The Honest Psychologist

Dr. Whitney Graff and Dr. Paige Hover

Welcome to The Honest Psychologist podcast, where two licensed clinical psychologists have joined the chat. honestpsychpod.substack.com

  1. Is "brain-based therapy" helping...or distracting?

    MAR 19

    Is "brain-based therapy" helping...or distracting?

    In this episode, the docs are excited to welcome Dr. Elliott Conklin to unpack a growing trend in mental health: everything getting rebranded as “brain-based.” From polyvagal theory to neuroscience-laced explanations, mental health has become obsessed with the nervous system. But is any of this actually improving care? We dig into what’s driving this shift, where it goes off track, and what gets lost when we focus on mechanisms instead of meaning. We also come back to a simpler question: what actually helps people change? This is a conversation about cutting through the noise, trusting the fundamentals, and returning to the deeper traditions that have guided therapy long before it needed a neural stamp of approval. Elliott Conklin is the CEO of the Kingsbury Wellness & Learning Group, a nonprofit clinical psychology organization located in Silver Spring, MD. He co-founded Kingsbury with his wife and fellow psychologist, Lauren Siegel, to explore new ways to make high quality psychological services affordable for everyone. Dr. Conklin works with adolescents and adults navigating a range of life’s challenges, including periods of anxiety and depression, major transitions, parenting struggles, and burnout. He has a particular interest in men’s psychology and the unique ways men experience and resist psychological suffering. Dr. Conklin writes frequently about what makes psychotherapy effective. Lately he’s been asking uncomfortable questions about some of the new waves of therapy sweeping the profession, and whether they are offering anything useful. Mentioned in this episode: Dr. Conklin’s DC-based practice, The Kingsbury Wellness & Learning Group: https://kingsburywellness.org/team/elliot-l-conklin/ How and Why Some Therapists are Better than Others by Louis Castonguay & Clara Hill Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit honestpsychpod.substack.com/subscribe

    55 min
  2. MAR 11

    How accurate is mental health TikTok? With Dr. Mara Whiteside

    This week the docs are excited to welcome Dr. Mara Whiteside. She is a board-certified pediatric neuropsychologist who recently made a strong impression at the American Psychological Association conference along with two colleagues presenting insights on mental health-related social media content. Did you know that almost three quarters of the top #autism videos on TikTok displayed information that was either inaccurate or represented an overgeneralization of common behaviors? Of the top #trauma videos, only 10% were created by healthcare providers. And over half of the most-viewed #ADHD videos were classified as “misleading.” We talk about what we’re seeing in clinical practice, the factors that exacerbate these trends, the upsides of mental health on social media, how this presentation was received by fellow psychologists, and more. Mara Whiteside Ph.D., ABPdN, NCSP is a board-certified pediatric neuropsychologist with the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. She is a clinical attending associate professor of pediatrics and provides service at Arkansas Children’s Hospital. Her primary clinical work is with children with medical complications, and she specializes in assessment of neurocognitive late effects of childhood cancer. Dr. Whiteside also has a private practice, Northwest Arkansas Neuropsychology, and currently provides self-referred neuropsychological evaluations at PsychologyWorks in Bentonville, AR. She uses her background in school psychology to help parents and families understand their child’s strengths and weaknesses while navigating the educational system. Mentioned in this episode: Deadly by Design from the Center for Countering Digital Hate: https://counterhate.com/research/deadly-by-design/ Dr. Whiteside’s website: www.readlikeapsychologist.com You can actually view a version of Dr. Whiteside’s presentation here: This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit honestpsychpod.substack.com/subscribe

    1h 5m

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Welcome to The Honest Psychologist podcast, where two licensed clinical psychologists have joined the chat. honestpsychpod.substack.com

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