Anthony Smith, LMHC

22 years as therapist, court evaluator, professor, supervisor. See Up&Running @psychtoday for my blog. My posts don't replace your provider/supervisor's advice.

[Anthony Smith, LMHC @ASmithLMHC]

@JonathanShedler This is an incredibly important observation! I feel like some therapists can get patient-blamey when it's the therapist's skill w/an issue that's lacking & a transfer is the right thing to try.

[Anthony Smith, LMHC @ASmithLMHC]

Bullying is thriving despite anti-bully campaigns. See how therapists can help curb it in my latest, What Therapists Need to Know About Bullying on @PsychToday https://t.co/0YpZyTusKq

[Psychology Today @PsychToday]

About 20 percent of children experience bullying, yet many of them don't speak up about it, even to a trusted adult. Here's what therapists need to know to help, explains @ASmithLMHC https://t.co/OFBUllbCCq

[Anthony Smith, LMHC @ASmithLMHC]

@JonathanShedler best so far about the inherent problems of drinking the Kool Aide of evidence-based practice zealots: https://t.co/PZ2wHvpZ1P

[Anthony Smith, LMHC @ASmithLMHC]

@DoctorPerin There's also Kelly Lambert's fine motor activity research; while its not working out, it's motion & considered protective factor/effective intervention. Also, Edward Bullmore's The Inflamed Mind is good read. Therapy is the foundation IMO but there can be essential augmentation!

[Anthony Smith, LMHC @ASmithLMHC]

@DoctorPerin Agree from pers & prof experience! I recall a paper ~ 2000 re: effect of exercise on depression. 1 month of only exercising= same Sx reduction (I realize sx reduction alone isn't end goal) as ppl in Tx & Rx w/o workout. Activity reduces # gain that adds to low self image, too!

[Anthony Smith, LMHC @ASmithLMHC]

@DavidPuder Irvin Yalom did a training video yrs ago for https://t.co/SKlYQ9jGZD (Eugenia) where he works w/23 yr old woman who mentions "sonder"; its very poignant & he navigates it beautifully. Her existential concerns giving birth to it are very interesting. Highly recommended to see!

[Anthony Smith, LMHC @ASmithLMHC]

Check out a preview of material from my book Getting Started as a Therapist: 50+ Tips for Clinical Effectiveness in the latest article @ https://t.co/SKlYQ9jGZD
https://t.co/IzlbbvHQ7y

[Anthony Smith, LMHC @ASmithLMHC]

@DoctorPerin "I'm not married but have been seeing a marriage counselor. 'What can I help you with?' 'IDK, it's like my wife isn't even there.'"- (Steven Wright, of course)

[Anthony Smith, LMHC @ASmithLMHC]

Observation of the day from Carl Rogers, courtesy of @LindaBerman4
https://t.co/iAM8sXfZBQ

[Dr. Linda Berman @LindaBerman4]

To understand another person's thoughts and feelings thoroughly, with the meanings they have for him, and to be thoroughly understood by this other person in return -- this is one of the most rewarding of human experiences, and all too rare.

Carl R. Rogers

#understanding

[Anthony Smith, LMHC @ASmithLMHC]

Women are Dx depressed 2x’s more than men but suicide is more prevalent in men. Depression, highly correlated to suicide, can look different in men, thus harder to see/treat.
Learn more in my latest The Hidden Signs of Male Depression on @psych_today
https://t.co/Tzbo70vZNY

[Anthony Smith, LMHC @ASmithLMHC]

Here's a Saturday morning contemplation, courtesy of @PPSCNYC : https://t.co/TcDfSOlAaM

[The Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy Study Center @PPSCNYC]

We must be prepared to assume the existence in us of not only a second consciousness, but of a third, fourth, perhaps of an unlimited number of states of consciousness, all unknown to our everyday self.

--Freud

[Anthony Smith, LMHC @ASmithLMHC]

@BrightonPsych @DoctorPerin I can't help but notice over the years that "mixed personality" disturbance almost always includes borderline characteristics. I think that lends credence to idea its more of a severity index than standalone Dx.

[Anthony Smith, LMHC @ASmithLMHC]

Saturday McWilliams wisdom from @jefffinethomas
https://t.co/xEeGFxmYKT

[Jeff Fine-Thomas @jefffinethomas]

"By enacting frightening scenarios, the unconsciously anxious person turns passive into active, transforming a sense of helplessness and vulnerability into an experience of agency and power, no matter how negative the drama that is played out." - Nancy McWilliams

[Anthony Smith, LMHC @ASmithLMHC]

Sighing is another example of why it pays to pay attention to patients' subtleties...here's why noticing or acknowledging patient's sighing can pay off, n my latest @PsychToday "The Relationship Between Sighs & Emotions": https://t.co/gOzeDnpnTv

[Anthony Smith, LMHC @ASmithLMHC]

@GrantHBrennerMD No joke! Even CBT, love it or hate it, look at how ppl like Freeman & Beck practiced it, w/a real art to it, & in the past 20 years it has turned into simply "OK, replace that thought w/this one" & 1 size fits all workbook stuff.

[Anthony Smith, LMHC @ASmithLMHC]

Food for thought of the day from @DrCamiloOrtiz ...phone free spaces could become a thing, and isn't a bad idea! https://t.co/FHoEmZ24Oy

[Dr. Camilo Ortiz 👨🏼‍🎓 @DrCamiloOrtiz]

Mark my words, phone-free spaces, particularly those that involve adventure and physical activity, such as junk playgrounds, will be the new enrichment activities of the next decade. Kids will include these experiences on their resumes to demonstrate to potential schools and employers that they possess social skills, grit, and creativity.
@LetGrowOrg

https://t.co/oBzM8uojfG

[Anthony Smith, LMHC @ASmithLMHC]

@BrightonPsych shares a brief, but thorough explanation of projective identification, one of the more vexing defenses to gain an understanding of:
https://t.co/MUQ7guXMXl

[BrightonPsych @BrightonPsych]

Folks seem to have found the post on splitting below helpful. Well, we can't consider really understand splitting without understanding projective identification
So, here's my take on projective identification, arguably the most interesting and complex 'defence': 🧵

[Anthony Smith, LMHC @ASmithLMHC]

Anyone interested in court related psychological evaluations, esp juvenile court, might enjoy my latest for https://t.co/SKlYQ9kePb on what its like doing them & how they're used: A More Compassionate Approach to Juvenile Evaluations
https://t.co/NqeLJFLD4n

[Anthony Smith, LMHC @ASmithLMHC]

Divided times are a great time to learn about the primitive process of splitting & how it's not just for the characterologically disturbed. Check out @DavidPuder podcast w/Dr. Frank Yeomans. https://t.co/eDUeVvuZKy

[David Puder M.D. @DavidPuder]

Important message for our modern political world from Frank Yeomans, MD

Everyone can regress to splitting...
It can even be fun...

Idealization/devaluation, tribal thinking -> not taking responsibility, only blaming others...

Share with me an example that comes to your mind...

[Anthony Smith, LMHC @ASmithLMHC]

@DoctorPerin To add a tinge of humor, like Steven Wright says..."Hard work pays off tomorrow; laziness pays off right now"