Atypical jobs in psychology: Interview of Dr. Donna Rasin-Waters.

This article provides an overview of Dr. Donna Rasin-Waters' career path and experiences providing telehealth at the Brooklyn Campus of the Veterans Affairs New York Harbor Healthcare Systems. Dr. Rasin-Waters, a psychologist and neuropsychologist with a specialty in geropsychology, began working toward the provision of evidence-based therapy via telehealth for Veterans in 2010. She believed that, in addition to rural communities, telehealth held utility for Veterans in densely populated areas, particularly for elderly adults with limited means for transportation. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, Dr. Rasin-Waters has seen a rapid boom in the use of telehealth for a variety of clinical activities with Veterans. This has further brought to light promising implications for the provision of remote mental health services, as well as important telehealth training and cultural considerations for clinicians. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Case Mis-Conceptualization in Psychological Treatment: An Enduring Clinical Problem.

Case conceptualization, an integral component of mental health treatment, aims to facilitate therapeutic gains by formulating a clear picture of a client's psychological presentation. However, despite numerous attempts to improve this clinical activity, it remains unclear how well existing methods achieve their purported purpose. Case formulation is inconsistently defined in the literature and implemented in practice, with many methods varying in complexity, theoretical grounding, and empirical support. In addition, many of the methods demand a precise clinical acumen that is easily influenced by judgmental and inferential errors. These errors occur regardless of clinicians' level of training or amount of clinical experience. Overall, the lack of a consensus definition, a diversity of methods, and susceptibility of clinicians to errors are manifestations of the state of crisis in case conceptualization. This article, the 2nd in a series of 5 on thematic mapping, argues the need for more reliable and valid models of case conceptualization.

A Case Conceptualization Using Thematic Mapping.

This article, the last in a series of 5, presents a detailed case summary in which thematic mapping, a novel method of case conceptualization, was used to conceptualize an adult struggling with chronic depression. The case illustrates the process and therapeutic outcomes that resulted from the therapist's use of the 3-stage thematic mapping model: theme identification, theme interpretation, and theme intervention. The article also demonstrates how the case formulation guided the therapist in selecting therapeutic techniques that matched to the client's goals, needs, and interpersonal style. Overall, this article aims to demonstrate how thematic mapping utilizes transtheoretical and transdiagnostic approaches to create a case formulation that is client-centered, process-oriented, and useful across a broad spectrum of training.

The Process of Thematic Mapping in Case Conceptualization.

This article, the 4th in a series of 5, introduces the 3-stage process of thematic mapping: theme identification, theme interpretation, and theme intervention. Theme identification is based on inductive reasoning, in which clinicians seek to discover and describe behavioral patterns in emotionally charged episodes. Theme interpretation subsequently initiates a process of deductive reasoning, wherein clinicians distill the generalized pattern into dominant and subthemes. Each theme is then labeled with a compelling metaphor that is representative of the theme interpretation. In the 3rd stage, theme intervention, clinicians seek to change the dysfunctional dominant and subthemes through collaboration with the clients. The process unfolds within 5 overarching parameters: a focus on comprehensiveness, simplification, maximal objectivity/impartial subjectivity, observation and inference, and an idiographic approach. Alternative models of case formulation are offered in comparison to thematic mapping.

The Conceptual Framework of Thematic Mapping in Case Conceptualization.

This article, the 3rd in a series of 5, introduces the conceptual framework for thematic mapping, a novel approach to case conceptualization. The framework is transtheoretical in that it is not constrained by the tenets or concepts of any one therapeutic orientation and transdiagnostic in that it conceptualizes clients outside the constraints of diagnostic criteria. Thematic mapping comprises 4 components: a definition, foundational principles, defining features, and core concepts. These components of the framework, deemed building blocks, are explained in this article. Like the foundation of any structure, the heuristic value of the method requires that the building blocks have integrity, coherence, and sound anchoring. We assert that the conceptual framework provides a solid foundation, making thematic mapping a potential asset in mental health treatment.

Thematic Mapping in Case Conceptualization: An Introduction to the Special Section.

Case conceptualization is an essential clinical activity in which clinicians, in one form or another, gather and synthesize data about their clients in order to formulate clinical pictures and maximize therapeutic gains. However, a myriad of methods of case conceptualization that vary in complexity and theoretical bases currently reflects an almost complete lack of standardization in this most fundamental activity of mental health treatment. The lack of standardization in case conceptualization is especially daunting to trainees and clinicians who are early in their careers. This special section, comprising 5 articles, introduces thematic mapping, a transtheoretical and transdiagnostic method of case conceptualization. The method aims to overcome or minimize many of the problems inherent in current practice. In this first article, we provide a rationale for the special section and lay the groundwork for the subsequent four articles. Overall, we assert that thematic mapping holds promise as a systematic method of case conceptualization.

Stand-Biased Versus Seated Classrooms and Childhood Obesity: A Randomized Experiment in Texas.

OBJECTIVES: To measure changes in body mass index (BMI) percentiles among third- and fourth-grade students in stand-biased classrooms and traditional seated classrooms in 3 Texas elementary schools. METHODS: Research staff recorded the height and weight of 380 students in 24 classrooms across the 3 schools at the beginning (2011-2012) and end (2012-2013) of the 2-year study. RESULTS: After adjustment for grade, race/ethnicity, and gender, there was a statistically significant decrease in BMI percentile in the group that used stand-biased desks for 2 consecutive years relative to the group that used standard desks during both years. Mean BMI increased by 0.1 and 0.4 kilograms per meter squared in the treatment and control groups, respectively. The between-group difference in BMI percentile change was 5.24 (SE = 2.50; P = .037). No other covariates had a statistically significant impact on BMI percentile changes. CONCLUSIONS: Changing a classroom to a stand-biased environment had a significant effect on students' BMI percentile, indicating the need to redesign traditional classroom environments.

The evaluation of the impact of a stand-biased desk on energy expenditure and physical activity for elementary school students.

Due to the increasing prevalence of childhood obesity, the association between classroom furniture and energy expenditure as well as physical activity was examined using a standing-desk intervention in three central-Texas elementary schools. Of the 480 students in the 24 classrooms randomly assigned to either a seated or stand-biased desk equipped classroom, 374 agreed to participate in a week-long data collection during the fall and spring semesters. Each participant's data was collected using Sensewear® armbands and was comprised of measures of energy expenditure (EE) and step count. A hierarchical linear mixed effects model showed that children in seated desk classrooms had significantly lower (EE) and fewer steps during the standardized lecture time than children in stand-biased classrooms after adjusting for grade, race, and gender. The use of a standing desk showed a significant higher mean energy expenditure by 0.16 kcal/min (p < 0.0001) in the fall semester, and a higher EE by 0.08 kcal/min (p = 0.0092) in the spring semester.