Raskin, J. D. (2013, May 13). The myth of mental illness revisited, NIMH style. [Blog post]. Retrieved from http://www.madinamerica.com/2013/05/the-myth-of-mental-illness-revisited-nimh-style/

I look forward to serving as an associate and engaging in dialogue about links between social constructionism and constructivism, both of which place human meaning-making at the forefront of understanding people.

Rust, J. P., Raskin, J. D., & Hill, M. S. (2013). Problems of professional competence among counselor trainees: Programmatic issues and guidelines. Counselor Education and Supervision, 52(1), 30-42. doi: 10.1002/j.1556-6978.2013.00026.x

Abstract:

Counselor education programs have a responsibility to ensure that individuals are competently trained, demonstrate understanding of ethical guidelines, and are free of observable psychological issues that may affect their ability to provide adequate counseling services. Counselor trainees who do not reach or maintain these professional standards may exhibit problems of professional competence (PPC). This position paper provides a review of the issues related to PPC among counselor trainees. It offers guidelines to counselor education programs for developing PPC policies and procedures. Future directions for research and training practice are discussed.

Raskin, J. D. (2013, January 4). Can evolutionary theory help us define mental disorder? [Web log post]. Retrieved from http://www.newexistentialists.com/posts/01-04-13

Excerpt:
Jerome Wakefield (1992a, 1992b) offers a provocative alternative to the vague atheoretical definition of mental disorder presently found in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (APA, 2000). Rooted in evolutionary theory, Dr. Wakefield argues that mental disorder should be defined as a condition that (a) society deems harmful to the person, and (b) results from the failure of an internal mechanism to operate according to its naturally designed function. Dr. Wakefield contends that if the mental health professions adopted this definition, they would be better able to distinguish between what truly is a disorder and what is not. He maintains that while essentialist concepts sometimes lead us astray, other times they do identify common underlying properties of things. This is the case, he believes, when it comes to mental disorders, which leads him to conclude: “With respect to mental disorders, the common property that we now know is picked out is failure of evolved mental functions, so here the essentialist definition succeeds in picking out a real property” (Wakefield, 2002, p. 259). I’d like to pose several questions about Dr. Wakefield’s position as a way to further generate discussion.

• PSY272 Introductory Psychology
• COU540 Psychopathology

The required books for these classes are as follows:

• PSY272 Introductory Psychology
  • Griggs, R. (2012). Psychology: A concise introduction (3rd ed.). New York, NY: Worth Publishers.

• COU540 Psychopathology
  • American Psychological Association. (2009). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (6th ed.). Washington, DC: Author.
  • Maddux, J. E., & Winstead, B. A. (2012). Psychopathology: Foundations for a contemporary understanding. Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.
    
  • Sinacola, R. S., & Peters-Strickland, T. S. (2013). Basic psychopharmacology for counselors and psychotherapists (2nd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education.

Excerpt:
Thomas Szasz died on September 8, 2012. For over 50 years, he argued against the ever-increasing medicalization of everyday problems. His argument was simple, yet often misunderstood. Because minds (unlike brains) are not physical, they cannot suffer from diseases in any literal sense. Thus, when people talk of “mental” illnesses, they are using language metaphorically (Szasz, 1974).

• PSY498 Seminar in Psychology
• COU510 Counseling Theories

The required books for these classes are as follows:

• PSY498 Seminar in Psychology
  • No required books. All readings are on electronic reserve.
• COU510 Counseling Theories
  • Cain, D. J. (2010). Person-centered psychotherapies. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.
  • Craske, M. G. (2010). Cognitive-behavioral therapy. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.
  • Guindon, M. H. (2011). A counseling primer: An introduction to the profession. New York, NY: Routledge.
  • Levenson, H. (2010). Brief dynamic therapy. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.
  • Madigan, S. (2010). Narrative therapy. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

Raskin, J. D., & Debany, A. E. (2012). The inescapability of ethics and the impossibility of “anything goes”: A constructivist model of ethical meaning-making. In S. Cipolletta & E. Gius (Eds.), Ethics in action: Dialogue between knowledge and practice (pp. 13-32). Milan, Italy: LED.

From the introductory section of the chapter:

“In our understanding of constructivism, ethics is unavoidable because people are always embedded in ethical perspectives that infuse everything they do. ‘Anything goes’ is never an option, even if what goes varies by person. After distinguishing three versions of constructivist theory, we briefly summarize and counter various criticisms that portray constructivism as endorsing an ‘anything goes’ relativism. Then we outline a constructivist model of ethical meaning-making.”

1. Raskin, J. D. (2012, July). What’s coming in DSM-5 and what does it mean for psychotherapists? Workshop to be given at the 7th Biennial International Meaning Conference, Toronto.

2. Raskin, J. D. (2012, July). Constructing and deconstructing DSM-5: The Open Letter Committee story. Keynote to be given at the 15th Biennial Conference of the Constructivist Psychology Network, Arlington, TX.

3. Raskin, J. D. (2012, July). Thinking, feeling, and Being Human. In S. A. McWilliams (Chair), Rue Cromwell’s “Being Human.” Symposium to be given at the 15th Biennial Conference of the Constructivist Psychology Network, Arlington, TX.

EXCERPT: What is a mental disorder? This is a question the American Psychiatric Association (2012) has been contemplating as it prepares the DSM-5, the soon-to-be-published revision of its Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. The DSM-5 development website proposes the following new definition of mental disorder…

Read the full post.