On the AMERICA online magazine, here is an interesting profile of one of our upcoming authors: “Ninety years ago this week Tennessee became the 36th state to ratify the Nineteenth Amendment, giving women a right to vote that should have been inalienable. This week, Joanne Gavin continues apace in coauthoring her third book, Live Your […]
By: William Van Ornum, Ph.D.A fascinating case was tried in 1993 in the state of Connecticut involving an est session, an est trainer named David Norris (among others on the scene), and the death of an est participant. How much stress is too much? How much of our own lives, including one’s own death (excepting by suicide), could be […]
By: Evander LomkeJoanna Weiss has a slightly different take on bullying as she analyzes the trial of six young women. They are accused of bullying another adolescent so brutally as to cause her to hang herself. The entire article is worth reading. See Article on Bullying by Joanna Weiss in the Boston Globe
By: William Van Ornum, Ph.D.We all know unhealthy ways to get to sleep, but how aware are we of small habits and behaviors that reap a big reward when it comes to getting a good night’s sleep. Sleep studies have become an important medical field in both psychology and medicine and are discovering and organizing behavioral principles that promote […]
By: William Van Ornum, Ph.D.The New York Times reports on new medical research suggesting that repeated concussions and other brain trauma might be responsible for the constellations that are called “Lou Gehrig’s Disease.” The article points out that Lou Gehrig probably suffered more head injuries and concussions than realized when one takes into account his career as a football […]
By: William Van Ornum, Ph.D.Karen Smith, writing in AMERICA, reports on President Obama’s talk at the beginning of the month in Atlanta, Georgia at the convention of the Disabled Veterans of America. After World War II, the country had built an impressive system of health care for Veteran’s. They had excellent clinical psychology training opportunities available for clinical psychology. […]
By: William Van Ornum, Ph.D.AMHF has taken a special interest in the prevention of violence and in the many forms that coercion and abuse make themselves known. Recently we have been examining the extent of bullying in society and across the lifespan, a task that we suspect is only beginning. Errol Louis, columnist for the New York Daily News, […]
By: William Van Ornum, Ph.D.In founding AMHF Books, the book-publishing arm of The American Mental Health Foundation, I along with our board sought two things. (1) To disseminate our knowledge in a way that also would preserve the lifework of the late Stefan de Schill. This would include books written in the spirit of Dr. de Schill’s work but […]
By: Evander LomkeNew York Times continues on the subject of Bullying through the Life Cycle.
By: Evander LomkeDr. Norman Reed, a clinical psychologist specializing in the assessment and treatment of violent children and adolescents, has joined our Professional Advisory Board. For nearly 30 years he has worked in various programs for these youngsters in the State of Oregon. Welcome, Dr. Reed!
By: William Van Ornum, Ph.D.An intriguing article is presented in the current issue of the Journal of Counseling and Development, the academic journal of the American Counseling Association. The authors (Gill, Minton, and Myers) that a woman’s spirituality or religious commitment accounted for a good portion of their resilience and wellness. There are implications for training programs in psychology, […]
By: William Van Ornum, Ph.D.We are happy to announce that Janice E. Johnson has joined our Professional Advisory Board. Ms. Johnson worked for many years in the public sector in California, working with many children and women who were being abused. She is Phi Beta Kappa and her graduate degree is from the University of Minnesota. We are happy […]
By: William Van Ornum, Ph.D.As experts and the public ask for and learn more and more about bullying, not only is its presence in schools better known, but one begins to wonder about all the other situations across the lifespan where bullying occurs. Some possibilities: *Siblings bullying each other *Parents bullying teachers *Cliques that bully other cliques *Boys that […]
By: William Van Ornum, Ph.D.Eric J. Green writes about Jungian Play therapy in his article Traversing the heroic journey,” which appeared in the March 2010 issue of Counseling Today, published by the American Counseling Association Here are some of his ideas: “One of our primary tasks as child counselors is to provide an emotionally safe and protective space within […]
By: William Van Ornum, Ph.D.American Mental Health Foundation published its first book, featuring state-of-the-art research, on The Violent Person. Today’s New York Times reviews a book of especial interest on violence as visited upon women, specifically one woman who is an expert herself in the field, and the shameful stigma of silence associated with it. The book is called […]
By: Evander LomkeA different approach to the treatment of eating disorders–one combining elements of behavior therapy, flooding, and family therapy has become known as the Maudsley Approach. Rather than using psychological therapies and medication, this approach uses the family as the core element of treatment. What occurs is that the entire family makes a commitment to live/eat […]
By: William Van Ornum, Ph.D.To help provide us with a range of ideas and resources, AMHF is making the first two appointments to its Professional Advisory Board. This group of professionals will offer ideas and advice to AMHF regarding ways to implement the mission. This will help to five us a further diversity of viewpoints. The first two members […]
By: William Van Ornum, Ph.D.
All of us at AMHF wish Jack Fowler, our treasurer, the happiest of birthdays on June 18! Thank you, Jack, for all you do for us and so many others.
By: William Van Ornum, Ph.D.
We have noted previously that a number of insurance companies have found ways to minimize costs of serious and lifelong mental health problems that are covered under the Mental Health Parity Act. A similar dragging of feet seems to be occurring with providing health care (which includes mental health services) to 19-26 year olds. The […]
By: William Van Ornum, Ph.D.Glenn Close, award-winning actress who has become an advocate for persons with bipolar disorder and other severe mental illnesses, will be the Keynote Speaker at Neuroscience 2010 , the 40th Annual Meeting of the Society of Neuroscience, to be held in San Diego from November 13-17th, 2010. Close has developed a special interest in mental […]
By: William Van Ornum, Ph.D.Kendra’s Law, passed by the New York State legislature about ten years ago, is set to expire. This law was passed and named after a woman who was pushed to her death by a severely mentally ill person who was not following the prescribed treatment regimen. One of the advocates of this bill is E. […]
By: William Van Ornum, Ph.D.The 2008 Law concerning parity for mental health treatment–making mental health care covered by insurance to be on a level with medical care–apparently is being circumvented by some businesses, the Boston Globe reported today. Therapists, previously required to only fax in treatment information, now are reported to participate in lengthy and sometimes intimidating phone interviews. […]
By: William Van Ornum, Ph.D.Many of the public and well as the mental health professions have never heard of the phrase “sports wound.” This refers to males who do not display athletic prowess or good eye-hand coordination. As much as we may want to deny this, boys who lack sports ability often are teased and bullied through their growing […]
By: William Van Ornum, Ph.D.Today on the news, television reporters spoke of a new law that will mandate school officials to intervene and report instances in bullying. The bill was proposed after one student committed suicide following bullying. One of the more-fascinating aspects of the increased awareness or incidence of bullying, and what appears to be ineffective adult intervention, […]
By: William Van Ornum, Ph.D.Does brain chemistry equate with emotional welfare or mental illness? We recommend respectful consideration of Robert Whitaker, Anatomy of an Epidemic, recently published by Crown Publishers. As a reporter who is not on the front lines of severe mental illness and emotional trauma, Whitaker, of course, could not have all the answers.
By: Evander LomkeThere’s too much bullying going on and not enough being done to stop it. In all fairness, many have the good will and courage and desire to confront bullying but want to make sure it is done properly so as to not make a bad situation worse. AMHF is monitoring the psychological damage done to […]
By: William Van Ornum, Ph.D.The New York Times today announced the death of Alice Miller. Dr. Miller is a writer in the psychoanalytic tradition who did not publisher her first book until her late forties and much experience in the field. The Gifted Child was the first of many books written by a first-class intellect who had the great […]
By: William Van Ornum, Ph.D.
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