May Updates from Vered
Spring Season
Want to sign up for an upcoming free continuing education class?
Check out the full list of offerings at the link below!
I haven’t figured out the summer schedule yet, but will send out an email when it’s ready!
10+ years of dismantling the Just World hypothesis must have taught me something
Building a Practice on Sand
Note: As a person who gets into fights at networking events,1 I have no idea who is offering these services, what they’re offering, etc. I have rolled out of the loop like a fat cat emerging from a too-small doorframe and have no idea what’s up. This article just provides some behind-the-scenes context for my own decisions.
Being a therapist is hard and isolating! We aren’t taught everything we need to know to do effective work with our patients.
My free CEUs are designed to address some of those gaps.
Right now, I don’t have energy to do more than my moss-growing Japanese garden2 of a body will allow (see last month’s newsletter).
Still, I’m always interested in knowing what kind of support y’all need.
One of the most frequently-requested topics is practice-building.
There’s a simple reason I don’t plan on offering practice-building support anytime soon:
I don’t know if it’s possible to build a practice right now.
I don’t mean that is is mathematically impossible (and I’m sure a few people will).
Given the current state of things, it’s likely that you can do everything right and still fail.
It feels wrong for me (personally) to accept money (personally) to provide a service (personally) that has a high likelihood of failure (globally).
I feel like if I were to offer practice-building support, I would be feeding into the just-world hypothesis (e.g. good things happen to good people, bad things happen, etc…basically all the stuff you hear from people who don’t want to pay their taxes).3
Determination, effort, and skill cannot fix systems that are falling apart.
I am not even sure what to give as an example. Probably whatever you were reading before this. Yeah, so that is why.
The Just World Hypothesis4 describes the idea that your character, effort, or choices can fully determine an outcome.
The heartbreaking paper linked below states:
“[Belief in a just world] enables individuals to maintain their faith in the stability of the world and face the future with confidence and a sense of coherence.”
This belief seems to be an innate coping skill, which means it’s even more likely to come out in times of stress.
If I fail at something important during a stressful time, what am I more likely to use? A new skill that takes conscious effort (self-compassion), or a basic coping method innate to humankind (blaming myself)?
I cannot, in good faith, contribute to something that is likely going to cause more pain.
I’ve stated this opinion a few times in my CEUs before. I decided to write a newsletter about it because I want to share something directly with anyone who reads this:
If you are trying your best and still failing, it’s not your fault.
If you feel like you can’t try your best because everything’s on fire and where do I even have the time, it’s not your fault.
If you feel like if you just pushed a little bit harder and did a few extra things then it would work out, it’s not your fault.
What do I suggest instead of practice-building? Therapy and community!
I provide Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT), which is a trauma therapy that focuses on beliefs like the Just World Hypothesis. I love CPT. If you’re overwhelmed, it might be helpful to find a therapist who offers CPT.
I also offer an ongoing consultation group for therapists! This is a place where we can look at each other and scream. Or y’know, talk. After the screaming.
I have the group structured in a way that supports my disabilities, so you can read more to see if it would be a good fit for you.
Therapist Volunteer Project
Help families released from detention
Spanish Speakers Needed!
The (creatively named) Therapist Volunteer Project has launched!
We’re matching therapists with clients of legal aid organizations, who have recently been released from ICE detention facilities.
We’re hearing from our partner organizations that there’s an increased need for therapists who speak Spanish.
If you or someone you know is interested in volunteering, read more about the program and sign up here:
CEU Spotlight
Burnout
The reason “monthly” updates are so close together? I wanted to get this newsletter out before the Burnout class.
Learn my favorite smoothie recipes (banana + bile + revenge), my favorite yoga pose (sleep), and other burnout-related topics we’ve come to expect!
If someone you know would benefit from any of the free CEUs, please share!
Showing Some Love
Museums
This month’s highlight is…the concept of museums.
Yes, I am too tired to pick a specific one, but I genuinely really like museums.
It belongs in a museum!
Let’s address some of the issues with museums: the provenance of items is often “stolen,”5 and the curators are frequently the type of people to gladly whitewash the name of criminals.6 That being said, the concept of museums is cool!
I love watching YouTube videos from museums. They often have historians talking about their favorite items. You can check out this video on a fully sequined outfit for running errands (???) and this video on spectacular art.
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Monthly Hater’s Corner
Sources Regarding My Ire
a.k.a. please don’t sue me
1 If someone says something exceptionally terrible (like making a generalization about everyone who lives on an entire continent), I do not think you should make that person feel welcome. After multiple Austin events where individuals acted egregiously and the group made me the problem for not dropping it or “agreeing to disagree” - I decided to hell with this. (Coincidentally, I talk about one of these events in my Burnout CEU to illustrate a different issue)
2 One of my parasocial beefs is with the concept of French gardens. What, you’re afraid of a shrub? You gotta cut it every day or else your mastery of nature slips? What’s it going to do - photosynthesize above its station? I love the design and process of Japanese gardens (link to a neat interview with an arborist). The planning and care processes feel similarly meticulous, but work with nature, not against it.
3 a.k.a. THE GRINDSET. Step one: no microwaves. Step two: organ damage. Step three: damage to the systems that alert you to organ damage. There is no step four.
4 This study (linked at bottom) is a heartbreaking example of the Just World Hypothesis applied to recent tragedies. (cw: title is Victims of —removed— Died Twice)
5 See: The British Museum
6 I had to stop watching The First Monday in May because of the unfettered racism. Self-loathing is not the same as humility, Andrew! (Bonus: spot a Murdoch and the Sackler Wing!)
Until next time,
Vered