In this episode we continue our discussion of mindfulness. We start to delve into the details of how to begin the practice of mindfulness. This practice enables us to become more aware of our experiences, our feelings, and our thoughts. If we want to make changes for ourselves we must first become aware of the things we need to change. Increasing awareness is our first step to change. Mindfulness will help us with this. Dan Siegel (www.mindsight.com) suggests we engage in a process of observance, objectivity, and openness. We observe our feelings and thoughts, we are objective about them, and then we are open to them. This will decrease our anxiety and our struggle to make them different. Acceptance eases our tension, and makes flexibility more available.  In this episode we also talk about the need for development as therapists. Scott Miller (www.scottdmiller.com) has great research on why we should engage in continuous development of our skills. As always be awesome by being you. Connect with me at: info@drneilstafford.com https://www.facebook.com/drneilstafford/?ref=aymt_homepage_panel  

Everything is Psychological

The 3 O's of Mindfulness - Episode 21

In this episode we continue the discussion of prioritizing, but we shift to how the emphasizing of one thing over another can relate to our relationships. When make one relationship the priority, and focus our energy and efforts on one relationship over others we can improve all of our relationships one at a time. It is not possible to make significant improvements in relationships when we are multitasking people. We have to prioritize even for a short period of time to make substantial games in any relationship.  In "What's up with Neil?" I relate the water heater disaster at home, and how this brings to mind the situations of others. I am blessed, and how can I use my blessings to be there for others. In "Did you see that?" we look at the dangers of opiates. The deaths of Prince and Chyna brought to mind the issue of opiate overdoses, and how prescription medication abuse is a major problem in the United States. Connect with me at info@drneilstafford.com. Dr Neil Stafford on Facebook @drseab on Twitter I'd love to talk with you. As always, be awesome by being you!

Prioritizing the Authentic Relationship - Episode 20

We are back from a 3 month hiatus with episode 19. Life's priorities moved me away from the podcast for a while, but now I am up and running again. I hope to keep the episodes coming every week to 2 weeks. The focus of the podcast will remain psychological in nature with a shift at times to the integration of spirituality and psychology.  In this episode I give an update on the APA accreditation process of our school district's internship program. We also consider the development of the 5th Circuit Appeals Court and their finding the Texas psychologist licensure law unconstitutional. Check out this link to the article about this:  https://www.cir-usa.org/2016/01/fifth-circuit-tosses-texas-psychology-licensing-law/ It's important to consider the impacts an unregulated field. Finally, we discuss priorities. It is very tempting to become overinvolved. We fill our days with activities. We are afraid of missing out on the next big thing. So, we agree to everything. This multitasking and making everything equally important is a lie we tell ourselves. We need to focus to be more successful. Check out the One Thing by Richard Keller and Jay Papasan. They have great advice for eliminating distractions, and focusing on what's most important. http://www.the1thing.com/ Connect with me on Facebook or Twitter or Instagram, or email me at info@drneilstafford.com. Until next time, be awesome by being you. 

Priorities - Episode 19

Psychology is a part of the healthcare field. The healthcare field is oriented towards pathology. It is about what is wrong with us. When you go to your primary care physician they ask you what's wrong, you tell them the symptoms, they give a diagnosis a treatment. You don't go to the PCP because you're healthy. It's the same with the psychologist. Most people go because they have a problem. We diagnosis and provide a treatment. The focus is on what is wrong with individuals. We try to alleviate symptoms. We don't focus on what is right with everyone. What if we did? I believe we can make a larger impact if we can focus what makes us happy, and then find ways to replicate those experiences. In this episode we discuss the ideas and research of Martin Seligman. We talk about positive psychology, and what sets it apart as a distinct field within psychology. Check out the following sites from this episode, and connect with me at the places below to continue our discussion. Also, I'd love to know what topics you want to hear about next.  Be awesome by being you! www.authentichappiness.org https://www.ted.com/talks/martin_seligman_on_the_state_of_psychology?language=en#t-1254075 www.drneilstafford.com info@drneilstafford.com https://www.facebook.com/drneilstafford/?fref=ts https://twitter.com/drseab  

Positive Psychology - Episode 18

Psychology includes a wide variety of types. One type of psychology is school psychology. The school psychologist primarily works at an elementary or high school. They provide various services including counseling, crisis intervention, consultation, and psychological evaluation. In this episode we talk about the roles of the school psychologist, and we focus specifically on the psychological evaluation portion of their duties. In the school world the evaluation is called a psychoeducational evaluation. We will discuss the process to have a student referred for an evaluation, and then what are the common outcomes of an evaluation. Ultimately each evaluation is about deciding if the student is eligible for special education services or not. We want to gather information about a student in order to help them maximize their academic success.  Connect with me at: info@drneilstafford.com Dr Neil Stafford on Facebook @drseab on Twitter I'd love to hear from anyone about their topic of interest, or questions you might have about the show. 

Evaluating for Special Education - Episode 17

The fourth part of four episodes on anxiety. The workshop has wrapped up, and we are reviewing what was presented at the workshop here in episode 16. The workshop at St. Peter's Episcopal average around 25 people per week. There was a lot of positive feedback about the presentations. I hope to be able to do more workshops in the future. If your group is interested in a presentation on anxiety, depression, relationships, parent/child communication, or a wide variety of content about psychology let me know. I'd be happy to present depending on the schedule.  For our Did You See That segment we review the podcast by Michael Britt. Professor Britt does a podcast titled The Psych Files. He reviewed the Reproducibility Project. His take is that the project does more to bring to light the problems we have with the research culture in general rather than showing that psychological research is suspect itself. Check out his podcast at: http://www.thepsychfiles.com/2015/09/ep-245-the-results-of-the-reproducibility-project-incentives-out-of-whack/ Our main segment reviews what was covered in the fourth workshop. We have covered various practical techniques to manage anxiety, but what about living our lives to the fullest with or in spite of anxiety. In the episode I talk about that anxiety holds us in place or causes us to run away. We are afraid of change. The fear is because we are afraid of losing something, the process of change, or the outcomes. Facing our fears we can see that change doesn't need to be all in one step. It can be step by step. What is one small thing you can do to make a change today?  One of the major problems with facing our fear and making the change is not feeling valuable enough, or being willing to be vulnerable. I reference a Ted talk by Brene Brown to discuss how we can increase our sense of worth to be vulnerable to risk change. http://www.ted.com/talks/brene_brown_on_vulnerability Finally, we talk look at Colossians 3:12-14 and Galatians 3:26-29 to explore how we are children of God. We are heirs of the process. You are worthy. As always connect with me to continue the conversation at: info@drneilstafford.com On Facebook at Dr Neil Stafford Or Twitter at @drseab Be awesome by being you!

Getting to Know Your Anxiety - Part 4

We continue our discussion of getting to know our anxiety. This episode looks at anxiety as something to be embraced. The conversation starts with looking at the words of Jesus. He promises that life is full of trials, but that we aren't alone. We are to embrace the anxious experiences, and through those experiences we go through we will find success.  We look at the story of Joe Kowan from a TED talk about how he dealt with his fear of public speaking. Check out his story at: http://www.ted.com/talks/joe_kowan_how_i_beat_stage_fright#t-457619 We talk about strategies such as Best, Worst, Most Likely to confront our anxiety. The primary method is to not hide from our fear, but to bring it our into the light to see what it really is. When we are aware of what we are actually anxious about we can devise a plan to solve our problem. Check out the episode, and connect with me at: info@drneilstafford.com Dr Neil Stafford on Facebook @dreab on Twitter

Getting to Know Your Anxiety - Part 3 of 4

In this episode we continue the discussion of anxiety and how to manage it in one's life. We are keeping with the concept that we want to embrace our anxiety instead of deny it and ignore it. In the last episode we learned more about our anxiety to help it be our frenemy instead of our enemy. In this episode we start to look at some practical ways to manage the anxiety. We review the biological causes, and then cover three techniques.  This episode is connected to a 4 week workshop at St. Peter's Episcopal Church in Litchfield Park. The workshop is from 3:30 pm to 4:45 pm. Join us if you like. Or you can download the workshop materials at my website www.drneilstafford.com. As always please follow up with me at my website or  Dr Neil Stafford on Facebook @drseab on Twitter info@drneilstafford.com

Getting to Know Your Anxiety - Part 2 of 4

In this episode we are learning more about what is anxiety. Most of the time we see anxiety as an enemy. It lurks in the shadows. It's a monster that keeps up paralyzed, and holds us captive from engaging in our lives in a full and meaningful way. What we want to do is move our anxiety from enemy to frenemy to friend. This means we need to get to know anxiety in a more intimate way. We need to bring it out of the shadows, and see it for what it is.  What we learn here is that anxiety is designed to be a protective mechanism. It originates in the brain. Everyone experiences it, and it is an automatic process. We perceive a threat in the environment, and the brain triggers the sympathetic nervous system to release chemicals that stimulate our body to fight, flight, or run. It is a useful mechanism except when we see most everything in our environment as at threat. In the episode we learn that this is normal, and that we can then use anxiety as a signal. What are we perceiving as a threat, and then what can we do about it.  Also we look at an article from NPR.org on how to protect our children from anxiety found here: http://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2015/09/25/443444964/parents-can-learn-how-to-prevent-anxiety-in-their-children?utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=npr&utm_term=nprnews&utm_content=20150925 This episode is a preview or a review of material presented at St. Peter's Episcopal Church on October 4, 2015 as part of a 4 week seminar on Embracing Anxiety. St. Peter's is found at: http://stpetersaz.com Connect with me at info@drneilstafford.com Dr Neil Stafford on Facebook or @drseab on Twitter Also check out my new volunteer effort at: http://www.azftf.gov/Pages/default.aspx    

Getting to Know Your Anxiety - Part 1 of 4

Episode 12 is focused on a question from listener. There was a request to follow up the spirituality in therapy discussion with, "what would I do with a client from something other than Christian?" My answer is that i approach therapy for each client in the same manner from a client centered approach. The focus of therapy is what the client wants to talk about. If they want to discuss religion that becomes the focus because they are steering the conversation that way. If they are going deep into the background of a faith I am not familiar with then I might refer to a therapist more knowledgeable. It is important for the therapist to know their limits.  I also discussed the works of Scott Mlller, and that success in therapy is hinged on the quality of the relationship between the therapist and client. Finally, I talked about the Science Reproducibility Project, and the finding that it is very difficult to replicate research projects. Research needs to improve its process.  Links: http://www.scottdmiller.com http://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/28/science/many-social-science-findings-not-as-strong-as-claimed-study-says.html?ref=us&_r=0 http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2015/08/28/science/psychology-studies-redid.html http://www.beliefnet.com/Faiths/Zoroastrianism/index.aspx Contact me at: info@drneilstafford.com Dr Neil Stafford on Facebook @drseab on Twitter

More About Spirituality in Therapy - Episode 12

In this episode we interview Dr. Michael Redivo. He is the Executive Director of Desert Heights Academy. It is an alternative school specializing in working with beahviorally and emotionally challenged 5 to 22 year olds. It is tough, but rewarding work.  Dr. Redivo talks about their developmental approach which emphasizes the growth of the student. He has developed an innovative model entitled Productive Conflict that shows kids and adults how to manage conflict in a positive way.  Dr. Redivo also discusses his approach to therapy, the influence of his faith on his practice, and his new learning in the world of leadership. He mentions he has been listening to the Entreleadership Podcast found at: https://www.entreleadership.com/posts.podcast He also mentions the book Leaders Eat Last by Simon Sinek. Connect with Dr. Redivo at www.desert-heights.com. Connect with Dr. Stafford at info@drneilstafford.com and Dr Neil Stafford on Facebook. As always be awesome by being you. 

The Psychologist as Leader - Interview with Dr. Michael Redivo - Episode 11

Sometimes engaging in psychological work is heavy. Over the weekend I had a profound encounter with a person seeking an evaluation for disability. We connected, and I was reminded of how much pain is all around. I was interviewed last week for Rhett Smith's podcast. We discussed kids and stress. In this episode I review an article from APA about helping teens with stress.  http://www.rhettsmith.com/2015/08/rhett-smith-podcast-23-the-over-scheduling-of-kids-lives-the-one-activity-per-kid-per-grading-period-and-the-importance-of-cultivating-a-listening-relationship-with-your-kids-early-on-with-p/ http://www.apa.org/helpcenter/stress-talk.aspx Social Anxiety Disorder is more than being shy. Individuals who suffer from this experience such strong anxiety around social situations that it affects their work, their family, and their social life. It is important to know the symptoms to being able to reach out to people who suffer from it, or to know you could benefit from professional help. We are here, and there are very effective treatments.  As a bonus here are four ways to improve your confidence towards public speaking. 1. Learn a relaxation technique you can do in public. 2. Visualize yourself giving the speech successfully. 3. Be prepared so the details aren't what you're worrying about. 4. Practice, take every chance you can get to speak. Contact me at info@drneilstafford.com or on Facebook at Dr Neil Stafford. I would love questions or ideas for future shows. Ask to be a part of the Everything is Psychological discussion group. As always be awesome by being you. 

More Than Just Being Shy - Social Anxiety Disorder - Episode 10

In this episode we discuss depression. We look at the symptoms, possible causes, and ways to address others who may be suffering from it.  First we look at the connection between anxiety and depression and moderate to severe picky eating in children. Check out the article at:  The symptoms of depression are: http://www.cnn.com/2015/08/03/living/young-picky-eaters-more-depression-anxiety-feat/index.html 1. Depressed mood most of the day, almost every day, indicated by your own subjective report or by the report of others. This mood might be characterized by sadness, emptiness, or hopelessness. 2. Markedly diminished interest or pleasure in all or almost all activities most of the day nearly every day. 3. Significant weight loss when not dieting or weight gain. 4. Inability to sleep or oversleeping nearly every day. 5. Psychomotor agitation or retardation nearly every day. 6. Fatigue or loss of energy nearly every day. 7. Feelings of worthlessness or excessive or inappropriate guilt (which may be delusional) nearly every day. 8. Diminished ability to think or concentrate, or indecisiveness, nearly every day. 9. Recurrent thoughts of death (not just fear of dying), recurrent suicidal ideation without a specific plan, or a suicide attempt or a   specific plan for committing suicide.   Find out more about the symptoms at: http://evolutioncounseling.com/major-depressive-disorder-dsm-5-criteria/   Treatment is necessary given that over 8,000,000 people in the US go untreated each year. Find more statistics at http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/01/20/depression-statistics_n_6480412.html.   I plan on starting a new discussion group regarding my podcast topics on Facebook. Look for the Everything is Psychological discussion group. If you'd like to participate message me, tweet me, or send me an email.    I encourage you to connect with me, so that we can dialogue about these topics further at: info@drneilstafford.com Facebook: Dr Neil Stafford Twitter: @drseab

The Devil Hides in the Open - A Discussion of Depression - Episode 9

In this episode we address the question I am asked which is do you do Christian counseling? I do believe that my faith affects how I practice, and I am able to bring faith and theology into counseling. I don't always discuss theology in sessions, but I make it a part of the therapy if the client wants it to be a central theme. We will talk about some approaches psychologists take towards faith and counseling, and we will discuss my process to bringing faith into the session. http://psychology-of-religion.com http://www.apa.org/about/division/div36.aspx http://www.aacc.net I also look at an article in US News and World Report about social media use and mental health in teens. Let me know what you think. http://health.usnews.com/health-news/articles/2015/07/31/too-much-facebook-twitter-tied-to-poor-mental-health-in-teens Connect with me at the following or leave me a review at iTunes: https://www.facebook.com/drneilstafford?ref=aymt_homepage_panel https://twitter.com/drseab info@drneilstafford.com

Do You Do Christian Counseling? - Episode 8

Today we sit down with Dr. Lisa Merrin. She is a school psychologist inthe Phoenix area. She has worked in the field for 20 years providing service to students, supervising new psychologists, and now guiding a new venture in her district. We talk school psychology, the future of the field, training new psychologists, and an exciting new project she's working on. Dr. Merrin notes that school psychologists are challenged with managing copious amounts of special education compliance requirements while they attempt to meet the mental health needs of children. It's a challenging endeavor, and Dr. Merrin is leading in a new direction. 

I'm a School Psychologist - Interview with Dr. Lisa Merrin

This podcast is designed to educate and expand the mind regarding the world of psychology. We learn how psychology inhabits all we do, and can help us improve our lives. The show includes information about Psychology, Self Help, Counseling, Mental Health, Personal Growth, and Professional Growth.

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Everything is Psychological

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