New Books in Psychology

Pamela Woolner, senior lecturer in education at Newcastle University, joins us in this episode to discuss her edited volume, School Design Together (Routledge, 2014). Pam is an expert in understanding and developing learning environments, particularly the use of participatory research methods to engage and empower users to share their experiences and knowledge. My conversation with Pam begins with her background in psychology and how her early research studying the use of visuals in math then led her to her research on school environments. In the interview, Pam reflects on the genesis of the book: a 2011 conference to bring together a diverse collective of architects, designers, educators, and researchers at the conclusion of the UK’s Building Schools for the Future programme. For those unfamiliar with learning environments research, a common question is, “Which comes first, the innovative space or innovative teaching?” To answer this question, Pam discusses the complexity of school change, and describes using a cyclical approach that engages a range of participants, at different levels of participation, and at different times in the process. Throughout our conversation, Pam shares her insight about the ways the physical environment is linked to change in schools. Julie Kallio is a graduate student in Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis at the University of Wisconsin – Madison. Her research interests include educational change, innovation and improvement networks, physical spaces of schools, and participatory design. You can find more about her work on her website, follow her on twitter, or email her at jmkallio@wisc.edu. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSupport our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/psychology

To many, the title, A Transdiagnostic Approach to CBT using Method of Levels Therapy: Distinctive Features (Routledge, 2012) , may seem incongruous with a podcast channel called “New Books in Systems and Cybernetics.”  However, listeners familiar with my previous interview with Richard S. Marken about his co-authored book, Contolling People: The Paradoxical Nature of Being Human, will be aware of contemporary developments of Willam T. Powers’ essentially cybernetic Perceptual Control Theory (PCT) and the Method of Levels (MOL) approach to Cognitive Behavioural Therapy that emerged from Powers’ revolutionary vision.  Marken’s co-author, Timothy A. Carey, has been the driving force behind the evolution of MOL and is also the co-author, along with Warren Mansell and Sara Tai of the University of Manchester, of this episode’s featured book.  Lead author, Mansell, and his colleagues have deftly crafted a clear and concise introduction to the underlying principles and practical procedures of this therapeutic approach that is as digestible and useful for students of cybernetics in general as it is for practicing psychotherapeutic clinicians.  In our conversation, Mansell crisply outlines the growing transdiagnostic conception of mental distress, the hypothesized system of hierarchically nested control-systems undergirding human behaviour, and the stunningly simple yet powerful therapeutic approach that is grounded in this cybernetic hypothesis and that is gaining ever more robust empirical support with each passing year.  This is important work for researches in all disciplines committed to exploring a cybernetic conception of adaptive (or maladaptive) human behaviour. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSupport our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/psychology

Balancing work and a personal life can be a challenge for many of us, and we often make things worse by buying into myths that interfere with our effectiveness and happiness but are unsupported by social science. In this episode, cross-posted from the podcast Psychologists Off The Clock, Dr. Yael Schonbrun interviews psychology professors and authors Drs. Miriam Liss and Holly Schiffrin about their book, Balancing the Big Stuff: Finding Happiness in Work, Family, and Life. They tackle topics including the science of best work and parenting practices, the myths that interfere with effectiveness, and helpful ways to think about success in our most important roles. They also offer concrete practices that can help you build and sustain happiness in the midst of your busy life. Dr. Miriam Liss is widely published on the topics of feminism, division of labor, parenting, and child autism and other developmental disorders. She has been interviewed on the topics of intensive parenting and attachment parenting for the Washington Post, MSNBC, and Live Science, and has co-authored a textbook titled the Psychology of Women and Gender with Norton coming out. Dr. Holly Schiffrin specializes in child development, parenting, and early intervention and has served as the president of the Virginia Academic and Applied Psychologist Academy of the Virginia Psychological Association. She has been interviewed about her research on parenting and well-being for Time.com and various other newspapers and parenting magazines. Dr. Yael Schonbrun is a clinical psychologist in private practice, an assistant professor at Brown University, and a co-host of the podcast Psychologists Off The Clock. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSupport our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/psychology

In Genetics in the Madhouse: The Unknown History of Human Heredity (Princeton University Press, 2018), Theodore Porter uncovers the unfamiliar origins of human genetics in the asylums of Europe and North America. Rather than beginning his story with Gregor Mendel or 1909, the date when Wilhelm Johannsen coined the term “gene,” Porter takes us back to King George III. After a political and medical crisis, doctors and researchers began to record and collect data on the causes of mental illness. In so doing, they increasingly investigated and theorized phenotypic heredity. Using paper technologies and demographic research, from asylum admissions records to census cards, largely unknown individuals helped establish the study of human inheritance. Excavating these figures’ contributions to the history of heredity, Porter sheds new light on the work of Karl Pearson and Charles Davenport. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSupport our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/psychology

Schizophrènes au XXe siècle: des effets secondaires de l’histoire [Schizophrenics in the Twentieth Century: The Side Effects of History] is a strong argument in support of the history of psychiatry “from below.” Using vast archival resources and ample patient files, Hervé Guillemain demonstrates convincingly how schizophrenia in France was a socially constructed category—one that circumscribed and further stigmatized individuals who were already marginalized and left behind in a changing political, economic, and social landscape. Guillemain follows the surprising twists and turns proffered by his sources, and in so doing, reveals to us an untold and unexpected history of those youth and young adults who tried to take “a leap forward, but failed.” While focusing primarily on France, this book nevertheless surpasses its geographic boundaries and will undoubtedly be engaging for all those interested in the schizophrenia diagnosis. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSupport our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/psychology

Evolution science and behavioral science both have strong theories that can help us understand humans in context, and yet, until now, the two fields have been mostly separate. In this episode, cross-posted from the podcast Psychologists Off The Clock,  Dr. Steven Hayes and Dr. David Sloan Wilson share how they are collaborating to bridge this divide. They discuss their recent co-edited book, Evolution and Contextual Behavioral Science: An Integrated Framework for Understanding, Predicting, and Influencing Human Behavior (Context Press, 2018), and they explore about how taking an evolutionary view of humans can be helpful in daily life, and in psychotherapy practice. Dr. Steven C. Hayes is a Professor of Psychology at the University of Nevada. An author of 44 books and nearly 600 scientific articles, he is especially known as a co-developer of “Acceptance and Commitment Therapy” or “ACT,” one of the most widely used and researched new methods of psychological intervention over the last 20 years. His popular book Get Out of Your Mind and Into Your Life has sold over a quarter million copies worldwide. Dr. Hayes has received several national awards, such as the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapy, and is ranked among the top most cited psychologists in the word. Dr. David Sloan Wilson is an American evolutionary biologist and a Distinguished Professor of Biological Sciences and Anthropology at Binghamton University, part of the State University of New York. He applies evolutionary theory to all aspects of humanity in addition to the rest of life. His numerous books include Darwin’s Cathedral: Evolution, Religion, and the Nature of Society and Evolution for Everyone: How Darwin’s Theory Can Change the Way We Think About Our Lives. Dr. Wilson publishes in anthropology, psychology, and philosophy journals in addition to his mainstream biological research, and is the Editor-in-Chief of Evolution: This View of Life. He started the Evolutionary Studies program at Binghamton University to unify diverse disciplines under the theory of evolution. Debbie Sorensen, Ph.D. is a licensed psychologist practicing in Denver, Colorado and a co-host of the podcast Psychologists Off The Clock. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSupport our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/psychology

In this inspirational episode, cross-posted from the podcast Psychologists Off The Clock, Dr. Diana Hill interviews Dr. Steven Hayes, co-developer of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), about the future of evidence-based therapy. Dr. Hayes describes the core processes involved in effective change and presents a model that breaks free from diagnoses and protocols. Dr. Hayes shares how he uses principles of process as a parent, leader and ally to underrepresented populations in psychology. Take a listen as Dr. Hayes, on his 70th birthday, paints the big picture of a process-based model of psychology that will revolutionize our field as we know it! Steven C. Hayes is Nevada Foundation Professor in the Behavior Analysis program at the Department of Psychology at the University of Nevada. An author of 44 books (most recently Process-Based CBT: The Science and Core Clinical Competencies of Cognitive Behavioral Therapies (Context Press, 2018)) and nearly 600 scientific articles, he has shown in his research how language and thought leads to human suffering, and has guided the development of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, a powerful therapy method that is useful in a wide variety of areas. His popular book Get Out of Your Mind and Into Your Life was featured in Time Magazine among several other major media outlets and for a time was the best-selling self-help book in the United States. Dr. Hayes has been president of several scientific societies and has received several national awards, such as the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies. Google Scholar data ranks him as among the top most cited scholars in all areas of study, living and dead. Diana Hill, Ph.D. is a licensed psychologist practicing in Santa Barbara, California, and a co-host of the podcast Psychologists Off The Clock.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSupport our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/psychology

In this episode, cross-posted from the podcast Psychologists Off The Clock, Dr. Diana Hill interviews Dr. Dan Siegel about his new book, Aware: The Science and Practice of Presence (TarcherPerigree, 2018). Dr. Siegel describes interpersonal neurobiology and how he has learned from mathematics, anthropology, biology, physics, sociology, and neuroscience to understand the mind. He discusses a powerful practice called The Wheel of Awareness, which cultivates focus, interoception and inter-connection. Dr. Siegel dives into quantum physics to describe how thoughts arise as a flow of energy in the mind, and tells listeners how they can grow a healthier, more integrated brain. Dr. Siegel is a clinical professor of psychiatry at the UCLA School of Medicine and the founding co-director of the Mindful Awareness Research Center at UCLA. He is also the Executive Director of the Mindsight Institute which focuses on the development of mindsight, which teaches insight, empathy, and integration in individuals, families and communities. Dr. Siegel has published extensively for both the professional and lay audiences. Diana Hill, Ph.D. is a licensed psychologist practicing in Santa Barbara, California, and a co-host of the podcast Psychologists Off The Clock. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSupport our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/psychology

In her new book, State of Madness: Psychiatry, Literature and Dissent After Stalin (Northern Illinois University Press, 2018), Rebecca Reich argues that Soviet dissident writers used literary narratives to counter state-sanctioned psychiatric diagnoses of insanity. Reich discusses the interesting literary preoccupations of Soviet psychiatrists and psychiatric discourse in the post-Stalin era to help readers understand the context of these diagnoses of madness. Her book mines the works and experiences of dissidents, including Joseph Brodsky, Aleksandr Vol’pin, Vladimir Bukovskii, and others, to weave a narrative that shows how Soviet writers contended with false accusations of mania and madness. She also shows how these writers sought to use their works to illustrate the pathology of post-Stalinist Soviet society. Kimberly St. Julian-Varnon is a History Instructor at Lee College. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSupport our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/psychology

In this this interview, cross-posted from the podcast Psychologists Off The Clock, Deirdre Fay, LICSW discusses how she integrates yoga, meditation and attachment theory into healing trauma. Ms. Fay discusses the intersection between yoga philosophy and attachment theory. She explores why embodiment is important in the healing of trauma and how she cultivates a “nourishing opposite” when shame accompanies a traumatic response. Ms. Fay leads us through two experiential exercises, Modified Half Archer and Anjali Mudra, to demonstrate these concepts. Deirdre Fay, LICSW has decades of experience exploring the intersection of trauma, attachment, yoga and meditation. Having meditated since the 70’s and lived in a yoga ashram for six years in the 80’s and 90s Deirdre brings a unique perspective to being in the body. In the 90’s Deirdre was asked to teach yoga and meditation to those on the dissociative unit at McLean Hospital. Having amassed skill sets in trauma treatment (as a supervisor under the guidance of Bessel van der Kolk at the Trauma Center), attachment theory (13 years of training with Daniel Brown), body therapy (as a trainer in Sensorimotor Psychotherapy) Deirdre now teaches an integrative approach which Chris Germer calls “a radically positive approach to healing trauma.” Deirdre founded the Becoming Safely Embodied skills groups and is the author of Attachment-Based Yoga & Meditation for Trauma Recovery (W.W. Norton, 2017) (W.W. Norton, 2017), Becoming Safely Embodied Skills Manual (2007), and co-author of Attachment Disturbances for Adults (2016) as well as the co-author of chapters in Neurobiological Attachment-Based Yoga & Meditation for Trauma Recovery Treatments of Traumatic Dissociation. A former supervisor at The Trauma Center, Sensorimotor Psychotherapy Institute trainer from 2000–2008, certified in Internal Family Therapy, qualified trainer in Mindful Self-Compassion, Self-Awakening Yoga and LifeForce Yoga practitioner Deirdre is a respected international teacher and mentor for working safely with the body. Diana Hill, Ph.D. is a licensed psychologist practicing in Santa Barbara, California, and a co-host of the podcast Psychologists Off The Clock. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSupport our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/psychology