Are we restoring competency, competently?
We have no collective empirical understanding of the utility of competency or traditional assessment instruments in the restoration context. This is the bottom line of a recently published article in the Journal of Forensic Psychology Research and Practice. Below is a summary of the research and findings as well as a translation of this research […]
Mindfulness Activity #23
Good Morning! Today’s mindfulness practice can be thought of as the “look before you leap” practice. Being effective means being the person we would like to be and achieving the things you want to achieve through the right means. Sometimes there are things in our way that block us. Sometimes there are people that interfere […]
Mindfulness Activity #22
Good Morning! Today’s exercise involves the practice of loving kindness. This practice involves repeating phrases designed to generate feelings of care for oneself and others. In Buddhism, loving-kindness can be described as a mental state or an attitude that is achieved and maintained with practice. It is the act of generating unconditionally warm, nonjudgmental feelings […]
Mindfulness Activity #21
Good Morning… It is a rainy day here where I am writing to you. One of the principles of mindfulness is doing what is effective. Rain is soothing and helps to wash things away. Being effective means not wishing for sun, rather using what is here in the present. So, today I ask you to […]
Sex, Love, and Intimacy in the Time of COVID-19 – A Conversation with Stacey Diane A. Litam
Ethical guidance from APA for the COVID-19 era
The American Psychological Association has compiled advice from psychologists on ethical practice, research, teaching and applied work as professionals across the field adjust to a sudden shift in working conditions. This is a great article that provides some useful guidance as well as a number of helpful resources. Please check out the article here. The […]
Mindfulness Activity #20
Good Morning! There is a strong body of research that indicates the value of being outside in nature. Studies have shown that individuals who spend regular time outside experience benefits such as lower blood pressure and lower stress hormone levels. Using our senses to connect to nature has been demonstrated to reduced nervous system arousal […]
Mindfulness Activity #19
Good Morning, It is so easy to just “go through the motions” or to begin your day without ever actually waking up and paying attention. We can be foggy, confused, or disconnected. Jon Kabat-Zinn wrote a book about mindfulness called, “Falling Awake.” It is important to notice everything inside and outside us, without pushing it […]
Mindfulness Activity #18
There are usually rhythms and schedules that structure and mark movement through our days and weeks. For many of us, these routines are disrupted. Today, is a Sunday. It is cloudy where I am, as if it isn’t sure whether it wants be a Spring day or not. For many of us, we are sort […]
Mindfulness Activity #17
Yesterday, I was speaking with a friend in Canada who runs a large mental health service. She’s given me permission to share her story because she said that these daily mindfulness practices have been helpful to her and besides, she noted, most of you are in another country and do not know her… She and […]
Bail reform: Public’s opinion on using pretrial risk assessment algorithms
Incorporating the public’s opinion into the decision-making process may promote the legitimacy of California’s new pretrial process and the use of risk assessment algorithms in the criminal justice system in general. This is the bottom line of a recently published article in Psychology, Public Policy, and Law. Below is a summary of the research and […]
Mindfulness Activity #16
Radical Acceptance Mindfulness People say there are things that should never happen like children dying before their parents. It’s true that almost any terrible, sad, painful, unjust action causes immeasurable pain. Large and small injustices create discomfort in the form of despair and anger. If you read the news or search your personal memory banks, […]