Fostering the business interests and professional development of the psychology community.
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Greetings Colleagues,
As we progress through spring we are increasingly thankful for our members and presenters. Dr. Todd Arnedt put together a fantastic presentation that our attendees rated highly in their satisfaction surveys. We had 23 highly engaged attendees who asked many questions and exchanged ideas/information. As organizers we were also pleased that all back-end operations went off without a hitch. We are also excited to report more activity in the member message boards as of late. As such we are going to be featuring a post from our general board each month in our newsletters.
We wish to thank you for your time and attention to our communications. If you have any comments or questions please email us at admin@washtenawpsychologysociety.com. |
WPS Features | Member Directory
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| This month we wanted to spotlight our membership directory. This feature allows you to search our database for specific members, broadly by location, or keywords relevant to your needs. To access this feature, you will need to log in to your member account and navigate to the membership area. Once in the membership area, you will click the Members drop-down menu, and click the first item Member Directory.
A few notes about using the directory: - Copy and Pasting tends to include extra information and characters. It is recommended to type in all search queries by hand.
- Our search system needs exact spellings to function. It cannot suggest spelling corrections.
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Our system is closed, it only searches within our database, not the open internet.
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Tips For Promoting Wellness And Everyday Mindfulness Procedures
Many people have busy, work oriented lives with few opportunities to wind down. Here are some tips for incorporating rejuvenating breaks in your daily routines.
These procedures can be implemented rather easily. I have found them helpful for people who are driven to succeed and suffering from over-worry and catastrophic thinking (e.g., Generalized Anxiety Disorder and related conditions).
Take breaks from your work activities every hour or two. These can be 10-15 minutes long. They provide opportunities to “reboot and return to your work with a fresh perspective.
For those people who don’t permit themselves full breaks or have appointments scheduled one after another, try brief breaks combined with light exposure (e.g., a short walk outside or even looking out a window) to get in touch with the outside world.
Ideally you should take walks outdoors in an area with natural surroundings—e.g., parks, wooded areas, bodies of water. You should remove headsets to allow all of your senses to be stimulated. The goal is to shut off your busy mind, even for short intervals.
Such breaks provide opportunities to focus on the felt experience of being in the moment. These breaks can be effective even if lasting only a few minutes. I have instructed people to move into a quiet area of their work environment, such as a darkened room or to another area of the building that has a view of the outside.
Many people report remarkable changes in outlook and are surprised to find themselves more focused and productive following these breaks. However, it often requires an initial effort to implement this new orientation, particularly if you are accustomed to marathon work sessions.
Everyday mindfulness practices
These procedures have been described by Ellen Langer in her several books on mindfulness, by Stanley Block in Come to Your Senses, 2006, and by Russ Harris as referenced in www.actmadesimple.com. Their ideas are paraphrased here.
Mindfulness in Your Morning Routine
Pick an activity that is part of your morning routine, such as brushing your teeth, washing your face, or taking a shower. Notice the temperature of the water, its pressure on your skin. and the sound of the water going down the drain. Notice the smell of the soap and shampoo and the feel of them against your skin. Maintain an attitude of openness and curiosity.
Mindfulness of Domestic Chores
Pick an activity such as ironing clothes, washing dishes, or vacuuming to do mindfully. For example, when ironing notice the color and shape of the clothing and the pattern made by the creases. Notice the hiss of the steam, the creak of the ironing board, and the faint sound of the iron moving over the fabric. Notice the grip of your hand on the iron and the movement of your arm and your shoulder.
If feelings of boredom or frustration arise, simply acknowledge them and bring your attention back to the task at hand. Your attention will often wander. As soon as you realize this has happened, note what distracted you, accept it, and return your attention to the activity.
Eating and Drinking
When you take a drink, sense the pressure of your fingers on the cup or bottle. Feel the heat or coolness of the beverage within. Notice the texture of the vessel and how it feels to the touch.
Driving
When driving a familiar route, try not to focus on hindrances such as heavy traffic, delays, and reckless or overly slow drivers. Instead pay attention to the feel of the steering wheel, the motion and vibration of the vehicle, the characteristics of passing cars, and the scenery. Many people report that aggravation and even road rage disappear when they use these practices.
Sitting, Standing, and Walking
Gravity is a constant companion. Feel the pressure on your sitbones while seated and how the chair supports you. Pay attention to the pressure on your feet on the ground as you sit, change position, and walk. These are just a sample of everyday mindfulness techniques. Experiment and discover others on your own.
- Larry Perlman, March 2024 |
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For our next event we continuing the early-bird special. This offer is available until the end of March. Membership grants guests an extra $10 off per credit hour.
If you are a member, make sure you are properly logged in to view the member pricing. A note about membership:
In order to get the full benefits of membership, most applicants will want to join at the Premium rate of $150 for the year. That will provide opportunities to promote your whole practice, including non-psychologist employees or affiliates. If you work in an academic setting, it will cover your whole department. Premium membership also provides discounted tuition to WPS webinars for all of your employees and affiliates.
The Basic Membership level of $75 per year is primarily intended for psychologists who only wish to have access to the General Message Board in order to make queries and post notices or questions. |
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April 12th, 2024 | 12PM - 2PM
Working with Couples: Avoiding the Traps | Jonathan Blair, Ph.D. |
Working with couples can be complicated. However, many therapists unknowingly make couples work much more complicated than it needs to be. While understanding the major theories is essential to engaging in effective couples work, where therapists struggle the most is not knowing how to identify and navigate common couples therapy traps. Working with Couples: Avoiding the Traps will help you get unstuck in your work with couples by helping you identify, avoid, and successfully navigate some of the most common couples therapy traps that frustrate couples and therapists alike.
This event registration is now open. Early bird pricing expires in April, 2024. |
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| Jonathan Blair, Ph.D. | Clinical Psychologist
Dr. Jonathan Blair is a licensed clinical psychologist specializing in couples therapy. He received his doctorate from Clark University in Worcester, MA, and currently lives and practices in East Lansing, MI. In addition to his direct clinical work, Dr. Blair is passionate about educating both couples and providers on how to build and maintain healthy relationships, as well as how to repair relationships that have been damaged. He is Senior Staff Psychologist at the Mary A. Rackham Institute and adjunct faculty in the Michigan State University Psychology Department where he provides clinical supervision and training to psychology and social work interns and fellows. He also regularly provides consultation and training in couples therapy to several large group practices throughout the state. Dr. Blair's mission is to help couples be better, together.
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We are exploring presenters and topics to fill out our webinar calendar through the end of 2024. If you are a member of WPS and interested in presenting a topic to our community feel free to reach out to events@washtenawpsychologysociety.com. Upcoming Events: Subpoenas & Court Testimony: Ethical & Legal Issues for Non-Forensic Clinicians – Carol Holden, Ph.D. | May 10th
Best Practices and Security for Seniors – Bruno Giordani, Ph.D. | June 21st Neurodiversity – Carol Persad, Ph.D. Executive Function – Geraldine Markel, Ph.D. Pain Management of GI Disorders – Christina Jagielski, Ph.D. | Fall 2024 |
Supporting Members: Geraldine Markel, Ph.D., Todd Favorite, Ph.D., Allan Newman. Washtenaw Psychology Society is made possible by our donors and sponsors. If you would like to join our esteemed list of donors, visit our website www.washtenawpsychologysociety.com/donate |
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Professional Photographic Services
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Stefan Petrmichl of Ashtewan.com
is a Southeast Michigan photographer who specializes in capturing authentic moments and emotion. He is offering professional headshots, event photography, family photography and more. He is highly resourceful and eager to deliver high-quality images. Click the button below to learn more or contact Stefan. |
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WPS is excited to offer promotion opportunities to local businesses! Placement will be included in official WPS communications, as well as our homepage, the bulletin board, and our ads page.
To submit an ad simply navigate to our Advertising page and search for the "submit an ad!" link.
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