Things I've Tried to Absorb... #1

A semi-regular round up of recent bits and pieces I've learned about that you might find interesting, too.

Greetings. As the title suggests, this is a little newsletter of all the things I have tried to cram into my brain over the past couple of weeks. Some of it links to things I have spoken about on my stories (specifically The Holistic Psychologist), while some of them relate to the work I do (working in Forensic Psychology and mental health) or are just things I found interesting and thought I would share.

You don’t have to listen to or read everything in here. It’s just a handy little resource of shit I have thrown together. Enjoy!

PODCASTS

First up is a podcast from BBC HARDtalk, in which the interviewer speaks to Gwen Adshead, a Forensic Psychiatrist who works in Broadmoor hospital and has written a book about her experiences working with those considered “evil”: The Devil You Know. The interview discusses the idea of working compassionately with individuals who have perpetrated significant violence against others; but expands on what compassion means in the world of forensics (i.e. it’s not just about fluffiness and being nice). It was a really fascinating listen (fascinating in the sense that it is so helpful to hear someone else articulate the reasons why I and my colleagues do what we do).

Then, last week you might have seen me discussing The Holistic Psychologist (if not, you can go and see my Instagram highlights; it’s under “JT & THP”). There were some followers of my IG page who were confused about why I was singling out her work. Some of that is explained in the highlights, but this next podcast expands on that a bit more. It’s not that I think Dr LePera (got her name right this time, it’s not LePerla - that’s an upmarket lingerie brand as some of you informed me - whoops!) is a bad psychologist. She obviously knows what she is talking about. There is just something that feels off about how and why she shares the information she does and this podcast has some insights into what that is.

Some of you might have already listened to the podcast, but if it is new to you give it a listen. I’ve relistened to it and it’s quite eye-opening. Although the podcast does not explicitly talk about The Holistic Psychologist, I think the references made are enough to suggest it is her the hosts are talking about.

NEWS ARTICLES

Following on from that, here is a more explicit article from two years ago which talks about why other therapist who have social media accounts were (and some still are) concerned about The Holistic Psychologist.

This next article is an interesting one: it discusses some of the benefits that have been found in listening to podcasts (which I thought was topical seeing as, you know, I have a podcast…) The article also talks about “parasocial relationships”. I did not know what one of these was, so I googled it and found this very handy article that explains what a parasocial relationship is, the benefits, and some pitfalls. But again, it loops back to some of the things that I have mentioned before about The Holistic Psychologist. But it has also made me reflect on how it’s possible I am perceived by my Instagram followers (and you, good reader) and what I do or don’t do to influence that. I think it would also be interesting for you - as a consumer of social media - to think about how you engage with anyone you follow.

And the final article is about the industrial action set to be taken by NHS nurses on the 20th of December. It highlights the reasons for the strikes, which I think is important to understand. I know that nurses in the mental health field are really struggling, both with the demands of the job (it has been relentless: COVID-19 was brutal, there are recruitment issues which mean that wards are continually understaffed and staff are running on empty) and then struggling to obtain a sufficient living wage in line with the rate of inflation. Just fucking pay them what they deserve!

And that’s it. For now, anyway. Hopefully there is something in there of interest to you. If you liked this, please let me know. Or if any of the podcasts or articles sparked something off that you would like to discuss do come say “Hi!” (although, I am currently on a bit of a social media break until January, so I may or may not see your messages until then).

As always, if you like anything I do you can support me through subscribing to this page (which you likely already have done if you are reading this), following my Instagram page or my podcast, telling your friends how awesome I am, and just generally sharing my content, too. It’s all greatly appreciated.

Until next time, have a great day (if you want to or can. No pressure.)

Nice-ish.