January 25, 2011 · 5:45 am

Free Career Counseling Clinic!


Every year our postgrad students run a free career counseling advice clinic. This year it is going to be run on 1/31/11 from 7:30 to 10 pm. You can partake of this in two ways

  1. Come to campus (200 N. Main Street, Hatfield, PA 19440) and meet face to face
  2. Call in (great if you don’t live in this area!)

If you are stuck and need a jump start on your career options and/or want to have your resume evaluated, this is a great opportunity at no cost to you. And you don’t just get a student, you get a student being supervised by our professors who have a ton of career counseling experience.

Call NOW for an appointment time that works for you. This is only 1 week away and space is limited! For more info, click the link above.

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January 23, 2011 · 9:50 pm

Can one person do anything about mass rape?


Cover of "King Leopold's Ghost: A Story o...

Cover via Amazon

Ever notice how we can feel quite helpless when we hear about evil on a mass level? We’ve all had times when we’d rather turn away from systemic evil because we can’t stand to look at what we cannot change.

But check out the story of one Edmund Dene Morel as told in King Leopold’s Ghost: A Story of Greed, Terror, and Heroism in Colonial Africa (by Adam Hochschild, Houghton Mifflin, 1998). Most likely you’ve never heard of him or the mass destruction of 5-8 million Congolese during the reign of Leopold II, Belgian King who “owned” the Congo during the turn of the 20th century.

Instead of my summarizing this story, click the link above and read the story yourself (link goes to Amazon’s search inside, p. 1). You will see that one person who saw the problem of slavery and raping a country and did not turn away. Rather, he made it is work to tell the world and cause Americans and Europeans to rise up and force the government of Belgium to take control of that area away from their king.

Once again, the Congo is facing the destruction of some of its population–the women. The main method is not slavery but rape. The instigators are warring groups, Congolese and outsiders. The goal is to destroy by destroying families, spreading HIV and fear. Many women are raped multiple times.

What will we do?

Consider writing to your congressmen or the president or Sec Clinton to speak out about this problem. Also, you might consider giving to groups that are working in the area to care for these women and/or trying to change culture. Doctors without Borders (MSF), Amnesty International, American Bible Society, and many others are working in the area. And start with talking to your friends about this problem.

Unknown people can do much when we are willing to speak the truth.

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January 21, 2011 · 5:47 pm

rape counseling programs?


I have the pleasure of serving the American Bible Society as a volunteer these days. They have launched the project, “She’s My Sister” to work to care for rape trauma victims in the Democratic Republic of Congo and other countries in the “Great Lakes” region of Africa. But unlike most projects that want to help the needy, a central feature of the project is to change you and I so that we together work to value women more and protect their dignity and lives.

As part of an advisory council for the ABS, I’m looking to find any rape or trauma recovery programs that are in use now in Africa. If you know of anyone who has (a) lived in the region of Central Africa, or (b) has worked in Africa and had to deal with traumas (genocide, war, rape, etc.) will you ask them if they know of ANY rape or trauma programs being used. They can be good or bad, Christian or non-christian, big or small.

The ABS has a good plan already but we are looking to make it even more successful and we especially want to know what does or doesn’t work.

Feel free to pass on names or contacts who could help us!

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January 18, 2011 · 7:48 pm

Adult Asperger’s?


DSM-IV-TR, the current DSM edition

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In last night’s Psychopathology class I was discussing the significant changes throughout the history and editions of the Diagnostic & Statistical Manual (I-VI), especially in regard to the growth of mental health diagnoses. That led us to talk about a couple of diagnoses, once added, that have become “popular.” By popular I don’t mean en vogue or fun or the like. What I mean is that there has been a significant increase in the usage of that diagnosis.

What diagnosis? Asperger’s Syndrome.

Why? Some feel it is because the diagnosis is known and now those who went undiagnosed now are more likely to receive a correct diagnosis. Others feel that therapists are over diagnosing–lumping in every kid who has any hint of a social quirk.

It will be interesting to see what happens to the numbers being diagnosed when DSM5 comes out (2013?) and Asperger’s is subsumed into a generic Autistic Spectrum Disorder. I’d be willing to bet that fewer people will get the diagnosis because of stigma alone.

Whether over or under used, there are adults who meet criteria for this diagnosis and who might be helped (along with their spouses) if they had some hooks to use to understand what was happening in their relationships. If you are involved in counseling folks who meet criteria for this diagnosis…or think you might, check out the this website.

Click the link “tests” and check out a couple of the free adult forms you might use in the diagnostic process. They may not be quite as robust in their statistical properties, but they do give you a good way to narrow the conversation with your clients.

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January 17, 2011 · 12:03 pm

Interesting take on the DSM 5


A student of mine (thanks Andrew!) pointed out this essay about the future DSM in Wired magazine. Sometime in the next 2 years the American Psychiatric Association hopes to release version 5 to replace version IV-TR. Yes, they are doing away with roman numerals.

For those of you not in the counseling world, the DSM is what professionals use to diagnose mental health disorders. The original DSM was first published in 1952 and totaled 132 pages including appendices. Version IV-TR totals a whopping 942 pages. In it’s best form, the document enables professionals to communicate to each other about the symptoms of their clients. Further, individuals with a combination of symptoms may find that diagnostic criteria helps them understand that others have similar problems and can give some hope to finding effective treatments. From an economic standpoint, receiving an axis one diagnosis enables those with insurance benefits to receive some financial assistance in their treatment.

And while this document is founded upon scientific research and years of clinical expertise, the DSM is in no way free from politics. When the DSM moved from a psychodynamic view of illness (illnesses were couched in terms of their “reactions” from problems) to a supposed atheoretical, descriptive view of illness, certain diagnostic labels were kept. In the words of Theodore Millon (said at a seminar I attended), labels such as Borderline Personality Disorder were kept because, “We’d taken everything else from the analysts and so we kept that unfortunate label so they wouldn’t feel so bad.”

So, with the above in mind, take a read of the current political controversies surrounding new diagnoses and the problems with pediatric bipolar diagnoses. If you haven’t time to read the whole article, be sure to skip to the bottom and start reading after the photo of artistic renderings of heads. Read from there to the bottom. It gives you a view of the controversy.

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January 10, 2011 · 10:04 am

Thoughts on causation and tolerating complex answers


Three things have me thinking about causation: a comment on autism my wife heard on the radio…the Arizona shooting…and the ending of my Congo book (mentioned in the previous post). We love to know WHY something has happened. Why autism or any other illness? Why a senseless shooting? Why so much corruption and unrest in central Africa?

Why is a good essential question. Might it be part of being an image bearer of God? It is hard to have dominion over our world if we don’t have the capacity to understand cause and effect. But, being human and therefore limited hands us a challenge. How do we understand complex facets of problems. Too often we mistake correlations for causes. And even more often we limit the cause to one simplistic answer.

Simple works for us. It is more efficient. We consider a problem, conclude an answer, and move on to other subjects. If we couldn’t move on, we might bog down and lose traction in our lives. Simple also works for us humans when we want to lay the blame for something that has happened at someone else’s feet.

Here’s what I notice in many of these kinds of conversations. If you try to single out a particular causal facet for focused discussion, there will be others who say, “yes, but, you also need to consider…”. It is extremely hard to play out one part of the cause/effect without being accused of being biased.  And if you try to develop a laundry list of causes…the conversation often loses traction and some hear you as letting others (e.g., vaccine manufacturers, Sara Palin, Mobutu, etc.) off the hook.

Try this experiment!

So, try to have a conversation today where you either (a) try to single out a particular cause for some widely discussed situation, or (b) try to list the complexities of the situation…and see what happens. Would love to hear your experience! What happens when you single out a possible cause? What happens when you try to include all of the possible causes?

Not sure what to talk about? Try one of these:

Consider autism. Why does it happen and why does it seem to start happening soon after a vaccine? There are known neurotoxins in vaccines…child seems to develop them after being vaccinated…thus it is the fault of companies who make them (and the medical establishment that promote them). See if you can talk about the relationship between the two without getting into an argument. Or you might decide to discuss the fact that autism is higher in subsequently born children if they arrive within one year of their older sibling. (Of course, if this were true then we should be able to document higher autism rates in Catholic families from the previous century!)

Consider the Arizona shooting. Why would someone shoot so many people and have so little disregard for human life? Sounds like the shooter was delusional and probably suffering from paranoid schizophrenia (armchair diagnosis). Try discussing the possible causes of this behavior? Schizophrenia? Over the top political fighting language? Failure of the educational system to get him to treatment?

Consider the Congo. Why is there so much corruption and unrest? African culture? The sad effects of so many decades of European rule and racism? Greed over the countries natural resources?

 

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January 7, 2011 · 5:48 pm

Obsession with race and classification


Cover of "The Troubled Heart of Africa: A...

Cover via Amazon

Why are we obsessed with the race or heritage of those we meet? Seems like we are overly interested in ethnicity…as is “”what are you?” kinds of questions that we ask those who seem exotic, different, or not clearly defined.

Am reading two books at once: Robert Edgerton’s book on Congo history, “The Troubled Heart of Africa” and Jean-Pierre Chretien’s “The Great Lakes of Africa: Two Thousand Years of History.” This obsession with lineage and ethnicity is not new. Both have numerous quotes from Europeans during explorations in the 1800s. Rwandan Hutus and Tutsis are variously described and “nilotic” (from the Nile), Semitic, Negroid, Greek in facial features, etc. Certain Congolese are described as Macaques (Monkeys) and those who hare “civilized” are described as “evolved.” Of course many described them as “hamitic” as in the tribe of Ham.

I know we are beyond (mostly) those dark days of abject, unabashed racism, but seems we still want to classify people. I’ve been asked, “What are they?” in regards to my kids (who are clearly African American). I imagine biracial folks get these questions in spades.

Why is it so important to know? What do we gain from asking? I think we ask for a couple of reasons.

  • Curiosity is probably one key reason. Some of us are attracted to different
  • Connection is probably another motivation. We’ve met someone who looks like this and want to feel close to this new person
  • Categorizing via racialization. We may want to know how to think about someone. “Are you Italian? Oh, so that explains why I think you are…” This is the biggest reason I think. It gives us clues (shortcuts and stereotypes) as to how we want to think about and respond to others. The ugly side of this is that we categorize in order to develop stratification or castes.

Are there other reasons we do this? Good ones?

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January 6, 2011 · 5:07 am

Some thoughts on the roots/shoots of genocide


Been thinking about the topic of genocide lately due to a possible symposium talk in near future. If you are like me it is hard to wrap your mind around such a horrific human/group behavior. Just how does one get to the point of being willing to massacre 10 people much less 1,000? How does one become “okay” with mass killing?

I think most would like to believe it is something different from normal human behavior–something in a different category from the rest of humanity. Maybe it comforts us to think of it as a massive work of Satan (it likely is) or a secret political conspiracy that the general population knows nothing of til afterwards.

I suspect, however, that genocidal behavior develops out of some rather basic, even mundane, human tendencies. Here’s the recipe for mass murder, abuse of power, and even use of porn in the privacy of one’s bedroom while acting righteous in public. Duplicity, abuse of power, or any willful sin starts with,

  1. The seed of a perceived problem or threat/loss, and then
  2. Sprouts in the soil of self-focus and deafness or complacency to the needs of others, and then
  3. Bears fruit in warm glow of deception of self and other fertilized by propaganda

Here’s my question to you. What else might I be missing in this “recipe”?

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January 5, 2011 · 5:06 am

Additional information on the March 2011 sex trafficking and abuse conference at Biblical Seminary


I’ve mentioned the conference before here on this site. But here is additional information for those considering the conference in order to acquire either graduate academic or continuing education credit.

NOTE:

  • Conference dates: March 17-19
  • The conference is free for all attendees, only those who want CEs or grad credit will have to pay a fee
  • A PDF of the information below is available here: Please pass on to anyone who might be interested.

Continuing Education at Biblical Seminary

March 17-19, 2011

The Biblical Call: A Christian Response to Human Trafficking and Sexual Abuse[i]

Mental health professionals and clergy interested in attending this seminar may be able to acquire 10 contact hours of continuing education by attending this conference. Biblical Seminary is an accredited graduate institution and thus is qualified as a pre-approved provider of continuing education in the form of graduate coursework by Pennsylvania’s State Board of Social Workers, Marriage and Family Therapists, and Professional Counselors (§47-49.36) and Pennsylvania’s State Board Of Psychology (§41.59). (Attendees who wish to receive academic credit should follow directions in the footnote below.)

While Biblical Seminary provides verification of attendance and a transcript showing completion of the CE course, attendees are responsible to verify acceptance of these hours by their particular licensing boards prior to registering and paying for CEU credits.

The following information may be used to apply for approval to your licensing body.

Speakers:

Diane Langberg, PhD; Bethany Hoang, MDiv; Pearl Kim, JD; Robert Morrison, MBA; Philip G. Monroe, PsyD

Seminar Overview:

This conference continues the “Conversations on Christianity and Culture” series focusing on sexual violence and injustices in a variety of contexts: domestic and international settings and sexual abuse in Christian communities. Attendees will explore these issues from biblical, psychological, legal, and sociological perspectives. The conference will conclude with a focus on practical intervention and prevention strategies.

COST:

The conference is free for all attendees. Register here. Those who wish to receive CE credits will be charged $20.00 per CE unit (0-9 credits) or $180.00 for all 10 CE units. Attendees will be billed following the conference and certificate of attendance will be held until payment is received.

Educational Objectives:

  1. Become familiar with the psychological and sociological data regarding domestic and international trafficking phenomena and also sexual violence within Christian settings
  2. Describe common community and individual consequences resulting from these sexual traumas
  3. Consider biblical and theological factors relating to sexual violence
  4. Identify effective and practical interventions as well as preventative actions to treat and stop sexual slavery and sexual violence

Tentative Schedule:

Thursday, March 17

Speaker Title Time length
B. Hoang Biblical Call: Response to Violence (obj. 3) 1:15
D. Langberg Biblical Call: Global Violence against Women and Children (obj. 1-3) 1:15

Friday, March 18

Speaker Title Time length
B. Hoang International Human Trafficking (obj. 1) 1:15
D. Langberg Domestic Human Trafficking (obj. 1) 1:15
Breakout Sessions (choose two as each session is repeated; total length: 2:30)
B. Hoang Follow up from morning session (obj. 3) 1:15
D. Langberg Follow up from morning session (obj. 1-3) 1:15
P. Kim Spiritual Warfare and Criminal Prosecution (obj. 3) 1:15
R. Morrison Mobilizing all Christians in Effective Action Against Human Trafficking (obj. 4) 1:15

Saturday March 19

Speaker Title Time length
D. Langberg Sexual Abuse in Christian Organizations (obj. 1-4) 1:00
Panel (all speakers) Panel Discussion (obj. 1-4) 1:30

[i] This course is also available for one (1) academic credit. Credit students will be required to complete additional readings and coursework after the seminar. Those interested should view the course syllabus on our school’s website and complete a brief, online non-degree application. Cost for a one credit course is $447.

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January 4, 2011 · 5:59 am

Oxytocin and autism?


Anyone catch the oxytocin “news” item on NPR on Monday? If not, read/listen here.

The short of it is this: certain kinds of hormones are released during certain bodily functions: giving birth, breastfeeding, and orgasm. It seems that the hormone is involved in feelings of trust, connection, intimacy. Now comes a couple of small studies that indicate these feelings are increased when given a nasal spray version of the hormone. And the study talked about in the NPR story suggests that autistic individuals given the spray preformed as well as non-autistic individuals at recognizing (understanding?) emotional expressions on the faces of individuals in pictures.

Maybe autistic individuals have a deficit of oxytocin. Let’s hope this research helps discover how to raise the level of the hormone by natural means. However, do a Google search on the term and you will see a host of websites promoting the value of the hormone as if it is already well understood. Others seem to be selling a product. One in particular is trying to suggest that someone might use it to get the girl or close a sales deal (by increasing their trust). How? “Here, could I squirt this substance of your nose?”

Better to take a wait and see effort for now rather than get everyone’s hopes up just yet. Let the researchers do their work to find out just how this hormone works before hyping it yet.

 

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