Psychological News You Can Use - September 2005

With this issue, PPA becomes the first state psychological association to publish an electronic newsletter written specifically for the public. Each issue will include press releases, timely articles, mental health announcements, helpful links, and updates on legislative issues that may affect your psychological care. We hope you find each issue helpful and interesting. Please feel free to send a copy to any friend or colleague who might be interested.

For a Healthy Mind and Body, Talk to a Psychologist. This is the theme of the new public education initiative just released by the American Psychological Association. The new campaign highlights the connection between mind and body, between physical and mental health. It addresses wellness, prevention, and disease management, and describes how psychologists are uniquely qualified to deliver this message.

Need a speaker for your church group, civic club or business networking organization? Psychologists in your community are available to give presentations on mind/body health, at no charge. Formats vary, and include slide presentations, brochures and interactive discussion. To arrange for a psychologist to speak to your group about a healthy mind and body, contact the Pennsylvania Psychological Association (PPA) at 717- 232-3817, or email Marti Evans

If you are a psychologist, learn more about the public education campaign and order the Mind/Body Health Tool Kit from the APA Practice Directorate at You must be a member of APA to receive the Public Education Toolkits. However, you can supervise or tutor non-members in the use of campaign materials. If you aren’t a member of APA and qualify for membership, this would be an ideal time to join.

There are days when your body talks back to you. Everything hurts – your back, your head, your neck . . . everywhere. Your energy is drained. You can’t think clearly, can’t sleep well, and either eat too much or too little. When this pattern goes on for weeks or months, you should consult your physician to rule out medical causes.

But don’t be surprised if medical tests don’t find anything. While the symptoms described above may sometimes indicate physical illness, most of the time they reflect depression – even though you may not feel sad, and even though you are able to work and maintain your family life.

Depressed people smoke and drink more, lose more time from work, and have more problems in relationships. They are also at greater risk for heart problems, pain, and hypertension.

Rates of depression have been rising sharply for decades. Depression affects 1 in 5 women and 1 in 10 men. It is highly prevalent among adolescents, and affects younger children as well. Yet the majority (80%) of depressed people go untreated – either because they don’t realize they are depressed, or because they don’t think that treatment will help.

From volumes of research, we know that depression CAN be treated, often without drugs. Studies show that one of the most effective ways to combat depression is to change the way you think. A psychologist can help you gain new perspectives on your problems and yourself, and can teach you new coping skills. This approach not only improves your moods, thoughts and physical wellbeing; it can also change your brain chemistry, even without medication.

October 6 is National Depression Screening Day. At over 10,000 locations throughout the U.S., mental health professionals will be conducting free, personal and confidential screening for depression. Take advantage of this opportunity to find out if you are depressed, and how to get help. No appointment necessary – just show up. It takes just a few minutes. And it may be the most important thing you do this year. For a depression screening location near you, visit www.mentalhealthscreening.org.

Vincent J. Morello, Ph.D., is a psychologist with the Caron Foundation.

October 6 is National Depression Screening Day. At over 10,000 locations throughout the U.S., mental health professionals will be conducting free, personal and confidential screening for depression. Take advantage of this opportunity to find out if you are depressed, and how to get help. No appointment necessary – just show up. It takes just a few minutes. And it may be the most important thing you do this year. For a depression screening location near you, visit Depression Screening.

Effective communication is one of the most valuable tools in the workplace. It is particularly important to have basic goals and messages clearly understood, questioned, and hopefully adopted. In this competitive and tight economic climate, effective communication is essential for all levels of employees so they can focus their energies in the right direction.

According to a study conducted by the consulting firm Gatto Associates, LLC, a Pittsburgh-based consulting firm, 1,700 managers were assessed, and 95% of low-performing executives are unable to communicate effectively. The study found that for technical work skills, high- and low-performers were similar, but that there was a critical difference in communication skills, the latter being the number one correlate to success as a leader. The study noted that while executives are hired for their technical skills, when they are fired, it is almost always because they were unable to communicate.

We as psychologists can be of great help in training business people to effectively communicate ideas. We need to help our clients and ourselves by continuing to learn to listen, challenge ideas appropriately, and collaborate through an effective communication process. Some suggestions for what we can teach are the same as for any good relationship, and some are unique to the business world.

Business psychologist Debra Conden provides strategies, as reported by Galea (2003):

Focus on listening. Use comments like, “I’m wondering where you are on this issue,” so that the other person knows you are paying attention to his thoughts or expertise. In turn, he will be more open to hearing what you have to say.

Ask for clarification. Making sure you have heard the other person correctly goes a long way towards keeping communication clear.

Be brief. Deliver your message in as few words as possible.

Don’t repeat yourself. Even if you don’t get an acknowledgement that someone agrees, don’t try to drive your point home by repeating it in different ways.

Periodically ask, “Am I making sense?” Asking for feedback as you speak lets others know that you are more interested in their opinion than in being right.

In researching workplace behaviors, we found that the development of a client’s workplace communication skills is essential for success. One that we will focus on is from Robert K. Greenleaf, who developed the idea of Servant Leadership while an executive at AT&T. The key to this approach lies in successful communication.

In our research we found many studies on workplace behaviors that communication is significantly correlated as a behavior with leadership. So let’s follow the ideas of an executive with a proven track record to give advice on how to work with clients with communication issues. The beauty of Greenleaf’s approach to the workplace is that it can also be utilized in the home. As you read it you will think about humanistic psychologists such as Maslow, Rogers and May, and you may reflect on how you teach (didactic approach) in your counseling sessions with clients, and how to help them with bibliotherapy and homework between sessions. Following Greenleaf’s approach actually teaches that doing the right things, no matter the course of study, seems to lead to the same places.

In his works, Greenleaf discusses the need for a better approach to leadership, one that puts serving others – including employees, customers, and community – as the number one priority. Servant-leadership emphasizes increased service to others, a holistic approach to work, promoting a sense of community, the sharing of power in decision-making, and most importantly effective communication and relationship-building. Greenleaf’s approach is a stark contrast to the behaviors of some business leaders currently in headlines – leaders who lack integrity.

Characteristics of the Servant-Leader

1. Listening. Coupled with regular periods of reflection, listening is essential to the growth of people: listen to understand what is said and how the person feels, and focus on follow-up action.

2. Empathy. One assumes the good intentions of coworkers and does not reject them as people, even if one finds it necessary to refuse to accept their behavior or performance. (Carl Rogers would be proud of this behavior.)

3. Healing. One of the great strengths of people is the potential for healing oneself and others. Many people have broken spirits and have suffered from a variety of emotional hurts. In today’s world resilience is very important.

4. Awareness. General awareness, and especially self-awareness, strengthens one’s understanding of issues involving ethics and values. We can communicate this through actions as well as words.

5. Persuasion. Rather than positional authority in making decisions within an organization effective communicators influence getting buy-in and acceptance, and adopting followers.

6. Conceptualization. People seek to nurture their abilities to "dream great dreams." The ability to look at a problem (or an organization) from a conceptualizing perspective means that one must think beyond day-to-day realities, be able to dream, and be capable of converting those ideas into reality. Being able to articulate those thoughts to others can be motivational to help others to dream great thoughts.

7. Foresight. This characteristic enables people to understand lessons from the past, realities of the present, and the likely consequence of a decision for the future. Having people express those ideas may make them vulnerable but will also make them stronger.

8. Stewardship. Greenleaf 's idea was for executives, managers, and employees to hold their businesses in trust for the greater good of society. This is reminiscent of the American Indian thought that we do not own the land; we received it from our forefathers to preserve it for our grandchildren.

9. Commitment to the growth of people. We need to help our clients believe that people have an intrinsic value beyond their tangible contributions as workers. The communication of growth and development can take place through the communication of the actions.

10. Building community. This awareness causes people to think beyond themselves and business to a larger good.

Greenleaf’s ten characteristics can help your clients become more effective communicators as well as give them an approach to being a workplace leader. By working through these ten characteristics your clients can increase their communication awareness and skills.

References

Galea, C. (2003, February). Communication Strategies. Sales and Marketing Management, 67.
Gatto, R. (2000). Developing the profiling of U.S. management based on the MBTI and other assessments. GTA Press.
Greenleaf, R.K. (1970). The Servant as Leader. Unpublished manuscript.
Spears, L.C. (2004, fall). Leader to Leader Magazine.

Do you typically feel stressed out at work? It’s not surprising. Work is most often cited as the primary stressor in people’s life. And it can lead to major problems:

• It is estimated that over one-half of all physical illnesses are stress related.
• Stress can lead to high blood pressure, heart attacks, strokes, increased susceptibility to colds, and prolonged healing from wounds.
• Stress can impair short-term memory and decision making, both of which can undermine work performance.

You may not be able to change your job, but you can reduce your stress at work. Here are some tips:

1. Use your support system. Don’t be afraid to ask for help, or to talk with friends, coworkers, and family members about your stressful situation. Their input, reassurance and caring can support you through stressful times.

2. Know when to let go. If you’ve already done all you can, or if the situation is beyond your control, don’t spend any more time worrying about it. Remind yourself that worrying won’t change anything and may make things worse.

3. Change your point of view. Instead of just imagining the worst outcome, also imagine the best outcome, and the most realistic outcome. This will help put things in perspective. Also, ask yourself “If the worst happens, will I live through it? Will it matter next month or next year?” Even if the worst outcome happens, it’s often not as bad as we imagine.

4. Don’t be too hard on yourself. If you didn’t perform as well as expected, don’t beat yourself up. Instead, figure out what you learned from the situation and apply it next time you face a similar situation.

5. Use your sense of humor. The old adage “laughter is the best medicine” may have some truth to it. Research shows that the use of humor can help reduce tension and protect against negative emotions. Use your imagination to find something ironic or absurd about the stressful situation.

You may already be using some of the above stress-reducing techniques. This is a good time to practice something new. The more tools you have for managing stress, the better prepared you’ll be. Less stress not only promotes physical health, but it also improves work performance. In this case, less truly does lead to more.

The Pennsylvania Psychological Association is helping parents, teachers, doctors, mental health workers, members of the media and the public locate resources on handling the trauma of Hurricane Katrina.

The following articles are listed on the American Psychological Association's Help Center

• Resilience: After Hurricane Katrina
• Managing Traumatic Stress: Dealing with Hurricane Katrina From Afar
• Managing Traumatic Stress: Hurricane Katrina and Children
• Spanish versions of the above three articles
• Tips for Teens: Building Resilience After Hurricane Katrina

Psychologists are available throughout Pennsylvania to present free programs on Resilience, Traumatic Stress or Mind/Body Health. Contact Marti Evans at PPA or call 717-232-3817 for the names of psychologists who are willing to help. 

More than 20 handouts for providers and survivors of traumatic disasters are available at the National Center for PTSD. These handouts include a 47 page Psychological First Aid Manual for first responders.

Psychologists and other Mental Health Professionals looking for information on Red Cross trainings or who want to be involved locally or with Katrina survivors in the South can can contact Simone Gorko, our contact with the Disaster Response Network (DRN).