GAVIN RICHARDSON

PSYCHOLOGY 1A FINAL PROJECT

For this assignment I had to interview a professional who worked with some type of psychiatry. I interviewed the mother of some children I tutor, and it gave me an interesting insight into how they had been raised, and how that affects their behavior today. I liked having the opportunity to ask questions that I had been accumulating in the Psychology class, and how they applied in life. 

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Gavin Richardson

Dr. Joanie Farley Gillispie

Psychology 1A

22 May 2017

Consultation with a Professional

1. What is your name?

My name is Frankie Bashan.

2) What do you do for a living, including any part time jobs or special commitments?

    I am a self employed adult and adolescent clinical psychologist . I have an office in Lake Merritt where I meet with clients. Additionally, I am a relationship counselor, where I use my training as a guiding hand to help people become more personal with one another. On top of that, I am a single mother of two twins in the sixth grade, which I certainly count as a part time- if not a full time job.

3) What kind of degree/ training do you have?

    I have a PSYD, which grants me permission to work with clients and apply my training.

4) What made you chose a PSYD over a PhD?

    When I considered going into the field of psychology, my motivation was to help those in need. Therefore, I needed a degree that would grant me access to actual hands on work, instead of just for research purposes.

5) What types of mental illness do you usually work with?

    On a day to day basis I work with people who have depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety, schizophrenia etc.

6) What are your specialties?

    My specialties are helping people with PTSD and Acute Stress Disorder.

7) What types of therapy do you utilize?

    My three main therapy approaches are cognitive behavioral, psychodynamic and interpersonal.

8) How much experience do you have?

    I have been working as a clinical psychologist for the past 15 years.

9) What does your daily work schedule look like?

    Being self employed has its benefits, because I can essentially plan my work around my own schedule. I schedule clients to meet in my office typically during the early afternoon. In addition to that, I can meet with my clients over Skype, and that adds a sense of bonding between the two of us, which definitely improves our relationship as a team.

10) How has your training shaped the way that you raise your kids?

My training has really taught me how to communicate more effectively. It helps me avoid miscommunication between me and my children, which in this developing era of technology, is especially important to maintain a strong and trusted line of communication. My training has also taught me how to better interpret human behavior. Kids actions aren’t always as predictable as they seem, and having knowledge on why they act a certain way helps me be more patient with them.

11) What kind of parent are you?

I am an authoritative parent. I do not believe in harsh punishments, because it sets them up with a bad example. If you love your child, then spanking them would be negatively influencing their views on what love means. Children need structure, discipline, guidance and love. To be overly permissive and loving without boundaries creates problems. I try to be firm with my love. I show that there are consequences, but that a mutual understanding of their struggles is real.. My bad experiences as a child with physical abuse made me swear to myself that I would never lay a hand on any of my children, because it simply creates too much distrust and leaves too many factors to chance.

12) Has anything ever happened to you in terms what would be considered a ‘dangerous situation?

Someone has been suicidal in my office, threatening my own safety in my office. While working at San Francisco General hospital for UCSF I had to calm someone down and remove a machete from his grasp, and if you know what a machete is, you will know that they are no joke. In terms of lives being at risk, it is mainly people being suicidal and not necessarily my own life at risk. When working at Kaiser I would call security and they would come babysit the patient; waiting for police to arrive. The patient would be 51/50d, and they would be restrained until they reached a facility

13) Is there a significant reason that you chose to pursue this career?

I wanted to help people, I used to go to therapy as a kid, and it had a profound impact on my life. I wanted to be able to look back and say that the work that I have dedicated my life to has been inspiring as well as helpful. People told me to just get a masters degree, and not get a doctorate.

14) Do you have any thoughts on the topic of mental illness?

    One thing I think about a lot is how new mental illness is. In terms of understanding and changing the way society views mental illness, it is only 100 years old. The social challenges that many people face because of their mental illnesses are sometimes heartbreaking, and that often leaves me thinking about what can be done to normalize the topic of mental illness.

15) What theories and techniques do you use when working with a client?

I use psychodynamic, cognitive behavioral, interpersonal, object relations, family systems therapy. I look at the different ways to theoretically approach cases. I use more than one modality in treating people, because I know how complex the brain is and how many factors can change someone's behavior. I look at their bio, psychology, social aspects. Each of these clues help provide insight, I can then help treat them with different modalities.

16) What are the most common problems you encounter?  How has it changed?

1. Typically people have a lot of distrust in mental health providers. There tends to be an overall dislike of psychotropics, and to psychotropic interventions. There tends to be an overall resistance to the whole idea.

17) Have you seen a shift in the types of problems that people are having?

The number of people with depression has gone up. I certainly think that the current political climate has had a significant influence on the problems that people are experiencing or developing. The feeling of hopelessness is certainly easy to catch on to, especially with the upcoming generation because of the prospect of becoming an adult in this particularly strained political and economic climate. Depression and anxiety typically go hand in hand, so a rise in cases with anxiety has definitely gone up as well.

18) How often do you work with children?

I do not work with kids anymore, I only work with adolescents and adults. Interestingly however, approximately half of the people that I work with are in the upper age range of those diagnosed with depression.

19) How old were you when you realized that psychology was for you?

I decided when I was graduating college that I did not want to go into business and marketing, which is what I had been studying. I wanted to go into something more meaningful, where my work could have a positive impact on people’s lives.

20) What is your favorite type of patient to work with?

Patients that work hard and are grateful. I have had patents before that just expect improvement. They walk in the door once a week and just because they show up, they expect a change in their emotions. Those that take what they have learned in therapy and apply it to their everyday lives are those that improve. The patients that have the strength and and patience to wait for themselves to improve over time are my favorite, because it feels all that much more satisfying once they improve.

21) How do you handle your stress?

I exercise 6 days a week, I eat pretty healthy, I get good sleep. I surround myself with people that I enjoy and those that bring me good vibes. Keeping your life positive is especially important if you work with multiple stress factors, and have a lot of negativity stemming from your work.

22) How do you handle clients that are abusive/ being abused?

For those in domestic violence situations, I help them get to resources. Helping them break the abuse cycle is a crucial step, and it often requires an identification of the reason they go back to the abuser. Cognitive behavioral looks at the way your brain has been shaped to understand your subconscious that allows for persistent and repeated abuse. I help the abused increase their self worth and self esteem, which drops because of the impact of the abuser. In a very Freudian approach I look at the Psychodynamic tendencies. For example, why are you accepting love from someone who abuses you? Just for some insight, a neglectful mother is a possible explanation. The abused have attachment issues, and will take any love they can get, even if it means being with the person that abuses them. I use object relations and attachment theory, looking at how people impact us negatively or positively, sometimes acting them out, and then looking at the patterns.

23) What are your biggest challenges?

Feeling confident as a clinician is definitely one of the hardest parts.. All the pain in people’s lives dangle in front of you. Sometimes it is hard to trust your gut or trust what people are telling you; people lie. Because people are complex, one size doesn't fix all, and therefore I believe in the integration of multiple techniques and modalities in the treatment of my clients. I often seek help from peers in order to better understand and solve problems.

24) How has this job affected your personal life? Positively or negatively?

It has definitely impacted my life in a positive way. The topic of psychology creates positive relationships, based upon the fact that people are interested and ask questions. It is honestly a conversation piece.. There is always a story, always someone that somebody knew that suffered from some sort of problem. Sometimes there are even urgent situations where people ask me for my help.

25) What did you expect when first entering the field of Psychiatry?

I used to think that you just talked, I didn’t realize that therapists are actually using techniques and treatments in order to find and treat a problem.

26) Can you name a situation that has made you believe that everything has been worth it?

When I get verbal or written acknowledgement of how positive my impact has been for somebody’s recovery. Appreciation is key, when people finally get better, when I save somebody’s life, that is what is meaningful. It gives me strength to go on even when things get hard. I often get a quote somewhere along the lines of: “If it wasn’t for you/ our relationship, i’m not sure if I would still be here”, and I don’t think words can describe the amount of joy that brings me.

Reflection

When first introduced to this assignment, I honestly doubted the integrity of it. However, having the excuse to sit down with someone who applies the thinking and the theories that we have learned in class was quite refreshing. When conducting the interview, I was often fascinated by the way Frankie would build her answers, and I could see her training in the way that she did so. She would start off her answer with a generalized idea, and then build off of it from there, often becoming more elaborate and in depth as she went on. A topic I found especially riveting was one regarding her children. Her idea on parenting is exemplary, and I see the results several times a week, as I tutor them in various subjects. The idea of being loving with a firm mouth is crucial raising a child with the right ideals. I think it teaches a child to use their words instead of their actions, and it gives them an idea of just how powerful words can be. I am not going to lie, this stirred something deep in me, and definitely has inspired a change with the person that I am today.

    A major takeaway from interviewing Frankie is the necessity to work hard and never give up hope. Especially in the coming years, when I am going to be asked to make some of the most important decisions of my life, I need to base my actions off of the idea that hard work pays off. Seeing the way that she is able to structure her life the way she wants it is inspiring, especially because she told me about stories of hardship from her childhood that I decided to not go into detail about. The dedication that she has to her kids, and both of her jobs is incredible, and I feel inspired to have interviewed someone of the likes of her. I am thankful to be able to say that I know her well, and our relationship will only get stronger after this.

    Another topic of our discussion that is not in the interview was on the subject of infrastructure of mental health facilities in the US, or lack thereof. Recently, I wrote a paper on the effects of deinstitutionalization in the US, and once I shared my views with her, I was happy to say that we saw eye to eye. This shared opinion on the subject has inspired something in me, and a part of me feels determined to do something about it.

    I find the techniques that Frankie uses to be inspiring. She describes a gut instinct that she often times tries to stick with, and as a result of that she is drawn towards the multiple modalities that she uses to treat people. Through this interview I feel like I have gained insight into what it means to get so personal with someone you know their worst feelings, and what has caused them. Some part of me is scared by the sacred intimacy that those truths seem to hold, but at the same time I am fascinated by the fact that a network of theories and techniques can help even the most complex people unravel their feelings and their intentions. I do say that I hope this interview is just the start of many insightful conversations that I have with Frankie, and I feel that she is definitely someone whom I can expand my thought process onto, continuing on from this class.