Archives for January 2014

We can’t avoid stress altogether, and probably shouldn’t. Any psychologist will tell you it provides the adrenaline needed to escape danger in scary situations. But over time, and in a not-so-dangerous modern context, excess stress can really wreak havoc on our health. Since we can’t escape it altogether, these stress management activities can help you keep anxiety in check.

Take a Tech Break
Turn off your computer, phone and other devices to truly get away from it all — even if only for 20 minutes. Even the technophiles among us may not realize how draining it is to be available to the world 24/7. If it makes you feel better, set up an “away” message so you won’t leave friends, relatives and co-workers hanging.

Get Inspired
Nothing gets your mind off the daily grind like planning for an exciting project. Whether you’d like to go to Costa Rica or want to start building a new career, the first step is getting inspired. Compiling an inspiration board will help put you on the path toward planning for your next adventure or creation.

Build Something
Creating an item, developing a skill set or building something from the ground up are all wonderful stress management activities. From starting a patio garden or learning coding to refinishing a thrift store table or taking cooking lessons, you’ll have a new “happy place” to escape to when the going gets rough. As a special bonus, you’ll experience a confidence boost that will help you deal with bumps in the road.

Forensic psychology is a fascinating field that allows professionals to work their way into the minds of criminals. A forensic psychologist in NYC can perform one of the forensic evaluations listed bellow to learn more about a defendant. There are three primary types of evaluations that can be used by a forensic psychologist. Guidelines for these evaluations are set forth by the American Psychological Association.

Competency To Stand Trial
Defendants are required to be able to understand the court proceedings, acknowledge the charges involved in the case and assist their attorney with the defense. Forensic psychologists will evaluate a defendant to determine whether the individual is truly unable to complete any of these tasks.

A mental impairment may render a defendant unable to stand trial. The psychologist is tasked with verifying or disproving that such an impairment exists. The court typically asks that the forensic psychologist evaluate whether the defendant could be expected to regain competency to stand trial in the future. The hearing may be moved to a later date in this case, and the psychologist will be asked to reevaluate the individual to see if changes in mental state have taken place.

Legal Sanity
Everyone has heard stories about people using the insanity defense after committing a crime. Forensic psychologists evaluate a defendant in order to determine whether the individual can be considered legally insane. Someone who is deemed to have a history of mental illness may be put in an inpatient psychiatric care facility for criminals instead of being incarcerated.

It is important to understand that this defense is only valid if a person has an established history of mental illness. Disorders do not have to be previously diagnosed, but a psychiatrist will gather information about a person’s past to determine whether they have displayed signs of mental illness.

Readiness For Release
Inmates who may be released need to by evaluated if their crime involved violence. Forensic evaluations for readiness for release focus on determining whether it is likely for the individual to act violently in the future. A risk assessment is used to make the determination.

Evaluations of inmates who have the opportunity to be released tend to be subjective in nature. Psychologists are given a basic goal of determining whether the individual would be manageable when released into society.

Forensic psychology is a field that focuses on evaluating the mental state of people who have been charged or convicted of a crime. Competency to stand trial, legal sanity and readiness for release are types of evaluations that forensic psychologists perform routinely.

If you live in New York City, you may wonder if there is short-term treatment available through a local psychologist to help you cope with issues that plague your everyday life and prevent you from being happy. There is. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, also known as CBT, is a goal-oriented treatment to help people change their behaviors. It is a short-term approach used for patients coping with a wide range of issues such as post-traumatic stress disorder, insomnia, substance dependency, phobias, depression and anxiety. If they are specially trained in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, NYC therapists can use a variety of hands-on problem-solving techniques to change people’s thought processes, attitudes and behaviors. Structured treatment sessions are usually scheduled for once or twice a week and continue for two to seven months. There are several techniques that can be used. Three well-known and successful types are thought records, exposure therapy and relaxation training.

Thought Records
One of the landmarks of CBT is that patients are given homework after every session. For example, if you are using thought records as a technique, you’ll keep track of what thought processes were used to reason out specific behaviors you have experienced. More than simple rationalization, thought records break down the process of why you do the things you do. This technique is helpful in therapy with a multitude of issues such as phobias, depression and substance use.

Exposure Therapy
Everyone tends to react in certain ways when they are presented with unpleasant situations. Exposure therapy helps you to consider what items personally cause you great distress and why. The examination of feelings and use of visual imagery create enlightening factors in discovering your thought process. A therapist in NYC can use this technique to help people coping with drug or alcohol dependency, eating disorders and social anxiety.

Relaxation Training
There are several different ways that people can teach themselves to relax when they are in a tense situation or one that causes them fear. Deep breathing exercises and progressive muscle relaxation are two methods that can be taught in CBT. Relaxation training can be used for people who have anxiety, difficulty sleeping or phobias.

Learn more about how a psychologist using Cognitive Behavioral Therapy in NYC can help you or a loved one cope with drug or alcohol dependency, depression or anxiety. Call Comprehensive Consultation Psychological Services at (718) 552-0166 to set up a consultation appointment.