Accurate watches

Understanding human trafficking in one way resembles the story of the blind men describing an elephant. According to the story from ancient India, several blind men touched an elephant and then reported on it. The man who touched the elephant’s trunk was sure the elephant was a snake. The man who touched the elephant’s side knew the elephant was a wall. And the man touching the elephant’s tusk was certain the elephant was a large, smooth spear. In the case of human trafficking, there are also many ways of looking at the subject. Each way of looking at the subject can be true and accurate without being the whole story. Human Trafficking and Criminal Activity Diane Halfman’s view of human trafficking will be, for many, a new way of looking at trafficking. Halfman is a retired police undercover agent, and to continue the elephant metaphor, she isn’t just touching the elephant, she’s aware of the whole ecology of elephants, like where they feed and who else is in the herd. … [Read more...] about The Evil Ecology of Human Trafficking

There is no shortage of hot-button issues in the ongoing trial of Derek Chauvin for killing George Floyd – racism , policing, drug policy, criminal justice reform, vicarious trauma , moral injury and disengagement, and implicit bias to name a few. As I’ve been watching the trial unfold, I’ve been thinking about how to discuss it with my children and my undergraduate students. George Floyd Mural Source: F. Muhammad/Pixabay As an addiction psychologist, what keeps drawing my attention is the need to dispel the idea that substance use justifies the use of force . We know that George Floyd’s postmortem examination showed multiple substances in his system, including THC, methamphetamine , and fentanyl . It’s no surprise that Chauvin’s defense team is using those findings to divert blame from the former officer to the victim. Although I am outraged by that defense tactic, I also see that George Floyd’s substance use is relevant to the discussion precisely … [Read more...] about Why We Need to Talk About Chauvin’s Drug-Related Defense

An easy way to reduce this 4-inch pile of mail Author's collection Organizing Tips I love to read organizing tips, and there are some great ones out there. For example, there’s the famous two-minute rule offered by Getting Things Done guru David Allen. This rule advises you to get those random calls and tasks off your list first thing in the morning—as long as each one will take no more than two minutes. Fellow PT blogger Gretchen Rubin uses a " power hour " each week to demolish those one-time chores that stick to your to-do list. But there is one tip that has not only saved me both time and frustration; it has also helped me add focus to my work day.  Ever since I read this advice about 7 years ago, I’ve probably saved roughly 30-40 minutes a week by terminating an activity that was frittering away my precious time. And the entire process was painless. The Best Time-Saving Tip The tip that has been such a great time-saver is this: Stop aimlessly flipping … [Read more...] about An Easy Way to Save 10 Minutes a Day—and Be Happier

There are many relationship problems this post is not about, namely problems related to serious psychopathology, abuse, addiction , infidelity , or a basic lack of attraction . This post is about a common, ordinary type of couples' problem: the type that occurs between two good, functional people whose personality styles clash in some way. Different Does Not Mean Better or Worse Differences in styles of functioning play a role in many marital and couples problems ( Shapiro, 2020a; 2020b ). He is a morning person, and she is a night person; she wants more closeness, and he wants more autonomy; he is dramatic and expressive, while she is understated and reserved; one partner wants to discuss problems extensively, while the other wants to move on quickly, and so forth. Differences in styles of functioning, in and of themselves, are not problems. Couples become angry and unhappy when they misunderstand their differences to be disagreements about some objective issue … [Read more...] about When Couples’ Personality Styles Clash

Source: American Academy of PediatricsxSELF, used with permission Co-Authored by Drs. Rachel Zoffness PhD & Samina Ali MD* A New Era: Vaccines and Needles We have finally, thankfully entered a new era: the era of the COVID-19 vaccine. While research indicates that vaccines are both effective and critical for ending the pandemic (Thompson et al, 2021), vaccine-hesitancy and fear slow our progress (Rosenbaum, 2021). And the fear isn’t just of the vaccine: It’s of needle pain, too. In fact, over 60% of children (Taddio et al, 2012) and almost one-quarter of adults fear needles (McLenon & Rogers, 2019). These untreated fears can lead to a lifetime of needle phobias, anxiety , and avoidance of important medical procedures like vaccine injections (McMurtry et al, 2015). In the era of life-saving COVID-19 vaccines, it’s never been more important to address needle phobia and fear of pain so that we — and our children — can be protected. But how? Research … [Read more...] about Preparing Kids (and Parents!) for COVID Vaccines