52 - A day in the life of a psychologist working in cancer or paediatrics

Ever wanted to know what it is like to work as a psychologist who works with cancer patients? Or are you interested in how a psychologist works with children? Continuing on with the relaxed 2SP summer programming Amy and Hunter decided to interview each other and ask questions about the work that they do and expand on discussions that they have touched on in previous episodes. Clinically Amy and Hunter see eye to eye and are behavioural in approach but they work in different fields, Amy works with kids and Hunter with cancer patients in a hospital (psycho-oncology).

In the first half of the episode Amy asks Hunter all the questions she has wanted to know about working with death anxiety and seeing patients for brief interventions. Then at about 33 minutes the roles are flipped and Hunter grills Amy on how exactly she gets children to talk to her and other aspects of play therapy. So a good episode to listen to in parts, especially if your travel to work is 33 mins each way. Or if you only really like one host - then just listen to that part.

Hunter mentions these things:

Understanding adjustment to cancer by Brennan in the journal Psycho-Onclogy: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/1099-1611%28200101/02%2910%3A1%3C1%3A%3AAID-PON484%3E3.0.CO%3B2-T

Staring at the Sun - self help book on death anxiety (excellent - yes you should read it):

https://www.amazon.com.au/Staring-Sun-Overcoming-Terror-Death/dp/0470401818

51 - Psychs on film - the second part

51 - So Amy and Hunter decided to do another episode of therapists on film and television. In part because they realised that there was an over representation of male therapists in the previous episode and mostly because it is the holidays and they really enjoyed doing something a bit lighter.

In this episode they play and talk about clips of therapists from Web Therapy, Pure, Lars and the Real Girl, Newsroom, Blades of Glory, The Sopranos (including Dr Melfi’s supervisor), the Sixth Sense (for the obligatory child psych content), Kath and Kim (for an Australian angle), Two and a half men (because Hunter’s brother loves that show) and of course the excellent Good Will Hunting. Hear Amy and Hunter discuss what is good therapy and what is not, including diatribes about CBT for OCD and whether ACT is appropriate, as well as the best way to engage a child in therapy.

Don’t forget to check out the excellent episode discussing Good Will Hunting on the @schoolofmovies podcast feed for a great discussion of trauma and therapy : https://player.fm/series/school-of-movies-2361951/good-will-hunting

50 - Psychs on film

50 - Ever wondered if the therapists you see on TV or film are doing the right thing? Or why they are doing what they do? Then this is the episode for you, Amy and Hunter play eight scenes from television and film of therapists doing what they do and break down what is going on. They go through, Grosse Point Blank, Frasier, Analyze This, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, The West Wing, In Treatment, M*A*S*H* and Harriet the Spy.

Did we miss anything? Let us know via twoshrinkspod@gmail.com or on twitter @twoshrinkspod

49 - When a family member or partner has Borderline Personality Disorder

What’s it like living with a family member or partner with Borderline Personality Disorder? On this episode, we take a look at the experiences of carers and the supports available to them. We start with the diagnostic criteria for BPD and a discussion of how the dynamic of worry and monitoring can have a negative impact on family members. Hunter then takes us through the impact of BPD on parenting before Amy talks about the experiences of partners. As always, we finish with TWCA, chatting about whether public shaming works to change behaviour and provide scientific evidence for why Hunter’s kids wouldn’t eat their dinner (food neophobia)

Research:

Expressed emotion and wellbeing for families are carers: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25195577

Comprehensive review of the impact of BPD on parenting and subsequent impacts on offspring: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27261413

Parenting intervention for BPD: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/18387357.2018.1464887

Systematic of review of partner experiences and supports: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29975337

TWCA:

Food neophobia: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25862982

Public shaming: https://digest.bps.org.uk/2019/11/13/the-paradox-of-viral-outrage-public-shaming-inspires-further-outrage-but-also-increases-sympathy-for-the-offender/

Resources for family members:

• Spectrum information sheet: https://www.spectrumbpd.com.au/images/PDFs/WHEN_A_FAMILY_MEMBER_OR_FRIEND_HAS_BORDERLINE_PERSONALITY_DISORDER_brochure__29_Sept_2016.pdf

• MIND information sheet: https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/types-of-mental-health-problems/borderline-personality-disorder-bpd/for-friends-and-family/#.Xe9HUbE7ZPY

• For partners: https://www.verywellmind.com/understanding-romantic-bpd-relationships-425217

Supports in Australia:

• Support for kids and teens looking after parents with mental health issues in Victoria, Australia: https://www.bouverie.org.au/support-for-services/fapmi

• www.bpdfoundation.org.au

• Free, 12 week Family Connections course for family members, Australia wide:

  https://www.bpdaustralia.org/about-family-connections/

Supports internationally:

• Links and resources: https://www.projectairstrategy.org/mpalinks/index.html

• Free, 12 week Family Connections course for family members, USA: https://www.borderlinepersonalitydisorder.org/family-connections/family-connections-pre-registration-form/

• Free, 12 week Family Connections course for family members, Canada: https://sashbear.org/en/family-connections/family-connections-2

48 - Dissociative Identity Disorder (Multiple Personality Disorder)

“If you were to look at me you’d see a single person…but when we look in the mirror we see us, fragmented identities living in the same body”
Carol Broad (via Caitlyn)

This episode Two Shrinks take a look at Dissociative Identity Disorder (Multiple Personality Disorder) and what it can be like living life with a fragmented sense of self. Join us for a chat about how it’s shown in media vs the diagnosable symptoms, the structure of hosts and alters and, how treatment can begin. We also squeeze in a crash course on dissociation and some recent research on distinguishing those with DID from those feigning it using a memory task. As always we wrap up with TWCA where Hunter laments the perils of daylight saving and Amy rationalises her foggy cognition when hungover

Sources:

Above quote from chapter 8 of Living with the reality of Dissociative Identity Disorders, edited by Lady Xenia Bowlby https://books.google.com.au/books/about/Living_with_the_Reality_of_Dissociative.html?id=uO9gBAAAQBAJ&redir_esc=y

United States of Tara https://www.sho.com/united-states-of-tara

Fight Club https://www.foxmovies.com/movies/fight-club

Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders, 5th edition https://www.psychiatry.org/psychiatrists/practice/dsm

Case study https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1078390317705448?journalCode=japa

Dissociation https://www.researchgate.net/publication/319914410_Dissociation_as_a_Trauma-Related_Phenomenon

An interview with Steven Porges about Polyvagal theory - fight, flight, freeze & flop http://www.hartfocus.nl/UserFiles/Nexus%20interview.pdf

Attachment, Trauma and Multiplicity https://www.crcpress.com/Attachment-Trauma-and-Multiplicity-Working-with-Dissociative-Identity/Sinason/p/book/9780415195560

Understanding and Treating Dissociative Identity Disorder https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2012-24057-000

Understanding and Treating Dissociative Identity Disorder: A Relational Approach https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2010-10294-000

Detecting DID with memory testing https://www.researchgate.net/publication/327639745_Detecting_Clinical_and_Simulated_Dissociative_Identity_Disorder_With_the_Test_of_Memory_Malingering

Measuring fragmentation https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3880957/

Things We Came Across:

Daylight saving and workplace injuries https://www.apa.org/pubs/journals/releases/apl9451317.pdf

Impacts of a hangover on mood and cognition https://www.researchgate.net/publication/333807036_Cognitive_performance_and_mood_after_a_normal_night_of_drinking_A_naturalistic_alcohol_hangover_study_in_a_non-student_sample

Zombieland - 2SP on the School of Movies

Head over to the School of Movies podcast feed to hear Amy and Hunter discuss, dissect and devour the psychological themes of control, trauma and attachment in the movie Zombieland. It is a black comedy action film about the Zombie apocalypse and is one of 2SP favs. Amy and Hunter were on the School of Movies earlier this year discussing the Pixar film Inside Out and fortunately were asked back. What better psychological topic to choose than discussing how people cope with the end of the world.

School of Movies

Podbean:

https://schoolofmovies.podbean.com/e/zombieland-1571387338/

Apple:

https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/school-of-movies/id388751599?i=1000453964295

Twitter : @schoolofmovies