This is the first of what I am planning to be monthly blog posts connected to the general theme of mental health systems as a form of oppression. Over the course of the coming year I will write other posts – some of which will expand on some of the ideas discussed below. I do […]
Systemic racism permeates every aspect of American life, and in particular the criminal legal system. The criminal legal system is perhaps the primary institutional force behind it, and the harm inflicted on people of color by this system is widespread and devastating. This is a simplified (VERY simplified) flow-chart showing of the criminal legal system […]
I’ve been spending some time recently trying to figure out how I can engage in the anti-racist protests and activism that’s been going on – then I realized that it wasn’t that I didn’t know, it’s that I was nervous about how my involvement might be received. So now I’m taking the advice that I’ve […]
[This was an excerpt from a paper I wrote as an MSW student] The concept of “Continuous Traumatic Stress” (CTS) emerged from research in Apartheid South Africa and later in conflict areas to discuss traumatic stress that is not in the past, but is present and is reasonably foreseeable into the future. It has been […]
[This post is a lightly edited excerpt of a paper that I wrote as an MSW student in 2018] Feminist Therapy is a meta-theory more than a specific modality. In my own work with it, I find that its purpose is to inform my overall practice with clients in a way that emphasizes empowerment and […]
[This is an excerpt from a paper I wrote as an MSW student in December 2017] Feminist Therapy is a meta-theory more than a specific modality. In my own work with it, I find that its purpose is to inform my overall practice with clients in a way that emphasizes empowerment and an egalitarian working […]
[This was a report that I wrote for a class on Grief, Loss and Bereavement as an MSW student in 2017. As an Existential Therapist I am particularly interested in how death is addressed at all ages, including how parents can address it with children.] Summary and Impressions of the Book This is a relatively […]
This is a paper that I wrote during my second year as an MSW student at NYU. The assignment was to choose from a short list of books and videos and then basically diagnose the main “character.” I chose the movie “Grizzly Man” – this paper demonstrates one example of a more mainstream perspective of […]
[This is an excerpt from a paper I wrote as a first-year MSW student at NYU in 2017] Transgender people experience most of the same issues that impact cisgender people, in addition to some that are the result of, or exacerbated by their gender identity and/or expression. Underlying the latter set of issues is a […]
The following is a paper I wrote as an MSW student at NYU in 2016 Policy Summary In December 2014, Governor Andrew Cuomo announced that New York State’s Medicaid regulations would be amended to include coverage for expenses related to the treatment of Gender Dysphoria (previously referred to as “Gender Identity Disorder”) for transgender individuals. […]
[This was a “Reflection Paper” that I wrote for an assignment in a first semester class – Diversity, Racism, Oppression and Privilege – as an MSW student at NYU. It focuses on some issues impacting the transgender community. I wrote this in 2016, some of my views have shifted from what I wrote here. It […]
[This was a paper I wrote for a policy class as a first year MSW student on restorative practices in NYC public schools] Susan Dominus discusses a new approach, “restorative practices,” to handling disciplinary problems with students that is being used by the Leadership and Public Service High School in Manhattan’s Financial District, and has […]