Nick Clark

Here's a link to the article - very fascinating, especially the prenatal influence on brain development and function: http://psychcentral.com/news/2013/03/04/mouse-study-suggests-right-environmental-factors-may-induce-schizophrenia/52202.html

Hey Nate! I'm glad you responded. I've heard you phone in to FDR a number of times, and have a great deal of respect and admiration for you. I would be very happy to chat with you (maybe on Skype?) or email (or here, I suppose) about your interest in pursuing a career in psychology. I just obtained my Master's degree in Mental Health Counseling in 2011, and am currently working on my LPC (Licensed Professional Counseler) license, which takes two years. It's a cartel, of course, but there's really no other way to practice without fear of fines/jail via the state. There are a number of things to consider, and I could elaborate quite a bit and answer questions you have. Just let me know what you would like to do. Ever since I embraced Voluntaryism (about a year ago), I've been trying to find ways to use my expertise to help people in the FDR/Voluntaryist community, and I figured this would be an easy start. Cheers, -Nick

Thanks, James - much appreciated!

I was listening to the show from Sunday, and wanted to speak with you about your question about how to pursue a career in psychology. I am a mental health counselor and could add to the (very good) advice provided by Daniel Mackler, if you're interested. Cheers! -Nick

For anyone interested in the studies I was referring to in the podcast (January 27th, 2013) regarding spanking bans in Europe, here they are: http://www.endcorporalpunishment.org/pages/research/prohibited.html

We'd all love to see Stef's equipment :O Wait...what? Whoa! Seriously, though, I don't know how this one compares with Stef's microphone, but I have had my eye on this one for a while: http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/YetiPro?utm_source=Google&utm_medium=PPC&utm_campaign=none&gclid=CNzDmPbYg7UCFZGPPAodhkYAxQ also, see here: http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-20083651-93/best-usb-microphones-for-high-quality-skype-audio/ I have thought about starting my own podcast (still working on how to structure/frame it though) but have long admired the quality of Stef's audio, which goes a LONG way in establishing FDR's popularity. Of course, the content of FDR is the most important thing, but can you imagine if it was done on crappy, hard-to-hear-and-understand audio equipment? I think it would be a different proposition altogether.

Thanks for the kind words, Max! Please feel free to use my post, though I would appreciate my name being excluded, as you mentioned. What are your thoughts about applying/not applying cultural sensitivity in the clinical setting?

Hi Max! I am a mental health counselor, too, and recall having similar thoughts about my Multiculturalism in Counseling course (I just graduated a little over a year ago). There is a substantial degree of validity to considering culture when conducting therapy, especially when you consider that many clients will prematurely terminate the therapeutic relationship due to cultural insensitivity. My understanding is that this is especially true of African American clients seeing a White counselor. The way that I approach this issue is actually somewhat influenced by Austrian economics. Obtaining therapy is essentially no different than deciding which shoes you will buy - one makes this purchase based on their subjective desires. Keeping the same therapist over time, sometimes, may be undesirable for a client who experiences microaggressions from their counselor, or simple cultural insensitivity. It's also not all that different from using systematic desensitization for a client with agoraphobia - it must be done very gradually; at the client's pace. When counseling the culturally diverse/different, if they desire to make behavior change that clashes with their family of origin or culture of origin, then the counselor should probably take the pace the client wishes to - "meeting them where they are," as it were. It's all about working with the client's values, provided you feel that you can. For example, I will not work (ultimately) with a client who values using violence against others (excluding support of the state, of course - there would be almost no clients). Now, having said that, I have a number of criticisms of the multicultural perspective. The first of which is the seeming emphasis on complete cultural/moral relativism. Stef has done an excellent job, time and time again, of demolishing the philosophy of moral relativism. Also, they tend to minimize the importance of the individual, which is a serious error, and can actually lead to cultural/racial microaggressions as well. The bottom line, is that it is important to be aware of cultural considerations, to respect them within one's values, and to orient therapy towards what the client wants; consistent with the behavior change they desire. Of course, it's also very important to be aware of your own cultural biases - and we all have them - just as much as it is to be aware of your individual biases - we all have them. Being aware of these and attempting to eliminate them are two completely different things. As for your speaking style, I thought it was pretty good. It is difficult to avoid saying "um," or "uh," (I am guilty of this, too), but watching yourself on video can help you work to reduce these words, which detract from speaking efficiency and efficacy. I have found that supplanting "um" and "uh" with "and" or "so" helps me. These words tend to keep the audience engaged versus "uh" and "um" which tend to cue the listener to disconnect their attention until the next thought comes around. Thanks for posting! -Nick

Then why does therapy (external stimuli in the form of language, the most integral component of culture) alter brain mass and function in individiduals with an OCD diagnosis? This is but one example of epigenetics: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18718575?ordinalpos=9&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_DefaultReportPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum and another: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/01/110121144007.htm

They certainly do. They were always ahead of their time, and continued to evolve and experiment all along the way. As for Modest Mouse, I am still a huge fan of Lonesome Crowded West and Building Nothing out of Something. Doin' the Cockroach, Heart Cooks Brain, and Teeth Like God's Shoeshine still regularly make it into my rotation. I stopped listening to their new stuff after The Moon and Antarctica, which was also a quality record.

Fugazi is probably my favorite band of all time, though that is not easy to settle on. I started listening to them way back at age 14 (in 1992), so you'll have to forgive some of their more leftist lyrics (some brilliant, others not as much.) For FDR listeners, I thought you might appreciate the topic of this song, "Stacks." The lyrics are all about language and its illusory effects. My favorite line from this song is "America's just a word, but I use it." This was always one of my favorite songs of theirs, but I can appreciate it even more these days. Have a listen: