Brené Brown

🔍 New from Dr. Deibler on Psychology Today... Repetitive behaviors may look alike—but their purpose, meaning, and impact can be very different. This post breaks down the key differences between Body-Focused Repetitive Behaviors (BFRBs) and stereotypy (stimming)—and why getting it right matters for support, diagnosis, and compassion. 📖 Read the full article now → https://zurl.co/T8CZR #BFRB #Neurodiversity #MentalHealthMatters #PsychologyToday #BFRBAwareness #Autism

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Excellent and 100% true The "why", is because it's the cheapest possible option, usually conducted in large groups by in or barely trained, low paid employees, thus offering the highest profit margin for private operators and lowest cost for social service provision. once again, a stark reminder of how little value society places on the lives of those of us who are Neurodiverse. RICHARD MILLS Andy McDonnell Sean Kennedy Prof Ian C E Hale Au Ambassador Tim Wass "ORACLE" 🔮 Ludmila Praslova, Ph.D., SHRM-SCP, Âû Dr Liliya Wheatcraft, AûDHD, MD, MRCPsych, FRSA #fyp

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Check out our newly accepted research study on psychodrama as a treatment for PTSD, depression, anxiety, and traumatic grief from Mirmont Treatment Center’s inpatient addiction program. Abstract This study (n = 148) examines psychodrama as an effective group therapy in an inpatient substance use setting as a treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, anxiety, and traumatic grief. Overall quantitative outcomes indicate an average reduction in PTSD by 52.71%, depression by 61.76%, anxiety by 53.72%, traumatic grief by 31.39%, and prolonged grief disorder (PGD) by 32.36%. Results also show an increase in spontaneity by 31.08% and high patient satisfaction scores related to the experience of participation in the trauma-focused psychodrama groups. Qualitative findings from patient surveys support the quantitative outcomes and provide additional insight into participants’ experiences of the sessions. The outcomes of this mixed-methods study further contribute to the research base of psychodrama as an effective treatment for PTSD, depression, anxiety, and traumatic grief, while also highlighting the essential role of spontaneity – the curative agent in psychodrama psychotherapy. While there are multiple limitations in this study, the overall results point to psychodrama as a viable group therapy modality in inpatient addiction treatment to address co-occurring disorders. Read the pre-proof here - https://lnkd.in/e3sGRYxe

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💡 New Publication: Who Benefits From Ketamine-Assisted Therapy - and Why It Matters I'm so excited to share our new publication in Springer Nature’s Psychopharmacology: “Personality profiles and trauma history in ketamine therapy for mood and anxiety disorders: A latent profile analysis of short-term outcomes.” Read our paper here: 🔗 https://rdcu.be/eM0SI This collaboration brings together clinical practice, psychology, and digital health to bridge the gap between research and real-world healthcare. Our study examined how intake measures (like personality traits, trauma history, and quality of life) relate to outcomes following ketamine-assisted therapy. Key insights: • A diverse range of individuals, with distinct personality profiles, are accessing ketamine therapy, reflecting its reach across patient populations. • Personality profiles influenced baseline severity but not outcomes, highlighting ketamine’s broad and consistent effectiveness across groups. • Baseline factors like trauma history may help fine-tune care planning and integration support for those who benefit most. Together, these findings show that ketamine-assisted therapy can be broadly effective, and that intake data, when leveraged well, can meaningfully inform personalized and compassionate care. Grateful to my co-authors and collaborators, Dr. Nina Gregoire, Ethan Klukas, W Francois Louw, and Dr. Paul G. Davies at UBC Okanagan for this interdisciplinary work advancing research, clinical practice, and digital innovation. UBC Okanagan Research #digitalhealth #mentalhealth #psychology #precisionmedicine #patientreportedoutcomes #researchcollaboration #healthinnovation #ketamine

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ICYMI, check out this fantastic free explainer our team at Meadows Mental Health Policy Institute put together on the $3 Billion brain health research initiative in Texas! Learn more ⬇️ #innovation #brainhealth Rebecca Benghiat, JD Loren Eaton Rives Trina Dutta Lori Cook John Snook Harris Eyre Erin S. Emily Pendleton Eric W. Bennett

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Text-based psychotherapy delivers outcomes comparable to live video sessions for patients with depression, according to research from the University of Washington School of Medicine examining 850 adults treated through a commercial mental health platform. [Full story: https://lnkd.in/emPATibw] The study, published in JAMA Network Open, randomly assigned participants to receive either message-based psychotherapy or weekly video-based sessions through Talkspace for 12 weeks. Patients in both groups demonstrated similar improvements in depression symptoms and social functioning by the trial’s conclusion. Participants who did not respond after six weeks received a combination of both treatment modalities. The research team observed that patients receiving video-based therapy showed slightly higher rates of early disengagement, whilst message-based therapy provided greater flexibility for patient-therapist engagement. “We found that patients improved at similar rates, regardless of whether they were communicating with their therapist through messaging or live video calls,” said Patricia A. Areán, retired professor in psychiatry and behavioural sciences at the University of Washington School of Medicine. “This supports the use of text-based therapy as a viable, evidence-based way to treat the millions of Americans who experience depression every year.” Read more: https://lnkd.in/emPATibw

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Psychotherapists should study how psychiatrists chose to alter their career paths decades ago. Moving from psychoanalysis to biological solutions was a difficult choice for many, but the field has since flourished. Therapists have a similar option. Working in medical settings to provide brief psychosocial interventions is a viable career path. Adjusting to the new setting and services will be challenging for some. It may never rival psychiatry’s remarkable transition. However, healthcare supports a wide range of excellent careers—consider how PAs and NPs are thriving today. Successful careers in healthcare may not be easy, but the behavioral healthcare field cannot sustain its autonomy. Today’s model, in which separate clinics and clinicians provide care, will give way to various forms of integration as the healthcare industry consolidates. Hour-long sessions will become less common. This will bring positive changes to the field. Much-needed psychosocial services will be delivered in primary care settings, grounded in therapeutic alliances and empathy. Also, consistent with the PCP model, visits would be shorter, but long-term availability to clients would be greater. Each clinician must determine the desirability of these options. Sadly, few seem aware that significant changes are on the horizon. See more 200-word essays on my website: https://lnkd.in/g826zg-u

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Relationship between camouflaging, culture, and autistic burnout... Pagán et al.'s (2025) study centers the voices and experiences of 56 Latino autistic young adults who participated in the ¡Iniciando! la Adultez program. The authors examined how camouflaging and autistic burnout are connected with cultural values such as familismo, collectivism, and traditional gender roles. Key findings: ---Participants reported moderate to high levels of autistic burnout, especially in areas like self-awareness and cognitive overload. ---Camouflaging was common, with the compensation strategy used most frequently. ---Cultural values—particularly familism and expectations to stay connected, helpful, and “appropriate”—were linked with higher burnout. ---Camouflaging was associated with higher anxiety and depression, and also related to patterns in adaptive functioning. ---Acculturation stress and traditional gender role norms shaped how individuals camouflaged. ---The study found that traditional gender role values were negatively associated with assimilation-based camouflaging. One interpretation is that clear, structured social role expectations in some Latino cultural contexts may reduce the need to “figure out” how to act—possibly lowering certain pressures to camouflage in specific situations. Why this matters: ---Autistic burnout and masking are often discussed, but very little research includes Latino autistic communities—despite strong cultural messaging around family responsibility, respect, and fitting in. This study highlights the importance of culturally responsive supports that do not pressure autistic individuals to hide who they are, especially during the transition to adulthood. If we want to reduce burnout, we should: ---Recognize how cultural context shapes masking. ---Support self-acceptance rather than conformity. ---Build interventions that honor identity, community, and autonomy. This work moves us toward that direction. 👉 Read the article here: https://lnkd.in/gwfb7PU4 #AutismResearch #Neurodiversity #AutisticBurnout #Camouflaging #Masking #LatinoAutistic #LatinxMentalHealth #LatinoMentalHealth #CulturalPsychology #DisabilityStudies #AutisticVoices #InclusionMatters #MentalHealthEquity #CommunityBasedResearch #NeurodiversityAffirming #EmergingAdulthood #TransitionToAdulthood #AutismAndCulture #Familismo #CulturalValues #BehavioralHealth #PsychologyResearch #SocialWorkResearch #ClinicalPractice #CulturallyResponsiveCare #AutisticAdvocacy #RespectNeurodiversity #ResearchToPractice

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Longer neuropsychological reports are not as helpful as we thought - most of the parts are skipped in favor of the diagnosis and treatment/recommendations sections. Bottom line: shorter is better - and longer , old-school style reports impede patient care.

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Experts and the public often see aging very differently. 💡 This episode explores the research behind those perceptions and how communication strategies can bridge the gap to reduce ageism. #AgeFriendly #ReframingAging #ThisIsGettingOldPodcast

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Teens’ use of AI is growing rapidly — safeguarding their mental health must be a priority. #AI #Teens #MentalHealth #Psychology

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It's all about the alarm centre of our brain. BTW, this is the psychological system that one seeks to activate in half of all social power attempts. The other half relate to attempts to activate the brain's reward system. Want more on this? Tune in to Vokes Leadership Group's weekly podcast: Social Power Lab available on Youtube, Substack, Spotify, and Apple.

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I just published a new blog post, along with a visual infographic, focused on Polyvagal Theory and why it’s become such a powerful framework in modern mental health work. Polyvagal theory offers a compassionate, biologically informed way to understand stress, trauma, burnout, and chronic overwhelm. At its core, it helps us see nervous system responses not as “malfunctions,” but as intelligent adaptations shaped by safety, connection, and survival. Like many evolving frameworks, it’s also important to be clear that some components of polyvagal theory are better supported by research than others. In this post, I focus on the aspects that are most clinically useful and evidence-informed, while acknowledging where the science is still emerging. In this post, I explore: • How polyvagal theory helps explain common patterns like shutdown, hypervigilance, and emotional overwhelm • Why nervous system flexibility matters more than staying calm all the time • How this framework can reduce shame and increase self-understanding • How clinicians and clients can use polyvagal concepts in practical, grounded ways I also created an infographic to visually map out nervous system states and pathways, because understanding your nervous system shouldn’t require a neuroscience degree. This framework has meaningfully shaped my clinical work with high-achieving adults, trauma survivors, and neurodivergent clients, helping them move from self-blame toward clarity, regulation, and choice. 🔗 Read the full post + view the infographic here: https://lnkd.in/gHFwpruS #PolyvagalTheory #NervousSystemRegulation #TraumaInformedCare #MentalHealthProfessionals #Psychology #TherapistLife #BurnoutRecovery #NeurodivergentAffirming

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When stress becomes unmanageable, try these evidence-based tools to tackle it in healthy ways, compiled by Beverly Thorn, PhD through APA. #WiPsych • WiPsychAssoc • @WisconsinPsych1 • wipsychology.org https://lnkd.in/e-9MejvP

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Just published in the Journal of Behavioral Addictions: The International Work Addiction Scale (IWAS) A short, psychometrically sound screening tool for work addiction, validated across 85 cultures and over 31,000 employees. This scale brings together clinical and organizational perspectives and enables meaningful global comparisons. Thanks to Edyta Charzyńska and Paweł Atroszko for their leadership. Article: https://lnkd.in/eTysc2JX IWAS details: https://lnkd.in/e_fQXdwR #workaddiction #workaholism #behavioraladdictions

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In this compelling piece, psychiatrist Dr. Sandra Steingard reflects on the limitations of traditional psychiatric paradigms that often pathologize antipsychotic discontinuation. Drawing from her clinical experience and insights from service users, she advocates for a model that centers epistemic justice—recognizing the legitimacy of experiential knowledge in mental health discourse. This article is a timely and necessary critique of dominant biomedical frameworks that marginalize patient autonomy and silence dissenting voices. It challenges clinicians, researchers, and policymakers to move beyond a narrow risk-avoidance lens and engage with the complex, personal, and often empowering journeys of those who choose to taper or stop medications. A must-read for anyone committed to ethical, human-centered, and socially accountable mental health care. Read the full article here: https://lnkd.in/gnDhyzXx \#MentalHealthEthics #Psychiatry #EpistemicJustice #MadInAmerica #CriticalPsychiatry #PatientAutonomy #MentalHealthRecovery

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Finding Silver Linings in Psychological Disorders An estimated one in five adults in the United States live with a mental illness, and these conditions are usually discussed in terms of their negative impact on people’s lives. Yet psychological disorders may also be linked to certain positive attributes, and recognising these “silver linings” can help reduce stigma, guide better care, and offer hope to individuals and their families. Conventional research has largely focused on what is abnormal or harmful in mental disorders, and this work has been valuable for understanding causes and developing effective treatments. However, this predominantly negative focus gives an incomplete picture of psychopathology and may unintentionally reinforce stigma by ignoring positive experiences and strengths that can coexist with difficulties. The proposed research agenda on “silver linings in psychopathology” (SLIP) argues that mental disorders can bring both serious challenges and opportunities for growth or positive transformation. It suggests examining how people with psychological disorders may show particular cognitive strengths, social capacities, or resilience that emerge alongside, or even partly because of, their struggles. By systematically studying these silver linings, SLIP aims to promote a more balanced view of psychological disorders and mental well-being. This broader perspective could reshape research priorities, inform more person-centred interventions, and support a narrative in which individuals are seen not only in terms of symptoms and impairments but also in terms of potential, meaning-making, and adaptation. #psychology #disorder #disease #mentalhealth #health #brain #cognition #neuroscience #reseasrch #autism #schizophrenia #neurodevelopmental https://lnkd.in/eqxhkJSy

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