Reformulation

Hi everybody, thanks for your patience over this last month and a half. I wanted to give you an update on my mindset and what I'm up to right now.

It's funny how things change, and where interests move to in the seasons of life. I had a momentary gust of political interest over the fall, and even thought that I would provide a daily broadcast on political summaries. And then all of the sudden, my interest in daily politics vanished; I had almost no motivation to comment on the to and fro of the political pendulum.

My interests now are pointed toward what I see as the imminent downfall, or potentially what has already been a dissolution of the profession of psychoanalysis and the allied mental health professions. Take a look at the cover image of this post. I received this latest issue of Psychology Today in my office when I entered this morning. The image and the contextualizing words are a billboard for pathological narcissism. The modern patient has no pathology, only quirks, which can be transformed into superpowers. The funky clothing, vivid colors, and smirking expression of the actress demonstrate the message: you are amazing in every way. Only, if that is true, what the hell is the point of real therapy? Increasingly, the only purpose of therapy is for a "provider" to adorn you with adoration for your foibles, and for euphemistic rephrasing of serious pathology that causes a wake of destruction in the lives of many. If we cannot embrace our own pathologies for what they are, and demand that untrained gimmick-peddlers reinforce our sensitivities, then the profession is all but lost.

I have formulated my career to return to forensic psychology recently, and I'm only seeing a handful of very select clinical patients as time goes forward. There are lots of reasons for this, and I would like to discuss some of them on the podcast with some esteemed guests. The field of Psychology represents many of the tectonic shifts in American culture. At this point, I do not believe that a clinical practice is viable for the therapist the same way that it used to be. This of course deserves a tremendous amount of detailed discussion, and I am going to record a multipart series with five different guests over the next month and will release as I record them. Following this series, a group discussion might be an order if it would add additional value.

My first guest in this lineup is a fan favorite, Richard Kradin, M.D. Following guests will be Mark McDonald M.D., Don Carveth Ph.D., Jaco Van Zyle, Todd Hayen, Ph.D., and possibly Dr. Jon Mills, if scheduling permits. Each of these scholars and professionals can weigh in profoundly on the matter of practice and culture.

Stay tuned. I hope you have all been well.

Dr. Klein