he can go when Huchu is around. But can't quite do the same with someone else. Orenji also seems to develop some form of incontinence whenever Huchu is around.

Huchu also lose his temper every time Orenji induced temporary amnesia on himself because he knows how fragile Orenji's brain is as he was the one who put Orenji's brain and sculp back together so he's constanly worries about Orenji accidentally killing himself but since Huchu always arrive with Clozapine, he had been unknowingly endorsing Orenji's behavior. Still, after Orenji is back to his sense. He would have to endure a session of outburst Huchu throwing things at him or start hitting him with a chair.

Baegcha/Hongcha’s treatment

The main method is Role playing through puppet activity; the idea was so that Beagcha could see why he need to stop pursuing his stop-list so they can start working on his fear of touch. Usually when a certain method doesn't work, therapist would move on to the next one, but Huchu let Beagcha continue with the ineffective method because this is what Beagcha prefer to do and Huchu doesn't have the heart strip this away from him. Huchu later resort to locking Beagcha in his room whenever Huchu notices things are taking a toll on him and simply use puppet therapy as a way for Baegcha to process what he went through each hunt.

Huchu also deemed Hongcha to be something he need to get rid of because Huchu see Hongcha as the evil alter that endorse Baegcha to pursue the stop-list. The thing is that, neither Baegcha nor Hongcha are the host. Both Baegcha and Hongcha are alters pretending to be the host. Usually alters are protective of each other and take responsibility as a system. However, Huchu intervention had created a dynamic where both alters cannot get along. And because Beagcha trusted Huchu, he begun to think he needs to repress Hongcha to be better and Hongcha became bitter toward the situation, he blamed Huchu for his sour relationship with his alter.

When Hongcha appear mid-session, Huchu would either shock him with electricity or shove him into a small box to chase him away. Huchu did made many attempts to get rid of Hongcha ranging from submerging him in extremely cold water to purposely staving him and since Hongcha is unaware that it is impossible to get rid of an alter. Hongcha see Huchu’s attempts as life threatening situation and in retaliation, he believes that he must kill Huchu which make Baegcha agreed with Huchu even more.

Seoltang’s treatment

After discovered that sedative doesn't work on Seoltang. Huchu would mainly use Imagery and Relaxation training. However, the underlying cause for Seoltang's insomnia is cumulative anxiety of being in disguise. Something Seoltang cannot tell anyone due his true identity. Huchu had no idea about Seoltang's anxiety, so he had no idea why Seoltang sleep schedule doesn't improve not to mention that imagery make him feel worse as it worsens his longing for the place that no longer exist.

Out of concern as Seoltang already show all signs of developing Alzheimer, Huchu decided that any methods that give Seoltang shut eyes will suffice and purposed the hypoxia idea. So instead of having his anxiety treated and get an actual sleep, Seoltang ended up inventing so many self-choking methods that even people with choking fetish would think that this man is a freak. Thus, Seoltang's anxiety was never addresses not to mention that one of hypoxia common symptoms is also anxiety which contribute to his mood swing getting worse as well.

Noeu’s treatment

Noeu is way too shy to address that his overworking tendency came from his constant fear of unexpected death, so Huchu assumed that Noeu is obsessed with conquest and taking control. This led to Moral reconation therapy. However, Moral reconation therapy required to be practiced in groups as one on one session can reinforces narcissistic behavior. Somethings that should not be mixed with Noeu’s competitiveness and ambition.

The therapy also required the therapist to be well versed in the subject of morality to work which Huchu’s morality is ambiguous at best so he can’t always keep up with Noeu’s questions or leaps of logic. This unintentionally validated Noeu’s thought derailment and prompted him to go from weakening other nations then have Northland invade them to the exact same thing but also profiting from them and take advantage of their resources because he’s more confident in his ideal than ever and he now genuinely think he’s doing this world a favor.

Angae’s treatment

Usually, therapist would approach patient with hallucination with Reframing technique. Something that Angae had already accomplish on his own. This is because managing a psychosis episode with medication was proven less effective as medication came with side effect. However, due to Huchu being a neurosurgeon with neurology logic. He goes straight to prescribing Risperidone and focus more on helping Angae with anxiety using Stress inoculation training. However, Angae didn't stress out because he's worrying about having an episode. He has an episode because he's stressed out, so Angae made no progress and Huchu had been accidentally gaslighting Angae into thinking that he had an illness he didn't have.

Angae already questioned reality around him, so he is unsure how valid his opinion is about the topic. This led to Angae letting Huchu continue with the treatment that make no sense to him even though this fueled the thought that he's being held back to fit into a certain explanation.

Yuseong’s treatment

A lot of people with Hyperthemesia has tendency to be obsessed over things easily as well as having trouble moving on from the past because they had trouble forgetting things. So Huchu choose Metacognitive therapy and Distraction technique. Due to the confusion that came with partial amnesia combined with the fact that Yuseong never experience forgetting stuffs before, Yuseong is desperate to seek for things he can identify himself with. This led to his obsession to connecting his identity with the unhealthy diary, something Huchu sees as a form of delusion.

Usually, the first rule of dealing with delusional patient is to validate their experience. Although what happen isn't real to us, it's real to the patient. However, due to Huchu's concern of Yuseong recreating situation in the diary. Huchu usually react very sternly and outright dismissed Yuseong’s belief in the session. Since Yuseong can control his expression well, Huchu had no idea that he is invalidating Yuseong. Although Yuseong still likes Huchu, he began to pay less attention to the session and draw or play with his alphabet book whenever Huchu is holding a session for him. He also hold on to the diary even tighter than before.

Effect of failed treatment on Huchu

Therapy is a stressful and draining job, both therapist and psychiatrist in real life are trained and educated on how they can handle their job without intaking their patient's baggage.

But since Huchu never went through these training, all the negativity goes straight to him and since he is at the end of the line for mental comfort. Combine that with his habit of caring too much, he got stuck in a position where he himself has no one to go to for all the problems above he involves himself in. This of course fueled his urge to go through with unethical method to get what he wants for instead, considering amputating Noeu so he never has to worry about him arriving at ER with seizure again.

.....................................................

Clinical psychology is one of my weaker subjects, so the treatment descriptions are simplified at best and none of my statements should be considered scientifically accurate.

Still, I hope this information suffice you. \(^^ )✨

[wildpeachfarm]

hey i’m a past dt fan and one of your asks popped up on my dash. i scrolled through your page for a while to see what was up (unsurprisingly, they’re in some sort of drama) BUT

i recently just went through the trials and tribulations of applying for a psyd (doctorate of psychology), which is similar to that of a phd except it’s a degree focused on clinical psychology.

YOU GOT THIS!!! its terrifying to apply to phd programs. i don’t know if you get imposter syndrome yourself, but if you do you will feel it.

the cohort sizes are small, everyone seems like they know what their whole plan for their research is, etc. but you work at nasa, and if it’s anything like my experience working in labs, you already know the feeling of sitting in a room with very smart people and wondering how you got there.

but remember - when you get there, you’ll DESERVE to be there. there will be no mistake.

i believe in you!! good luck on apps!!

Oh this is so insanely sweet of you! I appreciate you so much for taking a scroll through my blog and deciding to send this <3

And yeah I can definitely imagine those programs being really intimidating and imposter syndrome definitely is a bitch so I appreciate the encouragement 😭💕

All the best on your PhD journey as well! <3

[chiwit]

my munday thing flopped so i'm reformatting it as a dash game for any nosy folks ....

🌈 — name(s) & pronouns : niran (or yin), he/him + she/her (friends only tho) 🎈 — gender and/or sexuality : nonbinary, lesbian 🎂 — age and/or birthday : 24, dec. 18 🕗 — time zone : central / chicago 💕 — single or taken? : single :3 ⭐️ — sun, moon, & rising signs, if known : sagittarius sun, aries moon, capricorn rising. 💭 — MBTI and/or enneagram, if known : ISTP, 8w9 ❓ — three adjectives that describe you : determined, resolute, funny ❤️ — what are some of your best qualities? : i have a sense of humor, i usually know what i want out of people/things/places, and i always see things through. 💔 — what are some of your worst qualities? : ummmm. in the same vein, i always see things through, i'm stubborn, and i'm quick to anger. hehe. ✨ — what would you change about yourself, if anything?: ugh, i'd change my money siutation lolz 💘 — what and/or who do you consider near and dear to you?: "there's not a thing i don't cherish!" - cloud strife 🚗 — what vehicle(s) do you drive? a cute little kia. ✈️ — ever traveled anywhere interesting? seattle. :3 ⌨️ — what operating system(s) do you use? windows! 📱 — mobile or desktop version of tumblr? desktop. 🖥 — favorite platform besides tumblr? to rp? discord, hands down. 🎮 — favorite video game(s)? SILENT HILL 3. 🖱 — any cool devices/tool(s) of the trade? (i.e. type of mouse, monitor, keyboard, tablet, etc): nope, i have completely ordinary equipment lol. 💍 — any piercings?: yep, lobe piercings. 💎 — want any (more) piercings? i want helix piercings so bad....... 🖊 — any tattoos? : nope! 🔏 — want any (more) tattoos? i would love tattoos if i could just decide what i want lol. 🎄 — favorite holiday(s)? CHRISTMAS!!!!! 🍝 — favorite food(s)? curry soup, papaya salad, beef stew. 🍦 — favorite ice cream flavor(s)? chocolate and coffee! 🍰 — favorite sweet(s)/dessert(s)?: brownies, cakes, macarons... 🐶 — any pets?: i have (1) doggy. 😍 — celebrity crush(es)? MEGAN THEE STALLION AND WONHO. 😊 — any career desires? maybe right now just the part where i'm knee deep in my field and making money to pay off my loans and live in nicer house. 📚 — if you’re in college, what’s your level (undergrad, grad, phd, etc) and/or degree program? i'm currently pursuing my master's degree of science in clinical psychology! 😖 — what annoys you? fandom. i won't elaborate. 🎶 — favorite song at the moment? feel it by d4vd :) 📕 — favorite book/series? arc of the scythe by neal shusterman! 🧶 — any non-writing hobbies/interests? knitting and reading! gaming. >:) 📺 — favorite movie(s) and/or tv show(s)? currently, the brothers sun. 📇 — does your url have a meaning? if so, what is it? it means 'life' in thai. :3 ✏️ — how long have you been roleplaying on tumblr? ever since 2012. stares into the camera. ✍️ — what other platforms have you roleplayed on? discord, aniroleplay, skype, random forums LOL. 🗒 — what is/are your favorite genre(s)/theme(s) to write? ANGST. FLUFF/ROMANCE. HURT COMFORT!!!!!! 🤔 — what genre(s)/theme(s) do you struggle to write the most? ADVENTURE, mostly because i rarely have any adventure threads. :( 😁 — what’s your favorite part about being part of the rpc? i consider myself as not part of the rpc. 😤 — what do you dislike the most about being part of the rpc? constant posturing! 💻 — how many friends have you made in the rpc? feel free to tag a few of them! ooh ooh @/vtriol, @/eleutheriya, @/6tasis, @/cauterisen, @/kudakenai, and @/reddragon-cowboy to name a few :) 🎧 — do you write while listening to music/podcasts/videos/etc, or do you need total silence? i need complete silence for this spell 🤗 — are there any rpc mutuals that you’d like to meet irl? yes!! i'd love to meet tiff one day. 😀 — are there any rpc mutuals that you’ve met irl before? nope, though me and eulalie live like an hour away from each other so it's a real possibility that we could meet, it's just a manner of coordinating.

💖 — what was one of the greatest/happiest moments you’ve had in the rpc? meeting and clicking with my friends and their writing styles. :) 🖤 — what was one of the worst/most depressing moments you’ve had in the rpc? ummmm when i had the conundrum of feeling like i was just a number for people. 😳 — what was your most embarrassing moment in the rpc? that one time someone thought i was another person ... that was less embarassing for me and more embarassing for them! 🎁 — what have you accomplished in the rpc that you’re proud of? n/a 🫂 — how many friends are in your irl friend group(s)? let's see like ... 12 people?? give or take. 🎉 — what are some of your favorite things to do with your irl friends? hang out!! get boba!! watch movies and play video-games!! 😗 — what are some of your favorite things to do when you have some time to yourself? i like to lay down and do absolutely nothing. ��� — share three random facts about yourself that your mutuals may not know about you. let's see. i know how to knit, i was born a week before christmas, and i had a bird that nearly lived to 40 years old. :) ! sorry, i'm really bad with coming up with fun facts.

[69constellationsinatrenchcoat]

I am so so sorry, I tried reading your dni and about the system page but it's a bit much for me.

However I did read your studying for psychology, how many years of studying do you have? Does did effect your studies ?

So, I typed up a super long answer to this, and it's gone, and I haven't had the spoons to write it up again… but here we go.

That's totally good honey, it's there partly for our reference and for anyone curious. Literally no pressure to read it! We haven't got to university yet; on the condition we get accepted into the bachelors of psychology program, we'll be starting our psych degree in Feb 2025. Our system has had a burning interest in psychology, well, since we were a kid. We've always been fascinated by the human brain and why people act the way they do. Plus, when our mental health started (heavily) declining when the body was 11-13, we started reading and finding things that we're fascinated by. It'll be three years for our bachelor's of psych plus 3-5 years post graduate (masters, phD or post grad certi.) to become a clinical psychologist.

And yes. DID impacts our education.

[The above message was written by Amber (🔥), I'll take over from here - Kyle 💜]

As Amber said, it impacts our education, and heavily. Since discovering we are a system, we have realised there was a lot of knowledge that went unheard, and passed through the system without any recollection. It finally explained how I (we) would get wonderful marks in subjects I (we) don't remember participating in, particularly statistics/maths. Kaden, my brother, would front, complete the class and get amazing scores, while the rest of us were left scrambling in the dark wondering what happened. I was aware of our system far before our host was for about six years before I had the terminology to explain what I was experiencing. I remember how our host would get confused when they received high marks in statistics while remembering absolutely nothing.

We're at a Christian school, which, I have a love/hate relationship with. As some of you may have seen by my past posts, I'm Christian and proudly queer, however our school doesn't see that that's possible (it seems in their eyes you're either queer, or Christian and never both bc 'queerness is unbiblical'). And it's worsened by our system having an array of religions.

From a straight learning perspective, our notes vary drastically and often information goes missed or unnoticed if we switch out.

We're hoping that once we're healthier and achieving functional multiplicity, that we can use our system as a superpower, especially working with clients. Where our littles can help younger clients feel heard and safe, and where we can match our clients with an alter that matches and/or compliments their communication style, and way of relating to the world. And if we ever end up working with a system (or for that matter, PTSD, depression, anxiety, OCD, autism or ADHD) in therapy, we'll have first-hand experience with it.

[study-coffee-chicago]

hey hope ur doing well!! I just stumbled onto ur blog and I’m curious about how u got into grad school and ur journey.

I just graduated from college and am in a period where I’m just kind of floundering and unsure of what to do with my bachelors in psych. I would really appreciate any advice regarding the grad school application process!!

Hi! I was in your position just last year, so I completely understand!

My grad school app process was kind of a mess tbh.

Firstly, there are two different degrees for psych: PhD in psychology (doctor of philosophy in psychology) and PsyD (doctor of psychology). Both are highly respected, but a PhD is more research, fully funded, and way harder to get into. A PsyD is more clinical based, less funded, (so you’ll have to pay for it yourself and most likely will need to take out student loans), and easier to get into. For reference, a PhD program has about a 5% acceptance rate vs a PsyD program has about a 40% acceptance rate.

During your time in grad school, you will get to try out all the different specialties to know which one you prefer, but you need the base of a doctorate to do most things (ex. I want to be a neuropsychologist, which requires a doctorate and then a two year fellowship specifically in neuropsych).

My biggest advice would be to apply to both PhD and PsyD programs. I applied to only PhD programs first and didn’t get into a single one, so I had to frantically apply to PsyD programs which still had open deadlines in January and this was arguably one of the most stressful times in my life. So, learn from my mistakes and apply to both PhD and PsyD programs.

Feel free to message me if you need anymore information! I’m very happy to help!

[lesorus]

petrochemical and chemical engineering student here. in my university, it is a woman dominated major. All professors teaching chemistry or field specific classes are women except one. most students in my class are women, compared to electrical, civil or mecanical engineering that are heavily male dominated, and computer and communications engineering which is split 50/50. And each semester without fault, there will be a male professor that will say something along the lines off "You're all studying petrochemical and chemical engineering majors, right? that's where the slackers go." (typically an engineer professor say this, not the math or physics PhDs) . And plenty of male students have this outlook too:

In line to get my inscription in order yesterday, a mecanical engineering student a year younger who had failed a couple classes had asked me for advice on how to plan his next year because he couldn't finish all his prerequisites for next year said "Ah, that's the easy major" when i told him I was in Chem E so I wasn't sure about all the classes he has to take.

"What kind of job are you supposed to get with that, some makeup firm?" a guy in CCE had told me when i told him what i was majoring in, as if his girlfriend in the same field as I wasn't sitting right next to him. As if pharmacological and oil industries didn't need us to function.

But simultaneously, if ask anyone outside my major how they feel about chemistry. Majority says they hate it, its complicated, not fun, too hard, and the one chemistry class they took the first common course semester was apparently hell. A lot of friends regularly comment "I could never do this." or "Why would anybody choose this major of their own free will?".

And don't get me wrong, i feel similarly about computer and electrical engineering. I cursed every programming class i had to take and electrical systems frustrate the hell out of me. this isnt a "who has it the worst" debate. All engineering fields are hard. All require hard work and sleepless nights. The issue is, when men feel disadvantaged in a field, they ridicule it. Just when it ever so happens that women dominate a room, it becomes unworthy to be in. Petrochemical and chemical engineering is easy, despite the hundreds of formulas, details and nuances we have to keep in mind. Despite it being one of the highest paid engineering fields. Because women are intrested in it. Right?

Same goes for teaching, once a highly respected field. Along with nursing, that is necessary for the function of hospitals. And here goes clinical psychology too.

Other female dominated fields in my country are pharmacy, a lot of people including my dad father I'll end up a store clerk when i considered that major, when his sister in law, a pharmicist, is working with Pfizer. Architecture, one of the most time demanding majors became "so you like drawing huh?".

Female ambition is belittled. Fourty years ago, men were congratulated for wanting to be in these fields until people realised the classrooms were filling up with women.

[ear-worthy]

Navigating Narcissism Podcast: Helping Those Who Battle The Self-Involved

Psychological disorders seem to be trendy, just like fashion, memes, and food. Two decades ago, bipolar disorder was a thing. Any disruptive or toxic person seemed to be diagnosed as bipolar. Today's go-to psychological diagnosis is narcissism. I was at a dinner party where gossiping about non-participants was expected. For every lurid tale of bad behavior, someone concluded with: "They're a narcissist."

Don't get me wrong. The world is full of narcissists, but not every Karen is a narcissist and not every narcissist is a Karen. I think many people have a sketchy idea of what defines a narcissist. So let's try to do that. 

"Narcissism is extreme self-involvement to the degree that it makes a person ignore the needs of those around them. While everyone may show occasional narcissistic behavior, true narcissists frequently disregard others or their feelings. They also do not understand the effect that their behavior has on other people."

That's why the podcast Navigating Narcissism with Dr. Ramani can help people to deal with true narcissists.

The elevator pitch for the show is: "We all have to deal with narcissists. Now, it’s time to heal from them. In this groundbreaking series, clinical psychologist and world’s leading expert on narcissism Dr. Ramani Durvasula talks to survivors and experts to help millions left reeling from narcissistic abuse."

The Navigating Narcissism podcast can break down classic narcissistic patterns like manipulation, control, gaslighting, and love bombing and help unpack feelings of betrayal, shame, confusion, pain.

The host of the show is Ramani Suryakantham Durvasula, who is an American clinical psychologist, retired professor of psychology, media expert, and author. In 1989, Durvasula obtained a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from the University of Connecticut. She has also received a Master of Arts in Psychology and a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Clinical Psychology from the UCLA in 1997.

So the good doctor is eminently qualified. 

 She has also appeared on media outlets discussing narcissistic personality disorder and narcissistic abuse, including Red Table Talk, Bravo, the Lifetime Movie Network, National Geographic, and the History Channel, as well as programs such as the TODAY show and Good Morning America.

I mention these TV appearances so you can understand that Dr. Ramani is good in front of the mic and camera. She's comfortable on her podcast discussing one of her areas of expertise, and she's a solid interviewer. Unlike other podcast psychologists, Dr. Ramani does not make extravagant claims about treatments and cures.

Dr. Ramani also reminds listeners that "this podcast should not be used as a substitute for medical or mental health advice." One of the most intriguing yet disturbing episodes was about Hollywood producer Scott Rudin, who The New York Post called "Hollywood’s Biggest A-hole." The male guest was not identified by name and had his voice modulated. 

In her opening, Dr. Ramani explains that Rudin is one of those rare producers who have won a EGOT (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, Tony). But the doctor chides, "You can spell EGOT without ego." The episode is a freak show of horrible behavior by Rudin, who adopts a familiar delusion that geniuses can get away with anything. Listen to the episode, and realize that Hollywood -- with its Weinstein's, Rudin's, Mel Gibson's, Bill Cosby's, -- can be hell on earth.

 Dr. Ramani has an episode on narcissism in the fashion industry. In another powerful episode, we hear from Dylan Farrow, daughter of actor Mia Farrow, about surviving sexual abuse, and one of the engrossing episodes was in June 2023 when Dr. Ramani talked to singer Jewel about how she survived an abusive father, a mother who abandoned and betrayed her and found healing in the most profound ways.

The June 2023 episode with dancer Cheryl Burke relates an all too familiar tale of a family friend who raped her as a child. 

In her September 28, 2023, episode, Dr. Ramani eschews guests for an Ask Dr. Ramani episode. Dr. Ramani answered listeners' deep questions about the most difficult - but most effective - way to heal from narcissistic abuse: going no contact. While that seems self-evident as a successful strategy, Dr. Ramani has taught us loyal listeners that narcissists have powerful weapons at their disposal -- gaslighting, playing the victim, love bombing, and blameshifting. 

Check out Navigating Narcissism with Dr. Ramani. Whether your particular narcissist is in your workplace, in your family, or in your own home, the podcast episodes can help people identify and then separate from narcissists.

As Dr. Ramani once said, “Relationships with narcissists are held in place by the hope of a ‘someday better,’ with little evidence to support it will ever arrive.”

[leebird-simmer]

Psychopathology, Ch 2 pt. 3

Identify the major types of helping professionals and describe their training backgrounds and professional roles.

Clinical psychologists: have earned a doctoral degree in psychology, either a PhD (Doctorate of Philosophy), a PsyD (Doctorate of Psychology), or an EdD (Doctorate of Education) from an accredited college or university. Training in clinical psychology typically involves four years of graduate coursework, followed by a year-long internship and completion of a doctoral dissertation. Clinical psychologists specialize in administering psychological tests, diagnosing psychological disorders, and practicing psychotherapy. Until recently, they were not permitted to prescribe psychiatric drugs. However, as of this writing, five states (Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Louisiana, and New Mexico) have enacted laws granting prescription privileges to psychologists who complete specialized training programs. The granting of prescription privileges to psychologists remains a hotly contested issue between psychologists and psychiatrists and within the field of psychology itself.

Counseling psychologists: also hold doctoral degrees in psychology and have completed graduate training preparing them for careers in college counseling centers and mental health facilities. They typically provide counseling to people with psychological problems falling in a milder range of severity than those treated by clinical psychologists, such as difficulties adjusting to college or uncertainties regarding career choices.

Psychoanalysts: typically are either psychiatrists or psychologists who have completed extensive additional training in psychoanalysis. They are required to undergo psychoanalysis themselves as part of their training.

Psychiatrists: have earned a medical degree (MD) and completed a residency program in psychiatry. Psychiatrists are physicians who specialize in the diagnosis and treatment of psychological disorders. As licensed physicians, they can prescribe psychiatric drugs and may employ other medical interventions, such as electroconvulsive therapy (ECT). Many also practice psychotherapy based on training they receive during their residency programs or in specialized training institutes.

Psychiatric nurses: typically are registered nurses (RNs) who have completed a master’s program in psychiatric nursing. They may work in psychiatric facilities or in group medical practices where they treat people suffering from severe psychological disorders.

Clinical or psychiatric social workers: have earned a master’s degree in social work (MSW) and use their knowledge of community agencies and organizations to help people with severe mental disorders receive the services they need. For example, they may help people with schizophrenia make a more successful adjustment to the community once they leave the hospital. Many clinical social workers practice psychotherapy or specific forms of therapy, such as marital or family therapy.

Counselors: have earned a master’s degree by completing a graduate program in a counseling field, such as mental health counseling or rehabilitation counseling. Counselors work in many settings, including private practices, schools, college testing and counseling centers, and hospitals and health clinics. Many specialize in vocational evaluation, marital or family therapy, rehabilitation counseling, or substance abuse counseling. Counselors may focus on providing psychological assistance to people with milder forms of disturbed behavior or those struggling with a chronic or debilitating illness or recovering from a traumatic experience. Some are clergy members who are trained in pastoral counseling programs to help parishioners cope with personal problems.

Describe the goals and techniques of the following forms of psychotherapy: psychodynamic therapy, behavior therapy, person-centered therapy, cognitive therapy, cognitive-behavioral therapy, eclectic therapy, group therapy, family therapy, and couples therapy.

Psychotherapy: a structured form of treatment derived from a psychological framework that consists of one or more verbal interactions or treatment sessions between a client and a therapist.

- used to treat psychological disorders, help clients change maladaptive behaviors or solve life’s problems, or to help them develop their unique potentials.

Psychoanalysis: the method of psychotherapy developed by Sigmund Freud.

Psychodynamic therapy: therapy that helps individuals gain insight into and resolve deep-seated conflicts in the unconscious mind.

Free association: the method of verbalizing thoughts as they occur without a conscious attempt to edit or censor them.

Transference relationship: in psychoanalysis, the client’s transfer or generalization to the analyst of feelings and attitudes the client holds toward important figures in their life.

Countertransference: in psychoanalysis, the transfer of the analyst’s feelings or attitudes toward other persons in their life onto the client.

Behavior therapy: the therapeutic application of learning-based techniques to resolve psychological disorders.

Systematic desensitization: a behavior therapy technique for overcoming phobias by means of exposure to progressively more fearful stimuli (in imagination or by viewing slides) while remaining deeply relaxed.

Gradual exposure: in behavior therapy, a method of overcoming fears through a stepwise process of exposure to increasingly fearful stimuli in imagination or in real-life situations.

Token economy: a behavioral treatment program that creates a controlled environment in which desirable behaviors are reinforced by dispensing tokens that may be exchanged for desired rewards.

Person-centered therapy: the establishment of a warm, accepting therapeutic relationship that frees clients to engage in self-exploration and achieve self-acceptance.

Empathy: the ability to understand someone’s experiences and feelings from that person’s point of view.

Genuineness: the ability to recognize and express one’s true feelings.

Congruence: the coherence or fit among one’s thoughts, behaviors, and feelings.

Cognitive therapy: a form of therapy that helps clients identify and correct faulty cognitions (thoughts, beliefs, and attitudes) believed to underlie their emotional problems and maladaptive behavior.

Rational emotive behavior therapy (REBT): a therapeutic approach that focuses on helping clients replace irrational, maladaptive beliefs with alternative, more adaptive beliefs.

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT): a form of psychotherapy incorporating cognitive and behavioral techniques.

Eclectic therapy: an approach to psychotherapy that incorporates principles or techniques from various systems or theories.

Group therapy: a form of therapy in which a group of clients with similar problems meets together with a therapist.

Family therapy: a form of therapy in which the family, not the individual, is the unit of treatment.

Couples therapy: a form of therapy that focuses on resolving conflicts in distressed couples.

Evaluate the effectiveness of psychotherapy and the role of non-specific factors in therapy.

Nonspecific treatment factors: factors not specific to any one form of psychotherapy, including

empathy, support, and attention shown by the therapist

the therapeutic alliance = attachment the client develops toward the therapist and the therapy process

the working alliance = effective working relationship in which the therapist and client work together identifying and confronting the important problems and concerns the client faces

Telehealth: delivery or facilitation of treatment services via telecommunication or digital technology.

Evaluate the role of multicultural factors in psychotherapy and barriers to use of mental health services by ethnic minorities.

- Cultural sensitivity involves more than good intentions. Therapists must have accurate knowledge of cultural factors and the ability to apply that knowledge when developing culturally sensitive approaches to treatment.

- Just because a given therapy works with one population group does not mean that it will necessarily work with other groups. Therapists using established treatments should consider how they can incorporate culturally specific elements to boost treatment benefits in working with people from different ethnic or racial groups.

- Some of the barriers to mental health services for marginalized communities include...

Cultural mistrust: People from minority groups often fail to use mental health services because they don’t trust mental health institutions/professionals. Mistrust may stem from a cultural and/or personal history of oppression and discrimination, or experiences in which service providers were unresponsive to their needs. When minority clients perceive white therapists and white-dominated institutions to be cold or impersonal, they are less likely to place their trust in them.

Mental health literacy: A person may not make use of mental health services because they lack knowledge of mental disorders and how to treat them.

Institutional barriers: Facilities may be inaccessible to marginalized people because they are located at a considerable distance from their homes or because public transportation is lacking. Marginalized people are often overwhelmed or intimidated by bureaucratic red tape and/or protocol around health procedures.

Cultural barriers: Many recent immigrants have had little or no previous contact with mental health professionals. They may hold different conceptions of mental health problems or view mental health problems as less severe than physical problems. In some cultures, the family is expected to take care of members who have psychological problems and may resist outside assistance. Other cultural barriers include cultural differences between socio-economically disadvantaged clients and majority white + middle-class mental health staff, and the stigma often associated with seeking mental health treatment.

Language barriers: Mental health facilities may lack the resources to hire mental health professionals who are fluent in the languages of the communities they  serve.

Economic and accessibility barriers: Financial burdens are often a major barrier to use of mental health services. Living in a rural or isolated area where mental health services may be lacking or inaccessible is also a big hurdle.

Psychopharmacology: the field of study that examines the effects of therapeutic or psychiatric drugs.

Identify the major categories of psychotropic or psychiatric drugs and examples of drugs in each type and evaluate their strengths and weaknesses.

Anti-anxiety drugs: drugs that combat anxiety and reduce states of muscle tension.

~ also called anxiolytics

~ examples include benzodiazepines (Valium, Xanax) as well as hypnotic sedatives (Halcion)

+ can be safe and effective in treating anxiety and insomnia

- potential for psychological and/or physical dependence, so they tend to be better for short term or occasional relief, not long term or daily use

Rebound anxiety: the experiencing of strong anxiety following withdrawal from a tranquilizer.

Antipsychotic drugs: drugs used to treat schizophrenia or other psychotic disorders.

~ also called neuroleptics

~ examples include Thorazine, Mellaril, Prolixin, Clozapil (atypical)

+ drastically reduced the need for long-term hospitalization, physical restraints, and confinement

- unpleasant side effects, such as muscular rigidity and tremors; long-term use of antipsychotic drugs (with exception of Clozapine) can produce tardive dyskinesia, a potentially irreversible and disabling motor disorder

Antidepressants: drugs used to treat depression that affect the availability of neurotransmitters in the brain.

~ four major classes: tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs), monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs), selective serotonin-reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), and serotonin-norephinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs)

~ examples include Tofranil, Elavil, Sinequan (tricyclics), Nardil (MAOI), Prozac, Zoloft (SSRI), Effexor (SNRI)

+ antidepressants provide beneficial effects for a wide variety of psychological disorders

- however, there are side effects for each category, and in the case of MAOIs, a patient’s diet is heavily restricted

Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT): a method of treating severe depression by administering electrical shocks to the brain.

+ significant improvement for patients experiencing severe epileptic seizures or major clinical depression that has not responded to other treatment

- high relapse rates and memory loss for events occurring around the time of treatment; for these reasons, ECT is a last resort

Describe the use of psychosurgery and evaluate its effectiveness.

~ Previously, the prefrontal lobotomy was the most common form of psychosurgery. This procedure involved surgically severing nerve pathways linking the thalamus to the prefrontal lobes of the brain.

~ The premise of this operation was the belief that severing the connections between the thalamus and the frontal lobe of the cerebral cortex would control a patient’s violent or aggressive tendencies.

- This procedure was abandoned because (1) there was insufficient evidence of its effectiveness and (2) it often produced serious complications or even death.

- When anti-psychotic drugs became available during the 1950s, psychosurgery was all but eliminated.

+ In recent years, more sophisticated psychosurgery techniques have been introduced which target much smaller parts of the brain and produce far less damage than the prefrontal lobotomy. These techniques have been used to treat patients with severe OCD, bipolar, and/or major clinical depression who have failed to respond to other treatments.

~ Another experimental technique is deep brain stimulation (DBS), a surgical procedure in which electrodes are implanted in the brain and used to electrically stimulate deeper brain structures.

+ DBS shows promise in treating severe forms of depression and OCD that have failed to respond to more conservative treatments.

- However, DBS may have serious complications and its effectiveness needs to be investigated further. Thus, it is still an experimental treatment.

Evaluate biomedical treatment approaches.

~ Overall, a combination of medication and talk therapy seems to be more helpful for most mental health patients than either treatment alone.

~ The benefits and risks/side effects of each medication need to be carefully considered and discussed by the provider and the patient.

[hobblt]

what's your phd in?

I’m currently in the process of getting my PhD in developmental psychology with an interest in young children’s math problem solving and parents’ role in children learning. I chose a research focused track, not clinical, so I won’t be able to practice as a counselor or clinical psychologist ever but that’s ok with me. I want to become a professor and continue to do research after I graduate.

I’m going into my fourth year so I’m working on my research ideas to propose and start my dissertation project. It’s important to have an idea this school year since my program requires your dissertation to include two new experiments that I’ll need to collect all the data for, analyze, write, and defend before I’m officially finished. My program covers my stipend for 5 years and I plan to finish on time (hopefully) so time is ticking but it should be feasible🤞