#maybe by then there’ll be better treatments for my condition
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Then & Now (Ethan x MC)
Summary: A particularly difficult case forces Ethan to confront a blast from his past
A/N: This popped into my head and I had too much fun writing it. I will loosely incorporate some of the themes from book 3 and make them better, but this is mostly an AU.
A/N 2: Yes I’m writing another multipart fic while actively ignoring my others. The muses spoke and I had no choice in the matter. Enjoy!
~v~
“Would you like some more coffee, Dr. Ramsey?”
Whatever line he was reading in his textbook blurs as does his vision. Ethan looks up at the face of the newest member of the team, a young resident, Isabelle. He takes the cup, not missing the way her eyes light up as he does so. What is it with residents and their incessant need to kiss-ass and be people pleasers?
“Thank you, Dr. Proctor.”
“Of course! I figured we’d need all the caffeine we could get our hands on with this case.”
Ethan doesn’t respond with words, only offering the young woman a hum in acknowledgement. Instead his eyes land on his coworker, Harper Emery. “Harper, has your team been able to come up with anything new?”
“Nothing,” Harper replies with a resigned sigh.
“You have got to be kidding me.”
“I’ve run as many tests, MRIs and CT scans as I could, and none of them came back with anything conclusive. We’re officially back to square one.”
Ethan hasn’t been this stumped in years. A week ago, a patient came to Edenbrook after waking up without being able to feel anything from the waist down. A young, relatively healthy 25 year old with no extraordinary medical history, no recent reports of any TBI, nothing. He assumed with Harper–one of the nation’s greatest neurosurgeons–on the case, that this would be a simple fix.
As painful as it is to admit, he’s wrong.
They’ve gotten nowhere with the case, they’ve made no progress, and to make matters worse, he has Leland Bloom and the board breathing down his neck because it’s been years since the team has spent more than a week on a case, so a week with no news reflects poorly on them—on him, as the team’s leader specifically.
The last member of the team, Tobias, clears his throat. “Did he ever mention getting into a fight? Maybe he took a hit to the head, and just doesn’t want to admit it?”
“Maybe, but like I said, none of the CT scans or MRIs showed me anything out of the norm,” Harper says. “I can always ask him again.”
“That’d be ideal–”
Ethan’s sentence is cut off as the door to their office is thrown open, and in walks Leland. “Hello, team!”
The most senior members of the team stay silent, but Isabelle gives a slight wave. “Hello, Mr. Bloom.”
“Dr. Proctor,” Leland greets in turn. “Nice to know at least one of you has manners.”
Ethan checks the time on his watch. “What are you doing here, Bloom?”
“Last time I checked, I owned this entire building and I didn’t need to ask your permission to be here.”
“We’re nearing midnight,” Ethan adds. “What are you still doing here, and not at home? I’m sure Mrs. Bloom would enjoy seeing you.”
Leland ignores the mention of his wife Caroline, pretending like she wasn’t mentioned at all. “I just stopped by your patient’s room to see how he was doing. And then I decided to drop by to check in with you guys. Are there any updates on the Miller case?”
“I’m not discussing patient information with you,” Ethan says.
“Well, I am your boss.”
“And until you go to medical school, graduate, become a doctor at this hospital, and join in on this case, I don’t have to tell you anything. You may own this hospital, but I do not have to discuss my patients with you.”
“Okay, so you guys have no new information,” Leland concludes.
Ethan pinches the bridge of his nose in annoyance, this conversation giving him a headache even though it just started. “We were actually in the middle of a brainstorming session before we were interrupted, so if we could have some privacy again, that would be much appreciated.”
Ethan’s tone causes Leland to drop the veneer of kindness, the smile dropping from his face only for a second before he catches it. He looks away and sniffs haughtily. “Fine. I’ll check in with the patient tomorrow for a status update, since it’s clear I won’t be getting it from my employees. Thankfully, his father and I go way back.”
“I can’t stop the patient from divulging his own information.”
Leland glances around the room one more time, his gaze lingering on Ethan a bit longer than it does on the other occupants. “Goodnight, doctors.”
Once Leland leaves, Harper turns towards Ethan. “You act like it would literally kill you to be nice to him.”
“Be nice for what? Bloom thinks we owe him undying loyalty and infinite ass kissing because he bought the hospital. He’s pulled a lot of nonsense since moving into this position, but he’s not worth breaking any laws over. My patients deserve their privacy.”
“And I agree, but the extra hostility isn’t needed. The last thing we need is World War 3 with you and Bloom tearing down the hospital. Just be nice.”
“Okay, are we getting back to work or calling it a night?”
The rest of the team glances around each other. Pulling an all-nighter with Ethan while he’s in a foul mood sounds like a nightmare.
“We’re calling it a night.”
~v~
Ethan ends up falling asleep in the office, finally dozing off around 5 o'clock in the morning, surrounded by a mountain of books and the harsh light of his computer screen. The sleep is short lived though as the sound of his pager wakes him up.
He jumps up with a start, and checks the time on his watch before checking his pager. He only managed to get two hours of sleep, but he can’t dwell on that. The page is a 911 alert to his patient’s room.
“Shit!”
He takes off to the 4th floor where his patient is housed, thankful that the early morning hour means the hospital is not yet flooded with people.
Isabelle, Harper, and a nurse are already in the room when Ethan finally makes it. “What’s going on?”
“He had a seizure,” Harper explains.
“How long did it last?”
“Around 50 seconds. We administered lorazepam into his IV.”
“Could this be a new symptom?” Valencia asks. “Or something else entirely?”
Harper shrugs. “I don’t know, but I’m going to take him down to radiology for another CT scan. Hopefully this next one can actually yield some results.”
Ethan nods. “That sounds like a plan. In the meantime, Dr. Proctor, add seizures onto the list of symptoms to broaden our search criteria. Maybe that’ll help.”
“Gotcha.”
“We’ll reconvene when Tobias comes in and once we get the new CT scans back.”
There’s a knock at the door and Ethan bristles when Leland’s loud voice calls out to him. “Dr. Ramsey, can I speak to you out in the hallway?”
“With all due respect, I’d rather not.”
“It wasn’t a request, doctor. Hallway, now.”
Ethan shoots Harper a look, and she gives him a quick sympathy smile before he and Leland step out into the hallway.
They move a few feet away from the patient’s door, out of earshot before Leland lays into Ethan. “How in the hell is the patient actually managing to get worse under your care?”
The question actually takes Ethan aback. “You can’t possibly be saying his condition is my fault?”
“I’m saying he’s been here for a week now, and he’s no better off than where he was. You don’t have any information to give him or his family. Do you know how many phone calls my assistant has had to field because they want to get him transferred to a different facility?”
“We are giving him the best care possible, Leland. Just because you and his father belong to the same country club or whatever, does not mean there’ll be some instant diagnosis or treatment that he can buy...or steal. We need to do our due diligence.”
Leland is smart enough to know when a dig is being lobbed in his direction. His eyes narrow. “What are you trying to say, Ethan?”
“Exactly what I just did. Besides, why do you have such a vested interest in my team and what we do? I’m sure you have other businesses and people to micromanage these days.”
“You guys don’t make me any money yet remain my biggest cost. The least you can do is be efficient and answer my questions when I ask.”
“And like I told you last night, I know you own this place. You never let me forget it. But you buying this hospital does not mean I am here at your beck and call, now does it mean I have to be governed under anything that isn’t set forth by the American Medical Association. Now, me team is the best this hospital and this city have to offer, so back up and let us do our jobs.”
“You guys are the best?” Leland chuckles humorlessly. “Act like it. Or I’ll find someone else who can.”
The threat causes Ethan to pause. “What does that mean?”
“You heard me loud and clear, Dr. Ramsey. Loud and clear.”
~v~
“You idiot! Why on earth would you get into a fight with Bloom in the middle of a hallway?”
Ethan doesn’t try to school his bored expression as Tobias paces the entire length of the office, huffing and puffing as he does so.
“I didn’t get into a fight with him,” Ethan amends. “It was an exchange of words.”
“A loud exchange of words,” Harper adds. “In front of our patient’s room, might I add.”
“I had plans for this day to be productive, but the minute that man opens his mouth, I just–”
“We get it, you don’t like him,” Tobias interjects.
“Disliking Leland is an understatement.”
Isabelle stays silent, unable to find a good place to cut in, despite having questions. Ethan’s dislike of Leland Bloom is the hospital’s worst kept secret, but the contention has always been passive aggressive at best. And as a second year resident, she doesn’t have any background knowledge on why the relationship is the way that it is.
“I don’t like him either, but you don’t see me needling him in front of the nurse’s station!”
“Sure Leland is...obnoxious at times, but I don’t understand any of it,” Isabelle says, finally speaking up. Ethan looks at her as if he’s just now remembering that she’s been in the room the entire time. “What happened that caused this much animosity?”
Leland’s kidney disease wasn’t a major secret. Most medical personnel that worked at Edenbrook and the larger Boston area remember the huge media blitz, and all of the pomp and circumstance surrounding his hospitalization early last year. And the official story is Leland got a kidney from a family member who wished to keep their identity a secret from the public, and everyone ate it up.
Only a handful of people know the truth. That a few well placed phone calls and dollars exchanged got Leland to the top of the donor list within a day, stealing a second chance from the true person at the top of the list: a 14 year old girl.
“So long as there is breath in my body, Leland Bloom and his ilk will never get an ounce of respect from me, and I’ll just leave it at that,” Ethan says cooly. “And that’s all you need to know, Dr. Proctor.”
“Okay.”
“I’m just saying man, Bloom is petty,” Tobias adds. “Men like him, who think the rest of us should bow at their feet, don’t take kindly to getting told off, especially in public. Underneath the billions is a tiny ass, fragile ego. Can you just keep a low profile and be quiet for the next day or two, so Bloom doesn’t dismantle this team?”
“I’ll be as cordial as Bloom is,” is what Ethan settles upon. “Nothing more, nothing less.”
The only thing that can rival Ethan’s intelligence is his stubbornness. Tobias knows it’s the best he’s going to get out of Ethan, so he relents. “Okay.”
“Good. Now can we get back to work and stop talking about Bloom?”
His team nods and Ethan sighs in relief.. They still have a chance to turn things around and actually have a good day.
They fall into a productive routine, tossing around different theories, sharing research and narrowing down ideas. Too bad that only lasts for about half an hour before there’s a knock at the office door. A few seconds later, Naveen pokes his head in.
Ethan smiles because part of him was expecting Leland to show up again. “Naveen, this is a nice surprise! Don’t tell me you’re ready to get back in the saddle.”
Naveen laughs good-naturedly at his mentee. “Not quite.”
“Well what brings you down here?”
“I wanted to talk to you for a second, Ethan,” Naveen says.
“Is everything okay?”
“Yes. It’s not about me, it’s work related. Team related news, that I wanted to tell you personally,” Naveen explains, fully entering the office. “Is there any way I could steal you for a few minutes?”
“If it involves the team, I think we can have the conversation here. Is this about my...spirited discussion with Leland?”
“No, it’s about the case you’re working on.”
“Now I know we don’t usually work on cases for this long, and we’re working on it.”
“I know. That’s what I wanted to talk to you about. Leland has some concerns about how long it’s taking you guys to treat this patient, and he told me that he wants to outsource some extra help to speed things along.”
“No thank you.”
“He’s already made phone calls. I’m just here to give you a heads up about who he picked.”
“A heads up?” Ethan scoffs and rolls his eyes. Who on earth could Leland think of reaching out to that Ethan would need a warning about? “Who is he asking for? Mendoza from MK? Catherine Morgan from Stanford? The Boogeyman?”
“I don’t think I’ve reached Boogeyman levels of infamy. Well, at least not yet.”
The voice makes the hair on the back of Ethan’s neck stand up. It’s a voice he hasn’t heard in close to three years, one that he thought he’d never hear again.
His eyes snap up, locking with the large brown ones staring back at him, and all of the breath leaves his lungs at once. The last time he looked into these eyes, they weren’t full of humor like they are now, but pure fire. His chest constricts, inhaling suddenly the most difficult task in the world.
The entire room goes silent, everyone watching as Ethan and the woman stay locked in their staring contest. Isabelle’s eyes dart back and forth, hoping someone can clue her into what’s going on, but Naveen, Harper and Tobias offer zero assistance.
Isabelle takes the quiet time to appraise the stranger. She’s petite, almost a foot shorter than Ethan even with her sky high Jimmy Choos on. The second thing that catches her attention is the mess of dark curly hair spilling over her shoulders, and the amused smirk on her face, like a cat that got the canary.
The woman breaks eye contact with Ethan to look past his shoulder. “Harper, Tobias, hello. Long time no see.”
When he regains the ability to speak, Ethan grits out, “Naomi, what on earth are you doing here?”
“I got an interesting call from Leland Bloom this morning, saying that the diagnostics team was in dire need of some assistance on a particularly difficult case. Within the hour, his private helicopter was picking me up.”
Ethan takes a sterling’s breath and silently counts to 3 before talking again. “I’m not working with you.”
“You don’t have a choice. Not unless you quit.”
“Don’t tempt me.”
Naomi rolls her eyes. “Drama was never a good look on you, darling, I was always better suited for it.” She turns her attention to the young resident gawking at her, turning on her megawatt smile. “You’re new. I don’t know you.”
“Um, n-no you don't. I’m Dr. Isabelle Proctor.”
“Isabelle,” Naomi repeats slowly, letting it roll off of her tongue. “What a pretty name.”
“Thank you.”
“I’m Dr. Naomi Ramsey.”
The last name catches her attention. Her eyes flicker over to Ethan’s face, catching the way his jaw ticks as female Dr. Ramsey talks.
“I can see the wheels turning in your head as I talk, so I’ll clear things up for you right quick,” Naomi continues. “No, the last name thing isn’t a coincidence. I’m Ethan’s ex-wife." She sticks out a hand for Isabelle to shake. "Nice to meet you.”
~v~
Tags: @openheartfanfics @mvalentine @choicesaddict5 @professorkingslay @maurine07 @aka-calliope @bluebellot @whimsicallywayward15 @blossomanarchy @takemyopenheart @jamespotterthefirst @fanmantrashcan @whatchique @ao719 @x-kyne-x @paulfwesley @the-pale-goddess @writinghereandthere @ramseyandrys @perriewinklenerdie @aworldoffandoms @thatcatlady0716 @drakewalker04 @canknot @hatescapsicum @lapisreviewsstuff @senseofduties @badchoicesposts @ethandaddyramseyx @chasingrobbie @zodiacsign1 @choices-lurker @my-heart-beats-for-ya @adrian-motherfucking-raines @riverrune @edith-eggs1 @cecilecontrera @thatysn @bellcat2010 @blainehellyes @junehiratas @choices-love-affair @openheart12 @desmaranj @nazario-sayeed @aestheticartsx @ruinedbypixels @nooruleman @rookie-ramsey @uneravine @choicest
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for DA Shallura
I’ve been doing a series of posts about basic Dragon Age canon for my DA fic series, Dragon Age: Schism. HOWEVER, my Dragon Age AU for Shallura has slightly different background (it takes place before DA:O, and thus before any of DA:S) and I include headcanons and whatnot for DA:S in those info posts.
So I thought I’d make One post with all the info that @tybalt-tisk or anyone else could need to make sense of what’s going on in that fic specifically. Some of this will be copy-pasted from what I’ve already done for DA:S because c’mon why write it twice? But everything here should give the necessary bgd for that fic. If you want/need to ask me other questions, feel free!
With credit, as always, to @yslanam who started this by first suggesting a DA AU for Shallura. And if you make it to the end, there’s pretty Mitz art! (Or you could skip to it, I know, but... be good, hm?)
Our story takes place in the country of Ferelden on the continent Thedas. Ferelden is basically Fantasy England (though not an island and not shaped that way), and is about the same size and climate (though it’s south of the equator, not north of it).
Shiro was born Takashi Shirogane in a small village where everyone knew everyone else and he liked it there. Loved it there, really. He signed on to be in his bann’s (the noble who ruled the land and its village) army, as did another young man from his town (whose name Shiro rarely speaks now). They served honorably and well and fell in love.
And then they were called to battle. Shiro survived: plus a scar and some new white hair, but minus his right arm, which was too badly injured and had to be amputated. Shiro’s lover didn’t make it, though. Shiro was discharged with pay and a small bonus, but that money would run out eventually. He’s not sure what to do with himself, and he overhears people talking about what a shame it is, such a young man now destined to just wither away because, well, he’s basically worthless now. Can’t work a farm, can’t fight in wars. It hits him hard. He wants to prove himself worthy of... of something, anything, just to prove them wrong.
That’s what brings him to the Grey Wardens.
Allura is a city elf. Elves are second-class citizens - at best - amongst humans, and the city elves live in ghettos called “alienages.” Her father was the Elder of the Highever (a city in Ferelden) Alienage: the man in charge, basically. That didn’t mean Allura behaved though; even as a child, she would rant about how elves were people just like humans and they deserved better treatment. This didn’t win her a lot of friends; most city elves learn quick that yelling about the truth just draws a whole lot of unwelcome - and often armed - attention.
But then it was discovered that Allura had magic, and she was taken off to the Tower of the Circle of Magi to be trained... and supervised. If there’s anything worse than being an elf in Ferelden, it’s being a mage. Mages, if they aren’t careful, can basically be possessed by demons and then they kill a bunch of people and it’s a bad scene. Therefore most people fear mages, and the Chantry - the main religious organization on the continent and damn near the only one in Ferelden - has created Templars to watch over the mages of the Circle.
The Templars are also known as “mage-hunters” because that’s one of their main duties: running down mages who try to flee their gilded cage. They also kill any mage suspected of being demon-possessed. And they’re posted all throughout the Tower, watching... always watching...
Allura liked learning magic but hated that this is how it’s done. She’s just been moved from one cage to another, and she wasn’t silent about that either. Things came to a head after she became an official mage; she saw a Templar about to force himself on a fellow mage, who was terrified of the man. She got angry and killed the man, straight out. She should have been killed, made Tranquil (basically magical lobotomy) or sent to Aeonar, the mage prison, but Duncan, the Warden-Commander, was there visiting and recruited her away, instead.
That’s what brings her to the Grey Wardens.
And that’s where she meets Shiro.
So, really now, what is a Grey Warden?
Well, that depends on who you ask. To most people outside the order, the Grey Wardens are a glorious order of noble heroes! And why is that? Well, they’re immune to the darkspawn taint (which usually kills people) and so they can safely slay darkspawn! They’re also the only ones who can stop Blights!! …though this last bit of information is often forgotten, given that Blights happen once every few centuries.
If you ask me, the Grey Wardens are the biggest dick move in Thedas, which is actually part of why I love them. Here’s all the downsides to joining this “glorious order”:
First of all, the Right of Conscription. Ferelden has it; not sure if other nations in Thedas do? Anyway, it means that Grey Wardens can recruit anyone at any time. In practice, they have to be careful how they wield this tool (especially in Ferelden), but the RoC has been used to save people from hangings or other deadly fates… on the condition that they become a Warden Recruit. So… didn’t want to be Warden Recruit? TOO BAD, YOU ARE NOW. And no, you don’t get a say in the RoC. (Allura was RoC’d, to keep the commander of the Templars from killing her.)
Second of all, there’s the Joining. It turns out that, in order to become a Grey Warden, you have to drink darkspawn blood. And a bunch of other stuff in there, but really now, DRINKING DARKSPAWN BLOOD. You might recognize this as a stupidly dangerous thing to do, given that darkspawn blood KILLS THINGS. But your options are drink it or die, because the Grey Wardens present at the Joining will kill you if you try to back out after learning about this. If you drink from the Joining chalice, you also might die, but your name will be remembered as a Grey Warden at least? Even though you’re dead. And hey, if you live, you… become “immune” to the darkspawn taint, which is to say you’re already fucking tainted so it’s not like it can get worse. Want to know why the Grey Wardens don’t tell people they’re gonna make them drink darkspawn blood? Well, if they did that, people wouldn’t want to join, and we need Grey Wardens.
Supposing you survive the Joining, there’s the shortened lifespan (10-30 years depending on your sources) and the nightmares (that maybe you can learn to tune out). Again, they don’t tell you this until afterwards. Why? Because then people might not want to become Grey Wardens… yadda yadda. (Shiro might not speak Adam’s name anymore but he sure does yell it some nights, jolting out of a night terror and back to reality.)
Oh, and forget about having kids! It’s very difficult if not impossible to have children as a Grey Warden! (Not like they let mages have kids in the Circle. And Shiro’d been in love with a man, so he was okay with not having biological children anyway.)
At some point, even if you were able to tune the nightmares out, they’ll come back and there’ll be nothing you can do about it. That’s the first sign of The Calling. Because it turns out that the Joining is really just turning you into a ghoul, except very, very slowly. You’re getting close to Ghoul-dom now. Most Grey Wardens choose to die in battle against the darkspawn rather than waiting to be turned. It’s tradition.
And if there’s a Blight going on? Oh, well, it turns out that the only way to kill an Archdemon is to sacrifice a Grey Warden. Why didn’t they tell you? DO YOU EVEN HAVE TO ASK NOW?!
The motto of the Grey Wardens is “In war, victory. In peace, vigilance. In death, sacrifice.”
So what I’m saying is that Grey Wardens are SUPER TRAGIC BADASSES. They also wind up pretty cut off from their former lives, so the Wardens become their family. So, basically, SUPER TRAGIC BADASS FOUND FAMILY.
Shiro and Allura get close because it turns out they work well together as a fighting pair: he as a warrior, she as a mage. Even with only one arm, Shiro can at least protect Allura as she takes shit out. They’re quickly a unit, just the two of them, always sent out together. It’s no wonder it starts to blossom into love.
But Allura sees that Shiro wants to do more than just protect and shield bash, so she starts trying to figure out how to make him a prosthetic: one worthy of a Grey Warden. One... worthy of him.
There are different schools of magic: Creation is the healing branch, and it seems natural to try to work with that some, but in the end, Allura has to also dip into a forbidden school: Blood Magic. Blood Magic has the reputation of being evil because you’re using people’s blood - people’s life forces - to power your spells. After growing up in the Tower, she’s understandably nervous about using it.
But she talks about it with Shiro, and although he might otherwise be scared of Blood Magic, she tells him she doesn’t need a lot of it, it won’t kill him, and... well, it’s her. He trusts her. And she works hard to be worthy of that trust, she goes over this spell she’s created several times. It should work to attach the arm - made of silverite, a very powerful and durable metal - to him so he can use it.
She just forgot about the darkspawn taint coursing through him. His blood is not normal. And there are some... side effects from messing with it.
I do recommend reading this post (it’s kinda 1/2 meta, 1/2 fic) but if you don’t want to, the short version is that Shiro has trouble controlling his arm at first and so he pushes Allura away because he’s afraid of hurting her. She takes that as a well-deserved rebuke because she did this to him.
Eventually they scream it all out at each other: he loves her, he was afraid for her, she feels guilty and is so afraid he’ll leave her, etc. They settle down and start working together on figuring out how Shiro can better control this thing. At the beginning of this fic, he’s gotten the hang of it now.
I’ll put up pictures of their uniforms when I can, and other than that, you should be good to go! I know this was long, sorry. Here, have some pretty @mitzoco art:
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interview with Red Bull: The Origin of Strength
In honor of Rika’s birthday, we are sharing the translation of Rika’s latest interview, done with Red Bull. Please do not repost without credit. Thank you to Juro for translating. All the photos were taken from Red Bull’s website ☺️
- original interview: https://www.redbull.com/jp-ja/athlete-interview-rika-kihira
[The Origin of Strength] Rika Kihira revealing her own way of fighting among the next generation’s top athletes.
Like a shooting star, Rika Kihira made her appearance in the figure skating world and established various records. (In this Q and A special session, also featuring her natural self), we will discover how this girl refines her performances and raises them to a level of their own.
At the moment, in Ladies figure skating field, we could say “Triples” are Rika Kihira’s specialty.
In her senior debut season of 2018-2019, from her landing 3A+3T combination at the Ondrej Nepela Trophy up to the Grand Prix Final, she had won 6 international competitions.
Yet, this 16-year-old marvel already had the vision of investing in the “real battle” of quads. She will disclose the root of her unparalleled performances and how to sustain momentum.
►Utilize all efforts to improve jumps’ quality
Q: (To produce the best performance), what is indispensable in terms of training?
A: “Torso training + rotation training”
Regarding light training, I have warm-up exercises every day, and roughly 1 hour each section of torso training, about 2 times/week. If I don’t do torso training, my body will experience shakiness when rotating on air. Next, I can’t do without rotation training. I practice double jumps on ground, and axis stabilization as well. I can be aware of whether my condition is good or bad by assessing the quality of those 2 training sessions.
Q: (To produce the best performance), what is indispensable in terms of body-care?
A: “Stretch every day. Acupuncture and electric therapy twice a week”
Of course, I stretch every day. I make sure to get acupuncture, electric treatment, massage, etc twice a week. I practice every day, and sometimes when my muscles feel constricted, my body balance will be tampered with, and fatigue will accumulate. If I leave it as it is, there’ll be injury, so body care is indispensable.
Q: (To produce the best performance), what do you pay attention to in your daily life activities?
A: “Minus 0.5kg right before competition”
I try to control and calculate my nutrition balance and calories intake every day. In order not to spoil my jumps’ conditions, I also try, to the best of my ability, to adjust my weight every day little by little. Eventually, -0.5kg right before a competition works out best for me, speaking from experience.
Q: (To produce the best performance), what’s your “power food”?
A: “Mochi (rice cake)”
High calories of mochi can be broken down and transformed (into energy) quickly, and it is just right for mornings like those before a competition, when I only want to take in carbohydrates. I eat 4 mochis with only soy sauce as topping. (After eating), my body doesn’t feel heavy, and I can exercise properly, so I really like mochi.
Then, about 1 hour before my practice after breakfast, I usually drink Red Bull. Specifically, on days that I cannot reach the body conditions I’m pursuing or when I can’t focus… on days like that, I can pull off a good performance (with Red Bull).
► 16-year-old, already rich in experience, Rika Kihira on mental control
Q: For the best showdown (To produce the best performance), what’s happening in your mind (as you prepare)?
A: “I envisage the situation when I dare to fail”
Well, it’s about people who support me. “If I fail to land this jump, everyone will be sad”. I give myself a moment to dare thinking about this…In that case, the thought that “I will definitely not fail” can bounce back at me powerfully.
Q: How do you pull through in moments when you don’t succeed, or when you’re feeling down (To produce the best performance)?
A: “I will think that the mistake is an important experience for my present self.”
When I make mistakes, I think as positively as possible that “This mistake could be a necessary experience for my present self”. It’s good that I can make this mistake early, and that I can fail in advance.
I am the type that can become stronger if there’re things that make me go “I dislike being in this position”, and my emotion can switch immediately, because I think that although I mustn’t forget the “kuyashii” feeling, if I lose confidence, things will become even more stagnant for me in future competitions.
Q: (To produce the best performance) How do you set your goals?
A: “All the jumps shall be the jumps I want to jump at all costs”
Ranking aside, I also place emphasis on proceeding towards my ideal performance. That said, if there’s only a vague impression like “It’ll be nice if I can perform the whole routine with no mistakes”, I’ll likely make mistakes somewhere.
If I think “I just want to jump!” at every jumping pass, the total result would turn out good. Since I’m in a world where no mistake is allowed, my goal is a performance that could allow me to perform with the thought that I have no other point to improve beyond this.
Q: (To produce the best performance), when you’re away from home, what is something that no one expects you to bring along?
A: “Japanese food set”
I bring things like packaged rice, mochi (laugh)…, misosoup, furikake (dried rice seasoning), dressing sauces. Those are Japanese food, right?
Q: (To produce the best performance), how about taking on challenges?
A: “Uhmm”
I always try to challenge competitions as how they flow naturally, so maybe no (laugh). I also make effort to have an (positive) attitude towards life, so that I don’t have to be on edge all the time, or even when there’s something that makes me nervous, I could still revert into a state of mind that helps me smile and surpass the nerves.
In the past, I used to be very nervous in competitions, but recently, I already have a concrete image of how to jump, and such, so I’m not anxious anymore.
► Surprisingly, this maturing skater is also very natural in private.
Q: (To produce the best performance), how do you spend your days-off?
A: “My only days-off are New Year’s Day and New Year’s Eve so… (witty laugh)”
I go out for “hatsumoude” (visiting the shrine on the New Year’s Day), or to visit my relatives. Then, while travelling by plane, I work out the sleeping time to adjust myself to the time difference, and in free moments, I watch movies. (laugh)
Q: (To produce the best performance), what kind of movie do you watch?
A: “Japanese school-life and love-life movie”
The loud clashing noise (gashan) in action movies, or rustling and thumping noise (hara hara doki doki) in horror movies is scary, so my heart can’t handle it (laugh). So it’s better for me to watch movies with which I can relax at the same time.
Q: (To produce the best performance), what kind of music do you listen to?
A: “back number and ikimonogakari” (Japanese bands)
I don’t dare to listen to music with up-tempo (quick beat), and I usually listen to music that resembles a gentle push to my back (silent encouragement) when I have worked hard.
Q: (To produce the best performance), is there anything you want to stop doing, but can’t stop?
A: “It’s not like something I can’t stop doing, but since it’s sleeping…”
I feel like there’s a wall within me. Before competitions, usually on the first night in the hotel, my sleep becomes shallow no matter what, and on the next day, my legs will become dull. Even when I can drift into sleep, when I wake up and check the sleep monitoring app, I was woken up for 7 times even…
Q: (To produce the best performance), is there any habit that you want to fix?
A: “It’s natural!?”
As an athlete, I can’t remember my subconscious reflects, but (in daily life), as far as other people tell me, I’m quite “wild” (spontaneous), though this seems to be changing (laugh). I have also been told that I’m not good at conveying my thoughts into words, or “I don’t understand what you’re talking about”.
There are times when I reply seriously to friends’ jokes, or laugh at the wrong subject, or even laugh 1 beat slower despite not saying anything interesting. (laugh)
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🍋 🍌
Thank you for the ask 💕!!
🍋 Your descriptions are transportive
Wow... 😶☺️🥰 Thank you.
🍌I want to pick your brain about your creative process.
This will be a long post, FYI.
Chaos.
Haha, I’m joking.
Or am I?
Honestly, I’ve tried a lot of different things over the years, including outlining, and it never works for me bc my characters control the story. I really am just their interpreter, putting their lives and words onto virtual paper.
I’m a “character first” kind of writer (as opposed to a “plot first”), and that means I could probably tell you what any of the main cast of my stories ate for breakfast on the morning of their 8th birthday, but I couldn’t tell you what happens in the end, or sometimes even in the next chapter, bc I don’t know until I “get there.”
I’ve done my best to break my process down into 8 steps.
Step 1: The Idea
When I first get an idea, it usually comes to me in terms of a really vivid scene, like the chapter in Where Demons Hide called “Spark of Madness.” Usually that scene ends up in the beginning of the story but not normally the first chapter. Sometimes it’ll give me some story/plot to help me begin to flesh out the idea more, like in that example, where the main antagonist/conflict is introduced, though normally I have to work at it a bit more.
Step 2: Flesh Things Out
This is where I brainstorm, usually thinking about the main characters, who they are and what their flaws might be and what they might want to help me “find” the story. Sometimes I’ll make a character sheet (normally I don’t if I’m working alone bc I don’t have to). I do normally make a file for notes where I’ll jot down possible ideas about the characters and where the story might go.
I’ll be perfectly honest and say while this process does get me jump started, most of the notes I jot down I don’t end up using bc as the characters and story formulates, they both tend to change from my original ideas.
Step 3: Research
This can often be tied in with #2 and it’s not as if it just stops here. But as I often write about disabilities, mental and chronic illness, I like to make sure I can get as much info about the disease/condition I want to represent as possible so that I can:
represent it appropriately and accurately and
so I can find story/character details along the way.
For example, in my novel UnConventional, I was able to talk with a friend who is not only an orthotic user (and has been for years) but is an engineer of sorts so he understands very well *how* they work. By talking with him about various orthotics and his own struggles with them, I was able to find new plot and character details that help make the story more vivid and real and also allowed me to drive it in directions I may not have been able to otherwise.
Step 4: Write, Write, Write.
Two things you need to know about my writing process:
I usually do better when I write out of order.
I need to visualize the scene in my head to write it effectively. My “writers block” comes from not being able to see things in my head
My method isn’t the most efficient, but it’s how my brain works, and I’ve learned to go with it rather than fight it.
I brainstorm with myself (or a friend or my husband if possible) when necessary, or sometimes I’ll just close my eyes in a quiet place to allow myself to “see” the next series of scenes. Before I can forget the vivid movie I saw in my head, I do what I call a “scene sketch.”
I call it a “sketch,” bc just like a sketch is usually the foundation for a piece of art, mine are the basic structure for a completed scene. I do this also if I have a pretty solid idea but don’t have the time to write or I’m too tired or something like that, bc sketches allow me to simply sit down and flesh them out to create a completed scene.
They’re kind of like what an outline might be for other writers but less organized. Sketches are like a little treatment of a scene, including the basic setting, an idea of POV, and even dialog and body language, but jotted down really quickly without quotes or dialog tags. Sometimes there’ll be things like “maybe this happens” bc once I actually write the scene I’ll know if that idea feels right or not.
Here’s an example from a rejected chapter of WDH (I ended up going in a slightly different direction):
Seb answers when room service knocks. Bard is hovering, maybe bc he heard Seb’s scream. He sees the bad bite on Seb’s bare chest, sees he’s trembling and drowning more than ever, his eyes almost pleading for rescue. But when Bard asks if he’s OK he smiles and says yes, sir. Takes the food from the room service person and says he’s been ordered to wait on the guests personally. Shuts the door in Bard’s face.
Sometimes these sketches can be very detailed, other times it’s more of a general, quick jot of what happens or the scene I want to set. It depends on my brain and the scene.
I like to set goals based on scenes (or sometimes chapters), and do my best to complete a scene in its entirety if possible before I stop. If I can’t bc of time, then I’ll write a really brief sketch so I know what I need to do when I pick back up again so I won’t forget.
I’ve been writing and editing long enough that depending on the project I’m able to self-edit as I write. That doesn’t mean I don’t revise or edit later, but it saves some time overall as I am more aware of certain things than I used to be.
Because I write out of order, my process often entails being a puzzle master and piecing things together. Especially for something like Where Demons Hide, which has a lot of flashbacks, since I write those separately from the main story, I then have to figure out where they “belong.” I’d say 98% of the time for this fic I have already written the flashbacks before the chapter(s) they end up in.
My original serial fiction I write in a similar fashion, where I often will write scenes out of order and then assemble them into chapters later. So sometimes I’ll make a kind of “outline” of plot points that I need to cover. It’s not so much a fixed thing as a memory aid and place for me to put notes of ideas that might come to me that aren’t completely fleshed out.
Step 5: Rest
Once I’ve completed a chapter, I try to let it “rest” for at least a few days, if not longer. Especially if it was a long chapter or something that was difficult to write and took me awhile so I’ve been working on it for days or even weeks at a time.
I do this for three reasons:
“In process” brain lies often and says a scene/chapter sucks and I should just burn my computer/phone and take up accounting instead, and that the pacing is awful and it’s boring and lots of similar untruths.
Especially if the chapter took me a long time to finish because it’s lengthy or complicated or has difficult subject matter or whatever, it means there’s a good chance I’ve been working on it for days or even weeks and I’m SICK TO DEATH of it and never want to see it again, so taking a break from it is a welcome relief. It’s like taking a vacation after you’ve been working overtime for months. Sometimes I’ll do writing-adjacent things during this time, like reading, organizing/typing my notes, jotting down things I need to work on, reading/watching stuff that will energize and inspire me. Other times I work on another project or other scenes/chapters in the same project. Sometimes I’ll just take a break if I’m feeling burnt out or stressed.
I can come back to the project with fresh eyes, so that I can read it and see what things are actually good (suck it, in-process brain) or what things may still need work in a way I couldn’t do so soon after finishing.
Step 6: Revise
I revise in different ways depending on how much I feel something needs fixing. The first revision is my chance to see how the puzzle pieces knit together, work on scenes that I noticed aren’t pulling their weight or that need to be fleshed out. Sometimes this means I will completely, totally rewrite—and by that I mean “retype.” I open a fresh document, and referencing the original, start over. This allows me to streamline and better hone my language and ensure each scene is working hard.
This is something I do if I feel like a scene isn’t working as-is or I have a shit-ton of notes and comments on the first draft and it’s so chaotic I feel like I can’t focus anymore. This is especially helpful for dialog.
Other times the revisions are less drastic. Sometimes I means moving a scene around or deleting one that isn’t working. Sometimes it means finding all the times I’ve repeated the same word and fixing that, or fixing places where I’ve used the same sentence type too often.
Revision can be a very long process, depending on the quality of the first draft and what my goal is. If it’s just fan fic I’m doing for fun, then I don’t obsess too much: usually 1-2 read throughs and adjustments are OK. If it’s something I’m going to submit for publication, then that’s a different story bc the quality of the edit of your submitted draft makes a good impression (or a bad one).
Step 7: Beta Reader
If I have one, which I don’t always, then this is where I’ll send it to them. Usually what I want in a beta reader isn’t stuff like proof or copy editing, but rather “big picture” stuff. I want them to tell me: “this scene isn’t working” or “this feels contrived” or “I don’t like the main character.”
It can be frustrating and disheartening to get feedback that means I have to go back and do some major revising, but that’s why they’re there, bc often it’s either things I couldn’t see bc I’m too close to the story, or stuff I was in denial about (lol). Listening to my betas always leads to a better draft.
Step 8: Proofreading/Copyediting
The last step. I’ve done this professionally so I’m usually pretty good at finding typos and inconsistencies myself, but some people will hire someone like me to do that work bc they don’t have the skill or the time. Even if it’s “just for fun,” proofing is important bc it affects readability, and it’s embarrassing to me if I post something with glaring proof errors 😶.
~~~Anyway, that is roughly how my brain works. I don’t know if this is what you were expecting or wanting, but here it is!
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95 for the prompts
So sorry it took me so long to get to you. Had a big move and just getting my writing legs back! Hope you like it!
“Garrus,” Jane wheedled, the stuffiness in her nose making her voice muffled and flat, and just plain making her feel absolutely pathetic laid out in bed from the flu. Flopping sideways across the bed so she can do her best at looking pleading, she looks up from her laying position. Just that one simple shift of her body has her winded and groaning at the rush in her head from the jostling. “Come cuddle. Please,” she draws out, the word rattling through the stabbing pain in her sore throat.
She knows her illness has thrown Garrus to the dogs in terms of taking care of the kids, but she thinks she deserves to mope around and grumble, dammit. How could she possibly think of tending to the twins when she can barely muster up enough strength to get to the bathroom? Let a healthy, grown turian male deals with those monsters, she says, and why not throw a whining, snotty and raspy sounding into the mix for him?
Didn’t he say once that he’s a glutton for punishment, or am I just imagining he did? Doesn’t matter, he’s one now.
Her mate hums from where he’s folding some of her unmentionables into their dresser drawers. If she didn’t feel like she was dying, she’d take a moment to praise him for being such a great husband and dad when she isn’t at her best. As it is, though, she’ll settle for just giving him a smile when he looks her way when he brings her meals, and even that is a hell of a lot of work in her condition. Garrus never complains, though, and she can swear he must already know somehow. He has always been able to read her better than she could read herself most times throughout their relationship.
“Garrus,” she whines again, stretching her arms out across the sheets towards him. “I need you.”
Never one to let a chance to tease her pass him pay, he chuckles from where he slides the drawer closed. “No, you need a heating pad.” Turning to her, he lifts a brow plate and smirks, crossing his arms. “Where was that need when you practically growled at me this morning when I asked how you were?”“I didn’t growl-”“You did,” he insists, dropping his arms as he walks to her. From her place as a human pile of sickness on the bed, he looks massive standing above her and she lifts an arm for him, only to let it flop down with a thump. Chuckling, he leans down, slides his hands under her arms, and lifts her back into place, but not without emitting the wail of a dying animal from her mouth. “You okay?” Concern etches his features at the sound as he gently places her back against the mountain of pillows against the headboard.
“No,” she groans and he gently combs his talons through her hair, the warm of his palms over her scalp easing some of the thumping pain there. “I’m dyin’.”
“You’re not dying. You may sound like it. And you kind of smell it, too,” he adds with a half cocked grin and she grunts, at least able to roll her eyes.
“Ass. You gonna stand there and crack jokes about your poor, suffering wife, or do something to help me?” She juts her lip, this being the only time she could ever pull it off without him laughing her out of the room because she could damn well do something by herself.
And I would too, if I could move.
Her husband relents with a soothing purr and sits at her side, leaning forward to press his mouth plates to her forehead in a mock kiss. “What do you need me to do?”
His whisper is so soft, so tender, that she lets a weak smile break through the heavy weight of what has to be the worst day yet, but she’ll vehemently deny the existence of the tears welling up in her eyes. She can’t quite stop the whining hum that stings her throat, though, as she fights the weight of gravity to touch his cheek. “Be with me?”
He covers her hand - to which she is grateful because she was struggling with keeping it up there without something to prop it up on. Turning his head towards it, he gives her palm a gentle nip of a kiss. “The kids should be occupied at least an hour or two.” At her questioning look, he laughs softly, hot breath puffing against her sweaty palm. “Blasto,” he says as way of explanation, and it’s a good enough one to understand.
“Ah. Maybe there’ll be a marathon.”
“Then we’d never get them out of the living room.” Still, he shifts more onto the bed so that he can lay back against the pillows. Though isn’t anywhere near uncomfortable, she appreciates the fact that he’s still in his soft sleep pants and plush jacket - which looks suspiciously like the turian equivalent of a hoodie - as she unceremoniously drops herself against his side with a huff.
Despite her sweats, she’s been cold all day with chills. It’s why she loves his heat against her body more than life itself at the moment. The Reapers could come back for all she cared, so long as they left her to snuggle against her heater of a turian husband. She lets Garrus know of her thinking with a pleased hum.
“Better?” His voice is soft, vocals rumbling against her cheek as she nuzzles her cheek against his chest. She gives a mumble of affirmative, whether he understands it or not, and smiles when he wraps his arm around her form to hold her close. She won’t admit it, but, at this angle, she’d probably slide off him and into a weak puddle if he didn’t hold her in place. “I didn’t know influenza could be so debilitating.” She grunts, closing her eyelids suddenly made of lead. “I would imagine humans would have treatment for it, though I guess I can’t really wonder since even turians have illnesses that are better left-”
“Garrus?”
“Yes?”
“Shut up.”
His rumbling chuckle bounces her head slightly, enough to make the pounding intensify, but it’s not worth the energy to tell him so when he quickly quiets down again. “Understood, ma’am. Won’t happen again.”
Jane just gives him another grunt, one of ‘good’, ‘about time’, ‘I hate being sick’, and ‘I love this man’. She thinks he understands by the calming hum in his chest, one he’s often used to ease her back to sleep after jerking awake from the cold chill of fog and the voices of the dead hidden within.
Now that she just listens to it, it’s easy to find herself falling asleep again despite feeling like complete shit. He’s even rubbing small circles on her back with one hand and carding his other hand’s talons through her unruly hair. Melting at his touches and caresses, she thinks that maybe, just maybe, she’ll have to keep him here.
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Kinds of Counselling and Psychiatric therapy
The most typical question I'm requested by individuals creating a first enquiry about counselling is 'What kind of counselling is the next step?' What's usually meant with this is, 'What types of problem would you offer counselling for?' Most counsellors and psychotherapists, myself incorporated, don't concentrate on one sort of problem, as everything or difficulties affecting feelings and thinking have similarities, and mostly react to therapy in similar ways. So the solution to the issue 'What types of problem would you offer counselling for?' could be something similar to 'Difficulties with feelings and thinking', instead of specific single issues like, say, 'low self esteem', or 'fear of failure'. Most counselling and psychiatric therapy handles the entire person, and does not usually separate off one factor they are thinking or feeling or doing. This is just a general rule, however. There are several therapies that concentrate on particular kinds of issue, frequently ones which use a particular solution-based approach. Counselling for addictions is definitely an apparent example, a specialism which often involves a progressive, led programme. Others may be death or eating problems. Particular portion of the population, for example youthful people or women, could also be recognized as groups requiring a professional approach to some degree, but overall these make use of the same techniques just like any other mental counselling. The primary difference may be the agency continues to be established to cope with that specific issue or group, has gotten funding for this, and thus focuses it's sources on the bottom. A person counsellor or psychotherapist may offer a particular area since it has especially interested them, or they have done extra learning it, or even had particular experience with the problem themselves.
What counsellors and psychotherapists mean once they talk about various kinds of treatments is the main difference within the theoretical orientation from the counselor, away from the kinds of problem that they specialise. There are a variety or approaches, broadly divisible into the three regions of Humanistic, Psychodynamic and Cognitive-Behavioural. A short description of each and every kind of approach and it is subdivisions is past the scope want to know,. I'll, therefore, limit it towards the two primary approaches that we employ myself, Person-Centred (a 'humanistic' approach) and Psychodynamic. person-centred Counselling and Psychiatric therapy n the center of the individual Centred approach is the concept that the Counsellor is really a 'guest' in the realm of the client's experience, with all of this implies regarding respect and trust.
The customer is regarded as basically reliable, that she or he knows somewhere, in some way, what they desire, and they possess a desire to have growth. The counsellor might help bring these into awareness which help the customer to use them. Another central concept is 'conditions of worth'. The weather is enforced at the start of existence through which individual measures their very own value, how acceptable or unacceptable they're. An easy example maybe 'Don't be angry, or else you will be an unpleasant, shameful person, and you won't be loved.' The content this carries maybe something similar to 'If I am angry this means I am useless, well, i must not be angry.' The individual will, in the end, feel angry, possibly frequently, and conclude out of this that they have to, therefore, be useless, ugly, shameful. Another may be 'If you do not prosper educationally, this means you're stupid and you'll be failing in life'. This sort of condition will tend to stick with the individual indefinitely, and she or he may have been battling for a long time to meet what could not be possible conditions worthwhile. If this sort of inner conviction is introduced to light, and it is roots understood fully, it may be the person can easily see it's not really true, it has been put there by others, and my have the ability to escape from it.
The Individual Centred Counsellor tries to be 'with' the customer as a type of companion. The Counsellor respecting and accepting the individual, anything they are just like, can result in the individual her or himself visiting feel that she or he really is suitable, and entering connection with a far more genuine, 'organismic' self which happens to be there in some manner, but been hidden. They may then be genuine, less preoccupied with appearances and facades, or living to the expectations of others.They might value their very own feelings more, negative or positive. They might start to enjoy their experience with as soon as. They might value others more, and revel in associated with them, instead of feeling oppressed, shy, inferior.
The Counsellor achieves this by developing a climate of acceptance within that the client will find her or himself. Certain therapeutic conditions facilitate this, conditions set through the founding father of this method, Carl Rogers. Included in this are: The therapist's genuineness, or authenticity. This cannot be just acted, it needs to be real or it will likely be useless. Total acceptance from the client, and positive regard on their behalf, regardless of how they seem like. Empathic understanding', the counselor really being aware of what the customer says, and, further, showing the customer their feelings happen to be understood.
Psychodynamic Counselling and Psychiatric therapy psychodynamic, or Psychoanalytic, therapy tries to promote an interaction including unconscious aspects of the customer. A whole lifetime's experience, most powerfully exactly what the person is familiar with from their first relationships when they are young, determines how a client pertains to others. This can emerge in certain form within the therapeutic relationship too, and the counselor needs to understand what forces and influences might be at the office within the client.
This method doesn't bring that concept of 'free will'. It doesn't see our thinking, feeling and making decisions because of conscious awareness, but because the outcomes of numerous forces that are operating beneath conscious awareness. The individual is acting and associated with others largely because the results of the instincts they're born with, along with what they've discovered themselves, largely with the nature of the close relationships at the begining of existence.
The specific 'personality' is created within the crucible of the early experience. If, for instance, the primary carer from the child hasn't given her correctly, this is set in being an anxiety. This can be simply about being given, about getting enough to consume, or it might be extended through the infant into related things, for example trust (they've learned to not trust those meals, or even the carer, is going to be there if needed), or insecurity about existence generally, or a sense of there always being something missing. An effect may be overeating, say, or avarice in different ways, for goods, or neediness, anxious demand for existence of others, a treadmill other. This really is an example. You will find myriad types of operations of the kind within the psyche, developing from birth, with all sorts of subtleties and variations. They're just about all set in an amount of the individual which isn't available to the conscious mind, and therefore are acted out subconsciously. The counselor needs to understand the character of those unconscious systems, and just how they're employed in the session as well as in the individual's existence. The client's ideas and actions and feelings might be 'interpreted' through the counselor,
when it comes to how their unconscious may be directing them. Or, possibly less controversially, how early experience may have resulted in the manner they are now. In discussing this, the customer may gain self-understanding, acceptance and much more charge of their existence. In concerning the psychotherapist, the customer could see the counselor partially as 'like' another person, say a parent. This really is known as 'transference', because feelings initially evoked through the parent are 'transferred' to the counsellor, where they may be made conscious and worked within therapy. Integrative Counselling and Psychiatric therapy As it would seem, an integrative approach tries to integrate a number of theories into one unified method.
I still find it hard to integrate Person-Centred and Psychodynamic orientations into one, because they are in lots of way antithetical. The idea from the 'expert' for instance. Person-Centred Counselling attempts to avoid a scenario where one individual is becoming 'expert' and yet another may be the passive receiver of knowledge. In Psychodynamic counselling for child behaviour or psychiatric therapy it may appear hard to avert this. The specialist may be the holder of the items can appear as an arcane understanding, mainly from the workings from the unconscious, understanding that is transmitted in interpretations of the items the customer states. This contrasts having a simple but 'prized' acceptance from the client and anything they might say, without interpretation, out of the box the situation using the Person Centred approach.
Despite this sort of difficulty, however, I actually do still find it easy to integrate aspects of in a method which works better than either alone. That you could be employed in a largely person centred way, accepting and valuing the individual and anything they say, but be familiar with past influences in route one is now. Including the counselor being conscious of the psychodynamic options underlying the interaction between counselor and also the client. I have faith that there'll inevitably be some 'transference', and a minimum of some expectation the counselor holds understanding and skills that the client doesn't have,
which can result in certain feelings within the client. Transference is frequently seen personally Centred Counselling being an obstacle to become overcome as quickly as possible, even though To be sure that it ought to be introduced into awareness, I have faith that it's really a valuable tool, to not be ignored too early, and never to become undervalued.
The counsellor must strive to understand all elements which can be operating within the relationship anytime, and just how these might vary at different occasions, and then choose which of those ought to be distributed to the customer for his or her benefit. I still find it easy to share, tentatively, some 'psychodynamic' options without losing the fundamental 'Person-Centred' conditions of respect and genuineness. This integration of two approaches within an experienced psychotherapist, who isn't relying simply on putting into operation a learned theory but can also be meeting the customer as genuinely and fully as you possibly can as two real people, has outstanding power to help individuals find larger and much more satisfying methods for experiencing their and themselves lives.
John Sturdy has a first-class hons. degree in British and Psychology, an MA in British Lit., certificates and Diploma in Counselling from CSCT London, as well as an MSc in Mental Counselling and Psychiatric therapy in the Roehampton Institute, London. His training period extended over some six years. He labored within the Mental Services dept. of the College for 4 years,and has been around private practice like a Counsellor and Psychotherapist in Bristol for 15 years.
#counselling for child behaviour#child counseling techniques#counselling for child behaviour near me#types of child therapy#child counseling courses#child behaviour specialist
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The Masters Tools for Dark Eras Companion by Justin Norman
Shhhhh.
Don’t startle the bronco, as so far it’s a bit of a calmer start to this week than last. (Last week’s blog was entitled “Bucking Broncos” for those unfortunate few who missed it). While I expect that horse to start buckin’ any minute now, let’s enjoy the calm between yee-haws!
I’m feeling better this week, thanks for asking. The coughing can still be back-muscle-tearing intense, but the spells are less frequent and I finally got some decent sleep this weekend.
Much more capable of getting things done.
The first thing that I got done was the prepping of the shipping sheets for both the Deluxe Exalted 3rd Edition Kickstarter and the Deluxe W20 Shattered Dreams Kickstarter. KS allows creators to download Excel spreadsheets containing the backers’ shipping addresses as well as their responses to the Backer Survey, which is where backers note the Add-on items that they have added money to their pledges for.
It is the Add-ons which are the time killer because there is no programmatic way to assemble that info besides the spreadsheet as adding on to your pledge is something KS creators invented, not Kickstarter itself. (Another reason why adopting BackerKit as our back-end program was so helpful, as they do add up and keep track of Add-ons).
The Ex3 KS has five possible physical Add-ons as well as upgrading to the Ultra Deluxe, and something like 4,000 backers getting physical rewards. So it was necessary to go backer by backer, line by line, through each spread sheet and reconcile the pledge amount with the amount added and the Add-ons selected by the backer. Let’s just say that these numbers often did not match.
And it is really important to us that backers get the items they are expecting, especially since they have had such a long wait.
Fire Orchid for the EX3 Jumpstart by Melissa Uran
Then I did the Shattered Dreams sheets and they took 1/10th the time. Book and maybe Screen? Fiendishly simple!
While I’m reconciling the pledges and add-ons, I’m also making a very simple list next to each backer containing the number of each item that will go in their rewards box that the shipper packs. We’ve discovered painfully that we need to create what is basically a bill of lading for each backer in order to increase the odds they’ll get the right stuff.
Finally, I delete any columns that contain information that the shipper doesn’t need. Like what names the backers gave us for inclusion in the book, that sort of info. And now the shipper sheets are out to our fulfillment shippers, and they are reviewing them and already have gotten back to me with questions, which is a very good thing.
Much as we always say to freelancers: communication is key. A shipper who feels he can talk with you and ask questions can often point out mistakes before they bother the backers, and can suggest better methods that may improve things all around, or even save us money.
Which with shipping costs where they are, we need all the help we can get.
Fall of Iserion for Dark Eras Companion by Alex Sheikman
The thing is, and one of the reasons I shared this process, is that with feeling ill and my concentration being a bit short, this all pretty much took up my week along with the aftermath of last week’s upset. In an organization the size of Onyx Path, it only takes one of us to get sick, and some things just don’t get done.
But a lot more got done than if this had happened last year, because we now have Rollickin’ Rose and Mighty Matt on board. Now, they can pick up tasks when I can’t do them, and visa versa. In addition, between the three of us we now have the bandwidth/infrastructure to step in and assist projects, or entire game lines, get back on track. Or even onto a whole nother track that is better.
I’ll be writing more about those sorts of changes in the weeks to come as I let you in on some of the leaps forward we are making.
BLURBS!
KICKSTARTER!
I’m finishing up the KS pages for the Prince’s Gambit casual card game this week. Things look good, and we are all for starting the KS in early March so long as the process of pulling the KS together cooperates. If so, then Monarchies of Mau KS would be next, after Gambit.
ON SALE!
DTRPG’s GM’s Day Sale starts March 2nd and runs for about a week! Check out all sorts of sales and bargains on Onyx Path and White Wolf PDFs at DriveThruRPG.com!
Looking for our Deluxe or Prestige Edition books? Here’s the link to the press release we put out about how Onyx Path is now selling through Indie Press Revolution: http://ift.tt/1ZlTT6z
You can now order wave 2 of our Deluxe and Prestige print overrun books, including Deluxe Mage 20th Anniversary, and Deluxe V20 Dark Ages!
Continuing our individual Dark Eras chapters, we’re hoping that we can offer you Dark Eras: Fallen Blossoms this Wednesday, March 1st, if the USPS fates are kind to us and we get the PoD proof!
From the massive Chronicles of Darkness: Dark Eras main book, we have pulled this single chapter, Dark Eras: Doubting Souls (Hunter 1690-1695 Salem). Immigrants and tribes struggled to co-exist on the Eastern Seaboard in the ever-expanding Colonies. Violent clashes, supernatural beliefs, and demonic influences spelled disaster for Salem Village and its surrounding towns, while others fought werewolves and vampires on the frontier. With so much at risk, only god-fearing men and women were deemed innocent — and those were few indeed.
Available in PDF and physical copy PoD versions on DTRPG: http://ift.tt/2kKOrfm
From the massive Chronicles of Darkness: Dark Eras main book, we have pulled this single chapter, Dark Eras: The Bowery Dogs (Werewolf 1969-1979 NYC). New York City in the 1970s. Crime. Drugs. Gang violence. Vast economic disparity. And werewolves. It’s a lean, ugly time to be alive, and the lone wolf doesn’t stand a chance out there. In the end, all you really have is family.
Available in PDF and physical copy PoD versions on DTRPG: http://ift.tt/2lM0Tzv
The Locker is open; the Chronicles of Darkness: Hurt Locker, that is! PDF and physical copy PoDs are now available on DTRPG! http://ift.tt/2gbM9me
Hurt Locker features:
Treatment of violence in the Chronicles of Darkness. Lasting trauma, scene framing, and other tools for making your stories hurt.
Many new player options, including Merits, supernatural knacks, and even new character types like psychic vampires and sleeper cell soldiers.
Expanded equipment and equipment rules.
Hurt Locker requires the Chronicles of Darkness Rulebook or any other standalone Chronicles of Darkness rulebook such as Vampire: The Requiem, Werewolf: The Forsaken, or Beast: The Primordial to use.
Both the Beast: the Primordial http://ift.tt/2fEMsdO & Promethean: the Created 2nd Edition Condition Cards http://ift.tt/2iSein1 are now on sale on DTRPG in PDF and physical card PoD versions! Great for keeping track of the Conditions that are on your characters!
From the massive Chronicles of Darkness: Dark Eras main book, we have pulled this single chapter, Dark Eras: Ruins of Empire (Mummy 1893-1924). Perhaps the quintessential era of the mummy in the minds of Westerners, this period saw the decline of the two greatest empires of the age: British and Ottoman. Walk with the Arisen as they bear witness to the death of the Victorian age, to pivotal mortal discoveries in Egypt, and to the horrors of the Great War.
Available in PDF and physical copy PoD versions on DTRPG. http://ift.tt/2k0XDhX
From the massive Chronicles of Darkness: Dark Eras main book, we have pulled this single chapter, Dark Eras: The Sundered World (Werewolf and Mage 5500-5000 BCE). At the birth of civilization, in the shadow of the Fall, the Awakened stand as champions and protectors of the agricultural villages spread across the Balkans. In a world without a Gauntlet, where Shadow and flesh mingle, the steady taming of the world by humanity conflicts with the half-spirit children of Father Wolf.
Available in PDF and physical copy PoD versions on DTRPG. http://ift.tt/2k16mRj
Night Horrors: Conquering Heroes for Beast: the Primordial is available now as an Advance PDF: http://ift.tt/2j7p7lO
This book includes:
An in-depth look at how Heroes hunt and what makes a Hero, with eleven new Heroes to drop into any chronicle.
A brief look at why Beasts may antagonize one another, with seven new Beasts to drop into any chronicle.
Rules for Insatiables, ancient creatures born of the Primordial Dream intent on hunting down Beasts to fill a hunger without end, featuring six examples ready to use in any chronicle.
The PDF and physical book PoD versions of Reap the Whirlwind, the Vampire: the Requiem 2nd Edition Jumpstart swirls into being on DTRPG! http://ift.tt/2i1WPpD
You are a vampire, a junkie. Every night, you beg and you borrow and you steal just a little more life, just a few more sweet moments. But there’s a guy at the top. The Prince. He’s got everything. The money, the secrets, the blood.
Tonight, you’re going to take it from him. Tomorrow, there’ll be hell to pay.
This updated edition of Reap the Whirlwind features revisions to match the core rulebook for Vampire: the Requiem 2nd Edition. Text edits and rules clarifications have also been updated.
Reap the Whirlwind Revised includes:
Rules for creating and playing vampires in the Chronicles of Darkness
The first two levels of every clan Discipline, the dark powers of the dead
A complete adventure by noted horror author Chuck Wendig
This new revised Reap the Whirlwind Revised includes an updated booklet, 7 condition cards, and the interactive Vampire: the Requiem 2nd Edition character sheet.
It is now the preordained time for Dawn of Heresies, the Mummy: the Curse novel written by internationally renowned author Brian Hodge to arise! Both PDF/electronic and physical book PoD versions are now available on DTRPG! http://ift.tt/2iEP9dW
Rawhead and bloody bones
Steals naughty children from their homes,
Takes them to his dirty den
And they are never seen again.
So says the nursery rhyme that gives birth to Rawhead, the most fearsome entity to imperil the living since the infamous Roller. Once an obedient mummy by name of Benefre, a desperate bid by his cult fails in tragic fashion, and in so doing, sends him to the Devourerís waiting, corruptive maw. What remains of Benefreís ambitious soul rises again, impure and unholy, set to the execution of a scheme so baleful, it constitutes a heresy even among his own misbegotten kind.
All that stands between Rawhead and his terrible aim are a lone mummy, Kemsiyet, and what little remains of her cult following its destruction at Rawhead’s hands. Declan, her prized security aide, and Fiona, an Irish researcher only just recently inducted into the cult and its blood-soaked world, must fight both the odds and the clock in order to prevent a calamity the likes of which the world hasnít seen since the days of the mummies’ creation.
About the Author:
BRIAN HODGE is the acclaimed author of 11 novels, almost 125 short stories, and four full-length collections. His first collection, The Convulsion Factory, was ranked by critic Stanley Wiater among the 113 best books of modern horror. Heís currently wrapping up his fifth, The Immaculate Void. Among gamers, he is perhaps best known as the author of the first official Hellboy novel, On Earth as It Is in Hell.
Recent works include “The Weight of the Dead,” from Tor, and novelettes of cosmic horror in The Mammoth Book of Cthulhu and Children of Lovecraft. His oft-reprinted 2013 novella, “The Same Deep Waters as You” has recently been optioned by a London-based production studio for development for television. Brian lives in Colorado.
Open the V20 Dark Ages: Tome of Secrets now on DTRPG! Both PDF and physical book PoD versions are now available! http://ift.tt/2i1XOXd
The Tome of Secrets is a treatment of numerous topics about Cainites and stranger things in the Dark Medieval World. It’s about peeling back the curtain, and digging a little deeper. Inside, you’ll find:
• Expanded treatment of Assamite Sorcery, Koldunic Sorcery, Necromancy, and Setite Sorcery
• A look at Cainite knightly orders, faith movements, and even human witchcraft
• Letters and diaries from all over the Dark Medieval World
CONVENTIONS!
Starting this Wednesday, Mighty Matt McElroy will be at Seattle’s Emerald City Comicon, walking the floor, taking meetings, and generally talking the talk. Make sure you say hi if you see him there!
Impish Ian Watson will be on a Q&A panel at CAiNE http://ift.tt/2m5ejGC being hosted in Hamilton Ontario March 16 to 19th 2017!
Discussing GenCon plans. August 17th – 20th, Indianapolis. Every chance the booth will actually be 20? x 30? this year that we’ll be sharing with friends. We’re looking at new displays this year, like a back drop and magazine racks for the brochure(s).
In November, we’ll be at Game Hole Con in Madison, WI. More news as we have it, and here’s their website: http://ift.tt/RIm6qP
And now, the new project status updates!
DEVELOPMENT STATUS FROM ROLLICKING ROSE (projects in bold have changed status since last week):
First Draft (The first phase of a project that is about the work being done by writers, not dev prep)
Exalted 3rd Novel by Matt Forbeck (Exalted 3rd Edition)
Trinity Continuum: Aeon Rulebook (The Trinity Continuum)
M20 Gods and Monsters (Mage: the Ascension 20th Anniversary Edition)
M20 Cookbook (Mage: the Ascension 20th Anniversary Edition)
M20 Book of the Fallen (Mage: the Ascension 20th Anniversary Edition)
CtD C20 Jumpstart (Changeling: the Dreaming 20th Anniversary Edition)
Ex Novel 2 (Aaron Rosenberg) (Exalted 3rd Edition)
C20 Novel (Jackie Cassada) (Changeling: the Dreaming 20th Anniversary Edition)
Pugmire Fiction Anthology (Pugmire)
Monarchies of Mau Early Access (Pugmire)
Hunter: the Vigil 2e core (Hunter: the Vigil 2nd Edition)
Redlines
Scion: Origins (Scion 2nd Edition)
Scion: Hero (Scion 2nd Edition)
Kithbook Boggans (Changeling: the Dreaming 20th Anniversary Edition)
VtR Half-Damned (Vampire: the Requiem 2nd Edition)
WoD Ghost Hunters (World of Darkness)
Trinity Continuum Core Rulebook (The Trinity Continuum)
Pugmire Pan’s Guide for New Pioneers (Pugmire)
Second Draft
The Realm (Exalted 3rd Edition)
Dragon-Blooded (Exalted 3rd Edition)
BtP Beast Player’s Guide (Beast: the Primordial)
Book of Freeholds (Changeling: the Dreaming 20th Anniversary Edition)
V20 Dark Ages Jumpstart (Vampire: the Masquerade 20th Anniversary Edition)
GtS Geist 2e core (Geist: the Sin-Eaters Second Edition)
Development
W20 Changing Ways (Werewolf: the Apocalypse 20th Anniversary Edition)
Signs of Sorcery (Mage: the Awakening Second Edition)
SL Ring of Spiragos (Pathfinder – Scarred Lands 2nd Edition)
Ring of Spiragos (5e – Scarred Lands 2nd Edition)
SL Dagger of Spiragos (Pathfinder – Scarred Lands 2nd Edition)
Dagger of Spiragos (5e– Scarred Lands 2nd Edition)
Arms of the Chosen (Exalted 3rd Edition)
Changeling: the Lost 2nd Edition, featuring the Huntsmen Chronicle (Changeling: the Lost 2nd Edition)
BtP Building a Legend (Beast: the Primordial)
Editing:
W20 Song of Unmaking novel (Bridges) (Werewolf: the Apocalypse 20th Anniversary Edition)
CtD C20 Anthology (Changeling: the Dreaming 20th Anniversary Edition)
Wraith: the Oblivion 20th Anniversary Edition
Post-Editing Development:
CtL fiction anthology (Changeling: the Lost 2nd Edition)
VtR A Thousand Years of Night (Vampire: the Requiem 2nd Edition)
Indexing:
ART DIRECTION FROM MIRTHFUL MIKE:
In Art Direction
Beckett’s Jyhad Diary – new stuff AD’d
W20 Pentex Employee Indoctrination Handbook
V20 Dark Ages Companion – More sketches… need to ping a couple of artists as they missed sketch deadline.
Dagger of Spiragos – Sketches in and approved… as far as I know maps are on schedule.
VTR: Thousand Years of Night
Cavaliers of Mars – Sending notes out.
Monarchies of Mau Early Access – Prepping notes for artists
Marketing Stuff
In Layout
Prince’s Gambit – Kickstarter Prep.
C20 – With Aileen
M20 Book of Secrets – Moving into layout, but still dealing with artist shenanigans. It’s a large book… so it’ll be a while before it hits proofing.
Pugmire – Inputting errata and prepping final file for indexing.
Proofing
EX3 Tomb of Dreams Jumpstart – first proof.
Dark Eras Companion – First Proof… and hopefully artist shenanigans wrapping up soon.
V20 Lore of the Bloodlines
At Press
Ex 3 Screen – Shipped to fulfillment shippers.
Ex 3 core book – Shipped to fulfillment shippers. Addresses at shippers.
Secrets of the Covenants – PoD proofs ordered and we are waiting..
Beckett Screen – Shipped to shipper.
W20 Shattered Dreams – Shipped to fulfillment shippers.
Shattered Dreams Screen – Shipped to shipper.
Beast Conquering Heroes – Prepping PoD files.
Mortal Remains: Beast- Red In Tooth and Claw – Uploaded and processing.
Dark Eras : Fallen Blossoms – PoD proof ordered, may go on sale Wednesday if we get the proof in in time.
Dark Eras: Beneath the Skin – Uploaded and Processing.
Dark Eras: Out of the Cold – Uploaded and Processing.
Necropolis Rio – Uploaded and processing.
TODAY’S REASON TO CELEBRATE: Tomorrow is Gen Con Exhibitor hotel room allocation day! Celebrate because you don’t have to go through this, and Mighty Matt and I do!
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Podcast: Benefits of a Video Library Documenting Mental Health Issues
Today Gabe speaks with the president and CEO of PsychHub.com, Marjorie Morrison. Psych Hub is a partner of PsychCentral.com and has more than 100 free animated videos on a variety of mental health, substance use, and suicide prevention topics.
Join us as Marjorie explains how Psych Hub got started, what types of videos they have, how to find credible information in the internet age, and how for some, animated videos can be the best choice for an information source.
SUBSCRIBE & REVIEW
Guest information for ‘Video Library Documenting Mental Health’ Podcast Episode
Marjorie Morrison is the president and CEO of Psych Hub, the premier online platform for engaging videos on mental health, substance use, and suicide prevention. A visionary and pioneer in the mental health space, Morrison co-founded Psych Hub with Patrick J. Kennedy to connect people with best-in-class online certification trainings for providers and a free public video library for people seeking to learn more about some of our Nation’s most vexing mental health challenges.
Prior to Psych Hub, Morrison was the founder and CEO of PsychArmor Institute, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization. Under Morrison’s leadership, PsychArmor flourished and is now widely recognized as the trusted “Best-in-Class” resource regarding the understanding of and solutions to complex and unique military veteran issues
Morrison is a CA Licensed Marriage Family Therapist, a CA Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor, a PPS-credentialed School Psychologist, and the author of The Inside Battle: Our Military Mental Health Crisis. As a subject matter expert, she has been featured by national media giants such as BBC, NBC, FOX, CBS, CNN, and NPR, along with being a contributing writer for multiple outlets.
About The Psych Central Podcast Host
Gabe Howard is an award-winning writer and speaker who lives with bipolar disorder. He is the author of the popular book, Mental Illness is an Asshole and other Observations, available from Amazon; signed copies are also available directly from Gabe Howard. To learn more, please visit his website, gabehoward.com.
Computer Generated Transcript for ‘Video Library Documenting Mental Health’ Episode
Editor’s Note: Please be mindful that this transcript has been computer generated and therefore may contain inaccuracies and grammar errors. Thank you.
Announcer: Welcome to the Psych Central Podcast, where each episode features guest experts discussing psychology and mental health in everyday plain language. Here’s your host, Gabe Howard.
Gabe Howard: Hello, everyone, and welcome to this week’s episode of the Psych Central Podcast. Calling into the show today we have the CEO and president of Psych Hub, Marjorie Morrison. Psych Hub is a PsychCentral.com partner Web site and we are super excited to be working with them. Marjorie, welcome to the show.
Marjorie Morrison: Thank you, Gabe. Thanks so much for having me.
Gabe Howard: Oh, well, it’s, of course, always a pleasure to have any partner of PsychCentral.com on the show. And before the partnership with Psych Central, I wasn’t aware of your organization. Can you tell us what Psych Hub is? As well as the mission behind it?
Marjorie Morrison: Absolutely, and I’m hoping the reason why you hadn’t heard of us is because we’re like brand new and you were one of our first partners. So you were in early. Psych Hub is online education in the mental health, substance use, and suicide prevention space. So we are an online library of over 100 free short videos. We call them micro videos; they are usually about 2, 3, 4 minutes. They’re all animated and they’re all around subjects of all types of mental health issues, substance use and suicide prevention. About two-thirds of them are targeted for consumers. And the other third are for healthcare professionals, doctors, nurses, hospitals and clinics.
Gabe Howard: Nice.
Marjorie Morrison: There’s so much information out there and it can be so confusing. And people also experience mental health issues so differently. So depression to one person might be different than depression to someone else. Words really matter when you talk about mental health because you can be very exclusive if you use the wrong words. And yet not everybody experiences things the same way. So you have to be very careful about explaining that this may not be what you feel, but this is what I feel.
Gabe Howard: To sort of go back for a moment, can you tell us how this all sprang up? I mean, were you just sitting in a room one day and you thought, hey, what we need are mental health cartoons? Can you walk us through that process?
Marjorie Morrison: Patrick Kennedy has been a longtime friend of mine, and I was just sitting having lunch with him one day and talking to him, and I said wouldn’t it be so great if we could take a similar model and do it in the greater mental health, substance use, and suicide prevention space? And he was like, “Okay, that’s great, let’s do it.”
Gabe Howard: That’s incredible. And of course, my favorite part of the story is that a previous guest of the Psych Central Podcast and a current guest of the Psych Central Podcast are buddies in real life. That’s awesome. Patrick Kennedy is a great friend of the show.
Marjorie Morrison: So he became my co-founder and just really felt like there was a need for a place where people could get engaging information at a fairly basic educational — maybe high school — level. Nowadays, people consume information by watching videos quite a bit more than they would read things. You know, people will just not stop and actually go to a Psych Central with credible information and read from there. They’ll get information from all kinds of places. Oftentimes not credible. So I learned a lot about online education and the movement that what you can do and how you can scale really good quality information in a training or in a video, much more so than anything else. Because a lot of times when you read something, you can interpret it a lot of different ways. When you watch something, most people interpret it the same way. And the retention of what you have when you watch a video is so much higher. So it’s a really good medium to really kind of scale quality information. So that was where it started.
Gabe Howard: And this shouldn’t come as any surprise. I mean, even if we look at, like the history of Facebook, you know, Facebook started, all you could do was type in a status update. And now even Facebook allows you to not only upload videos, but also to go live. You can literally have a live video on Facebook. And the reason that I bring that up is not to plug Facebook because they don’t need our help, but because Facebook is really good at giving people what they want. And clearly what people want is video content. Did that go into your thinking or were you just like, hey, there’s just so many blogs, we have to do something different or we will be drowned in the space?
Marjorie Morrison: No, it was a much bigger quest. It was a knowing that people are not reading, you know, they’re gathering information on whether it’s social media, YouTube or whatever it is. And the whole space of mental health is very complex. You know, there’s just so many different symptoms or diagnoses and they’re very different. You know, when you think about we clump mental health, it would just be the same thing as clumping medical. So if you have a, you know, a heart issue, it’s very different than a broken foot. And I think we tend to “Oh, she has mental health issues.” You know, it’s like.
Gabe Howard: Right.
Marjorie Morrison: That’s why we have over 100 in. Our intent doesn’t – it’s not to have somebody watching, you know, 100 something videos. It’s to give people the information that they want when they need it and have it to be customized. So if it is something like I’m just using example, depression, watch a video. But this is what depression is, then there’ll be another video. These are medications for depression. These are evidence based treatments for depression, all done in first person. All of our videos are very positive about help work. We don’t ever have anybody who is sad and cowering in a corner and all of the things that make stigma worse. Right? Our characters are just average people using diversity of different colors, skin, different sizes, different accents in everyday life who experience everyday mental health conditions that are so prevalent.
Gabe Howard: That is incredible. Now, one of the things that you talk about and I love this, especially for, you know, the work that I do as a mental health advocate, and of course, PsychCentral.com believes so strongly that correct and credible and factual information is worth so much more than, you know, hearing what you want or the comforting lie. But this is tough, right? How do people know what’s credible and what’s not? It’s not just as simple as, oh, go to this website and not this one.
Marjorie Morrison: Right.
Gabe Howard: Some Web sites have a mixture of credible and not credible information. What would you say to somebody if they’re asking, how can we ensure that the information we’re finding online is credible?
Marjorie Morrison: It’s so true. And you know, and I think it’s going to continue to be a problem. It’s I think it’s going to get worse before it gets better because there’s just so much content out there. And people also want to promote themselves as subject matter experts. So they’re producing their own kind of content. It’s a great question. And I mean, there’s just so much bad information out there. So I think, you know, first and foremost, that all of us to get our information online. We really need to look at the site, look at is it a reputable company? Where are they getting their information from, you know? Do they have partners? Where are the partners coming from? What’s the criteria that they might have to vet information? I think that also there is an element of common sense people have to use. And I always say that first and foremost, because people want to believe what they want to believe, right? So I have a friend who has cancer. And he was telling me I got diagnosed with stage four cancer of a very slow growing cancer. And he was explaining to me that he truly believed that his cancer wasn’t going to grow. And he said, I just was like searching the Internet, searching the Internet. I finally found a site that said, even if it’s at stage 4, it so slow growing, you don’t have to do treatment. And he resisted treatment for a while. And actually, he’s doing well now because he got treatment. So it’s a good story. But the reason why I share this with you is that he kept digging to find what he wanted to find, you know? And I think that’s another scary thing, too, because if you keep looking, you’re going to find it. Right? So it’s just also so important that people are open minded about are you trying to find information to tell you what you want to hear or are you actually seeking knowledge and are you using a credible site?
Gabe Howard: I think what you’ve described is called answer shopping.
Marjorie Morrison: Yes.
Gabe Howard: And we’re all guilty of that in so many things. We do this in politics, we do this in religion. We do this in our friendships. If we want to be mad at our friend, we will find every single reason to be mad at them and ignore the part where we’ve known them for 25 years and they loved us when we were in high school and nerdy. You have to look at it with a critical eye and think to yourself, is this accurate? And can I find something that backs it up or does it only exist in this space?
Marjorie Morrison: That’s exactly what it is. And you know what? Obviously, we’re having this issue with our news, too. So in politics and whatever it is. So I think it’s we in mental health are a microcosm of the bigger problem, which is just information overload. I think it’s going to get worse before it gets better. There’s no way to really guarantee that this is quality information. So I know for us at Psych Hub, we work really, really hard to make sure that our videos are as accurate and as professional and with the most evidence-based content that’s clinically sound and trauma informed. And so we go through a painstaking process, a whole bunch of powers that be — we have them review them on an editing software before it goes live. And I’m so proud to say this. We have never yet had to take one video down or make any. Not a single edit. And we have conjured the thousands of views now. So now we’re going through it and I’m only plugging that in that that’s how important it is to us that we’re giving up quality information.
Gabe Howard: I like what you said there, though, that in that whole time you haven’t had to do it because you would do it.
Marjorie Morrison: Absolutely.
Gabe Howard: If something changed, if information was brought to light that was wrong, you would remove that. So admitting that you made a mistake or that something wasn’t accurate or even just acknowledging that research changes and removing and updating, that’s something to look for, right? People who are willing to say, yeah. Yeah. That this was incorrect and now this is what’s correct are actually more credible than people who have managed to go 25 years without ever making a mistake.
Marjorie Morrison: I mean, absolutely, and some of the stuff, you’re right, and sometimes you will say to me, well, what’s your favorite one? And. This is it. Literally we treat each one exactly the same because it could just be one video that gives off the wrong information and you can cause a lot of a lot of havoc for that.
Gabe Howard: We’ll hear from our sponsor and be right back.
Announcer: This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp.com. Secure, convenient, and affordable online counseling. Our counselors are licensed, accredited professionals. Anything you share is confidential. Schedule secure video or phone sessions, plus chat and text with your therapist whenever you feel it’s needed. A month of online therapy often costs less than a single traditional face-to-face session. Go to BetterHelp.com/PsychCentral and experience seven days of free therapy to see if online counseling is right for you. BetterHelp.com/PsychCentral.
Gabe Howard: And we’re back speaking with Marjorie Morrison, the CEO and president of PsychHub.com. I know that there’s a lot of challenges in being a mental health speaker or being a mental health podcaster or her being a mental health writer. And obviously, you’ve listed some of the challenges and even making little animated mental health videos. But aside from everything that we’ve already discussed, what are some big challenges in putting mental health information out there, especially in our current state, with a lot of misunderstanding?
Marjorie Morrison: I will tell you, depending on the day of the week you asked me that question, you’re going to get a different answer.
Gabe Howard: I love that, I love that.
Marjorie Morrison: I’m going to try to give you the sort of most… I think the biggest issue is that there are evidence-based interventions that are better to treat symptoms. And people just don’t understand that the average consumer doesn’t know. And I use myself as an example when I used to be in private practice. I could have someone come in with ADHD at 9 o’clock. I could have major depression at 10:00. I could have sexual trauma at 11:00. I could have complicated grief at 12:00. I could have insomnia at 1:00. People have, like we talked about already, so many different types of diagnoses or symptoms. And yet we go to a therapist who is a generalist. And it oftentimes doesn’t work for either party. The patient doesn’t really understand that there’s a specific intervention. I’m gonna use, for example, sleep issues, cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia is an effective treatment. Talking about what happened to them in fifth grade isn’t gonna help them sleep any better, but they might sit there for a year talking about it because that’s what intervention their therapist does. So I just think that is the biggest challenge that we face in mental health is this really educating both the consumer side of it and on the provider side of it.
Gabe Howard: It sort of sounds like what you’re saying is that when you have a hammer, everything looks like a nail. So you have a mental health issue and you don’t know where to go. You might get a different answer if you go to, say, a general practitioner versus a therapist versus a psychologist versus a psychiatrist. So even though you’re the same, you could potentially get four different takes on what’s going on. Because after all, there’s no definitive test for any mental health issue. We can’t take blood and say, aha, that that creates confusion. And then we add everything that we’ve already talked about, you know, answer shopping, fear, the stigma, discrimination, the stuff we put on ourselves. Well, I’m not crazy. I’m fine. And on and on and on and on and on. It really does sort of create this potential for mass confusion.
Marjorie Morrison: Yeah. You know what, you bring up a really good point about the different disciplines because I wasn’t even going there. But you’re absolutely right. The psychologists, a psychiatrist, a social worker, they’re all different. But even just as a therapist, a psychotherapist, you could use, you know, talk therapy or a theoretical type of family systems approach. And yet it might be that cognitive behavioral therapy for whatever that symptom is, is a better fit. The disciplines make it confusing, the treatment types make it confusing. And so I think that, you know, it’s at Psych Hub what we’re trying so hard to do is educate people. If you have whatever it is, it might be eating disorder, substance use, schizophrenia. There are different treatment types and to get educated about what they are. So you could start looking around for providers that know that intervention and that use it. That’s where we would feel like we were we were at a success.
Gabe Howard: And speaking about health care providers for a moment, what can health care providers do to help in the process to improve the mental health experience?
Marjorie Morrison: One I would say is getting educated in evidence-based practice. It’s very confusing to kind of know what’s out there and what’s the latest and greatest. They have it just as bad, too, with all this information out there, but also helping educate their patients or their clients, helping them know that, A, things are gonna get better. Expecting what the process is like. So we know one of the biggest challenges for patients is this not knowing what therapy is going to be like, the fear of the unknown. Right? So providers can help with that. I’d like to say that videos help with that, too. Now we are coming out with what we’re calling these kind of companion videos in January. So things that therapists can send to a patient to be able to educate their patient. This is what that therapy is going to be like. This is what we’re going to try to cover or cover around this session. I think that that’s good. And that also puts some of the responsibility of the treatment on the patient, which I think is also part of that process that works well.
Gabe Howard: I know that Psych Hub is a new organization, and I also know from interviewing experts all over the country that it’s fascinating because younger practitioners are like, oh, yeah, we love the Internet, we have sites that we like and that we send our patients to on the regular. And I hate to say older practitioners, but we’ll say practitioners with more experience say, no, no, no, no. I advise my clients not to get on the Internet in any way that the Internet is bad, bad. So I know that Psych Hub is a new organization, but have you found practitioners being receptive to utilizing your videos in their practices or is that a goal?
Marjorie Morrison: We are rolling out a whole phase two in January, February, and so we partnered with the major insurance companies. Right now what we have is all public facing and we have not come to the practitioner side. I would imagine that we will find, A, what you are talking about like the more seasoned ones, but also they’re not as much on line. So part of it is an age piece as well, because the 30 year olds and, you know, early 40 year olds are doing everything online and probably are scheduling all their appointments online and providing maybe some digital therapies in between sessions. And so really the whole practice is changing. And depending on the age demographic, your experience could be different too.
Gabe Howard: So my final question that I have for you is what other resources do you use that you would recommend to others? Because again, like you said and sort of as we talked about, it’s hard to find quality information. What can you recommend that you’re sort of vouching for?
Marjorie Morrison: So I get asked this question all the time. My number one answer. I know this is going to be a real shocker to you, it’s always Psych Central. So the first thing I always tell people is
Gabe Howard: Yeah. Yay!
Marjorie Morrison: You have to go to Psych Central. They have the best. They have the best content, the best stuff. So, I mean, I’m not just saying that because I’m on your podcast. It really is. I mean, I know we share a lot on our social, too, about Psych Central. But it’s so important people know that the quality of content of Psych Central is so good and the need of it is so important. We also really like PsyberGuide. I don’t know if you’re familiar with it, but it’s a great resource that helps rate different kind of mental health apps and tools and technologies. It’s really like a consumer guide for all the stuff that’s out there. It’s “cyber guide,” but it’s P S Y B E R. So that’s one of our favorites. And then we have like our our favorite more national based nonprofits that are close partners of ours, MHA and NAMI are ones that we work with, the Jed Foundation, you know, really on a regular basis that we would send people to or that people could look at. But that’s what I would say is there’s not a lot of really, really good, kinda credible stuff. But there are some great, great associations. The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention has great content on there. So a lot of times these larger nonprofits that are national, that have been around a while, are really, really credible.
Gabe Howard: Well, that is excellent. And of course, thank you so much for all you do over at PsychHub.com. And that’s how we find it. You don’t need any special software. You don’t need to download any special apps. You just go to PsychHub.com. And I know that you can click on individual, if you’re an individual; you can click on provider, if you’re a provider, and they’re all right there and they’re all 100 percent free. There’s not a catch in the world, correct?
Marjorie Morrison: That is correct.
Gabe Howard: Well, awesome. If you’re not heading over there right now, you’re missing out. Marjorie, thank you so much for being on the show.
Marjorie Morrison: Thank you so much for having me. I appreciate it. I appreciate all that you do.
Gabe Howard: Oh, you’re very, very welcome. And listen up, everybody, if you want to interact with the show on Facebook, if you want to suggest topics, comment on the show, or be the first to get updates, you can do so by joining our Facebook group just by going to PsychCentral.com/FBshow. And don’t forget to review our show on whatever podcast player you found us on. And do me a favor, tell a friend. I would take it as a personal favor and I’d owe you one if I ever saw you in real life. And remember, you can get one week of free, convenient, affordable, private online counseling anytime, anywhere, simply by visiting you BetterHelp.com/PsychCentral. We’ll see everyone next week.
Announcer: You’ve been listening to the Psych Central Podcast. Previous episodes can be found at PsychCentral.com/show or on your favorite podcast player. To learn more about our host, Gabe Howard, please visit his website at GabeHoward.com. PsychCentral.com is the internet’s oldest and largest independent mental health website run by mental health professionals. Overseen by Dr. John Grohol, PsychCentral.com offers trusted resources and quizzes to help answer your questions about mental health, personality, psychotherapy, and more. Please visit us today at PsychCentral.com. If you have feedback about the show, please email [email protected]. Thank you for listening and please share widely.
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How To Write Blog Post For Your Medical Practice?
I get it.
You signed to be a medical practitioner and not a blogger. But a blogger and you have one thing in common: You all need audience.
You all need a crowd that will embrace your work and reward you with loyalty. That means a blog or a site is not a project that you do to pass by or, do if for the sake.
If you're running a healthcare blog, readers can easily notice if you care for them or, you're just interested in making money. Blogs in healthcare market that have become big know how to care for their audience.
A blog can be great for your medical practice. Not only can it bring new patients, it can also help you cultivate personal relationship with them. But how do your create blog post that will appeal to patients?
In other words, how can you make your writing shining in the healthcare market?
How do you make the audience believe in you?
All of those questions means the same thing. It what every healthcare market blog struggle with outside.
There's is a solution.
The One Thing That Patients Resonate With( It Can Change Your Writing)
Readers are savvy. They can tell if you care about them or not. How do they know that. If your blog is all about you and what you do, chances are most readers will ignore.
Readers are likely to resonate with your healthcare blog if you write with empathy. Empathy not sympathy will win your reader's heart.
Writing with empathy is easier said than done. Actually, it won't surprise you to find that most people don't know what empathy or sympathy mean. They like to confuse the two.
Take a minute and watch the Brene' Bruno video, it strikes out a big difference between empathy and sympathy. Maybe you wondering, what are the benefit of writing with empathy:
Your communication with your readers comes out as authentic, heartfelt without sounding sugary-sweet.
You don't force your way writing to the reader.
You come up as a genuine person and appealing to them.
Your conversation sounds intimate and not a lecture.
Your audience begins to resonate with you.
If you've checked the video above, you'll notice that empathy is embracing them even if you have no solution to their problems. Sympathy is more like holding them on your arm's length. How do you write with empathy?
Takeaway: To win your readers, you must share the emotional connection. That deep feelings they have. If you want to write with empathy, mirror their feelings to them. Always agree with, never preach and lecture on what they should do. We are humans beings at the end of the day, all we want is person who we can have intimate conversion or emotional connection.
Choosing An Angle For Your Healthcare Blog Post
To write a post that patient resonate with, you have to know what is hot in the healthcare market. It is excellent to know what is popular in health niche for a few reasons:
You'll know your patient's desires and frustrations
Influencers in the health niche are likely to send you traffic
Your post helps you understand your patients better.
Getting Into Your Patient's Head
Yes, you know who your audience are. They are patients who come to your clinic everyday, asking for treatments. But, do you have an idea of what they want?
It is easier to assume that they want treatment or cure for the ailments. That is not what they want. To find out what your patients need, study their psychographic traits. If you been blogging for a long time, you know that audiences have certain common traits like fears, desires, goals and frustrations.
That is what makes what keeps them awake in the wee hours of the night:
They have a goal of living long.
They have fear that their health conditions may get out of hand.
They are frustrated with their past health experiences.
How do you know your audience greatest desires or health goals? It is simple. Do the following exercises.
I want to (action) and (action) so I can (achieve results) and (action results).
Take an example from the weight loss category:
I want to lose weight and be fit so that I can fit in my wedding dress
I want to lean and strong so that I can live longer and healthy
If you do this exercise right, readers will feel the connections and empathy that you have for them. You can create 10 or 20 more sentences to have a clear Idea of what they want.
Creating A Prize-Winning Title That Get's Your Patients Attention
You now realized the benefit of empathizing with your patients. It is the only of creating a connection and cultivate intimate conversation.
If you have done that right and did the above exercises, creating a prize-winning title will be an easier things for one reason.
Now, you know exactly what keeps your audience night. You know their frustrations, fears, desires and goals. Each headline that you create for them, has to mirror frustrations, fears, desires and goals that they have. Here are the steps that you can take to create an irresistible title for your audience:
Step 1. The title needs to have measurable results.
Have seen my title above, I did want to write something vague like: How to create the perfect blog post in the healthcare market. It sounds generic.
To get your attention, I translated the obsession you have to measurable results.
The results is getting "New Patients", which got your attention. Knowing what keeps you patients at night is huge.
It's still not enough. You have to measure those obsessions they have. In other words, you have to look at your patient in the eye and tell them that they have achieved.
To create an irresistible title, you have to measure results. Here is a simple exercise on how you do just that:
Obsessions
Outcome/Results/Measurable
I want to lose weight
A Simple Yet, Overlooked Way Of Losing 1 Pound
Every Week
I want to get patients
How to Write Prizing Posts That call In New Patients
If you still don't know know the outcome or how to measure results. Go to Amazon, then look at your books in the healthcare market.
You may need to read reviews to find out what customers are sayings. Lookout for the words and phrases that come up often.
You can also look at the comments of the most popular blogs in the healthcare market. What are people talking about.
Forums are also a great way of finding out what is topics are trending and the problems people are having.
If you found the results, then you can create a prize-winning article for your audience.
Step 2: Writing A Hypnotic Introductions That Glue Readers On The Computer Screen
It is true that 80% of online searches will look at the headline before deciding to read your article right.
And 50% of them will look at your introduction to see if you have something new before deciding to read your entire content.
What does this mean for an average healthcare bloggers? Your blog post must score on both the headline and the introduction.
It doesn't make any sense to create a wonderful headline, only to lose half of the readers in your introduction because you sound boring.
To create a hypnotic introduction that amazes patients, you must have empathy. In other words, you need empathetic opening.
Take an example from the weight loss niche, how can you create a headline that "wow" your patients? Here are questions that I would ask myself:
What is going on in my reader's mind? (Hint: write everything down)
What past experiences does he has? Or what have they tried in the past and fail( writing everything down)
How do they know if they have achieved their results?(writing everything down)
Rule of Thumbs: Try to focus on past experience and history patients have on that subject
Here is an example on how I will structure the introductions based on the answers that I have.
Title: A Simple Yet, Overlooked Way Of Losing 1 Pound Week
Sounds like a dream, right
You've tried everything from pulling heavy trenches, running, dieting, walking, still nothing works. Looks like a spell that you've inherited and no one seems to understand.
Everybody from your family and friends thinks that you're lazy. You're not doing much to lose that weight. In fact, they are tired of hearing you whining all the time. And it freaks you out because no one cares about your feelings. There is a solution.
That intro was powerful enough to get the reader, reading the whole sentence, because you're speaking to their emotions and feelings. The feelings your empathy and connections. In fact, you sound like a person who has gone through the same experiences.
Step 3: Always support your point
In every points you have in the post, you need to back it up with examples just like I have done to show you. You can either search for the example or write them based on how you understand the topic.
Statistics and past interviews are a good way of supporting every point that you have. You'll make readers understand better you topics.
Now You Can Create Spellbinding Copies That Wins Your Patient’s Attention
The key to writing spellbinding content is empathizing with the reader. That is the only way of winning their hearts and soul.
If you write intimate stories and posts that not only answers their problems but also makes them feel a connection, there’ll come to your practise.
Sit down today and understand your audience in terms of their fears, frustrations, goals and desires.
Try to think of their past experiences and history. Ask yourself, what have they gone through.
Dig into their past, to find out what they have tried and what they have gone through. Then, you can start now creating posts with introductions and headlines that mirror their feelings.
I hope this article gave you an in-depth clue.
from Outsourcing Insight https://www.outsourcinginsight.com/healthcare-content-marketing/
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Get associated With Your Acne With These Tips
That 's just human nature, I guess. But if you are reading this, you may be ready to be able to out some easier methods in making sure your desired youthful skin.
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You have got to take action, but more is n't invariably better let's discuss removing whiteheads. Regular gentle care is the key. It is very important to follow 3 easy steps, twice per night.
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Hi! I'm Back!
Hiiiiiiii
Oh god, it's been so long. So first: I AM SO SORRY.
I'm on my knees! Or sitting in a swivel chair.
Second, there's a reason I took a hiatus....and then continued to write and rewrite the next blog....and then procrastinated.
So first let me thank two dear friends who have been actively involved in marine mammal training for helping me get this latest blog out to the universe. It was seriously like a gigantic poop that needed to come out, but just wouldn't no matter how many trips to the ol' W.C. it took. (Look, you are all zookeepers so I feel like you can handle this analogy.)
God that feels good
For those of you who don't know, I left the field to pursue the equally amazing field of forensic science. Yes, I voluntarily put myself in FAFSA debt so I could hopefully one day be gainfully employed dealing with delicious science. Mostly, I just wanted a lab coat and to use pipettes every day.
Anyways, I've been working hard at getting my M.S. in forensic science. I LOVE it but it has completely taken over my life. And I've been doing a lot of thinking about the marine mammal community....what it was like to leave it, what it's like to be on the outside, and what overlap there'll be in my new chosen field with the old one. There are a few things I want to talk about.
The pipe really drives it home
First, some of the reason why it took me so long to publish this blog is because - honestly- I was pretty angry. Was it at animal rights activists? Or did I turn anti-captivity?
Candy is dandy, but liquor is quicker. ...but candy.
No and no. While there have been a few incidents that have really upset me that have had to do with animal rights extremists (Vancouver Aquarium, anyone?), the thing that really hurt me was the belief some of you had that I "went to the other side." That sentiment started happening around the time I started at National Aquarium, and it seems like it kind of spiraled into a sad little story.
It doesn't have to be this way
So let's just make sure you all know, I am NOT anti-zoo. You know what I am? I am pro-animal, like all of you. I believe in the incredible work that many zoos and aquariums do. Those are the places that put their animals first, and the ones who are willing to take feedback (no matter how critical) and use it to make themselves better. That was something I thought I'd find at National Aquarium; they want to do something different for their animals. And you know what? Their dolphins are AMAZING. Their vet and training staff are some of the most dedicated I've ever seen, both towards the animals and towards the staff. I thought it was a really cool idea to think about building a state of the art facility for the animals.
Here's something really interesting I've come across since starting my new journey: the forensic science field -especially fingerprint and firearms comparison- has been pretty heavily scrutinized by not just the media, but institutions like the National Institute for Justice. I mean, reading this stuff made me think, "Oh my god, the marine mammal community knows what this feels like." It's the same song you guys know: a combination of smart people and people with strong opinions but with basically no real world experience make some pretty sweeping, damning statements about things they really don't seem to understand.
Because I has strongish feelings
But what's interested me the most in this parallel situation is not so much how the criticism (or its delivery...including documentaries, websites, official reports, etc.) is similar. It's how drastically different the forensic science community handled (handles?) it as compared to the marine mammal community.
I love you guys, seriously. But what we collectively are not doing very well is responding scientifically to our critics. Yes, I know a handful of you have, which is awesome. But collectively, we still basically dig our heels in the sand and declare that we are the "experts"....without actually acting like experts in our response to our critics.
If you're super mad at that last paragraph, you're proving my point. We have a really distracting emotional response to Blackfish, Ric O'Barry, or the disgruntled guest who thinks our dolphins should have bigger habitats. We respond with buzz words, but not with empirical evidence. Let's look at an example I encountered quite a bit at one of my former facilities.
When we were discussing building a larger habitat for the dolphins, who live in a 60 year old exhibit, these are actual replies we got from those who had the power to change the situation:
"There's no evidence supporting the notion that larger habitats are better for dolphins."
"Saying you want a bigger dolphin habitat is what an animal rights activist would say."
"Saying we need a better habitat means the one we have is not adequate, and it's plenty adequate. It far exceeds the USDA requirements."
Look what we did to this poor pup
Sigh. Okay. Do you see the problem yet? I know some of you do, because I've talked to you on the phone, via email, or in person about this issue. And it seems to be pretty standard at most (not all!!) places. And the problem seems to be a combination of the following:
1) Lots of newer generation trainers do not tend to agree with management in terms of ethics of habitats, treatment, and focus of their animal programs.
2) Saying there is no evidence supporting that larger habitats are better is....a circular argument. There is no evidence because there is very little true research on this topic. Guys, that doesn't count. YES of course there are quantifiable facts we can share with the world; bottlenose dolphins tend to live well past their average life span in human care. They reproduce very well. That is a testament to great care, but it is not the same as saying we have "research" to prove our habitats are the best they can be.
To be fair, we have cranked out a LOT of fantastic veterinary/physiological research. We even have a good chunk of cognitive research out there, which is fantastic. But we need more behavioral and "welfare" research. We need to define how we scientifically define wellness, and then measure that within our various populations.
Marry me.
You know what forensic science did when they got nailed on not having enough true research? When a Obama's presidential committee said, "Uh, your science like, isn't valid and you don't have any research to prove it"? They did research. They said, "We really disagree with this statement, raaaahhh we are so mad!! WE ARE SO MAD WE ARE TOTALLY GONNA DO RESEARCH TO SHOW YOU!" and they did. There was an EXPLOSION of research and publications. And many of these institutions did not have a lot of funding. They had to apply for grants, or do some magical things with their budgets. They knew they had to make it happen not just for their critics, but for their field of discipline as well.
Let me tack on here that one common argument against conducting research in marine mammal facilities I've encountered a lot is that we don't have time in between shows and interactions. I understand we have to make money to spend it on the animals. But that cannot be the end of the conversation. If we want to make our animal care the best it can be, and we call ourselves experts in a scientific field, we HAVE to make time for research. That means we have to get creative with our daily programming. Other places have done this successfully, and there are a lot of really smart, creative people in this field. If you are not interested in finding time to do research, then let people on your team who are motivated to do so find a way. It is absolutely possible in most cases.
Everything I've ever learned, I've learned from Will Ferrel movies
3) Wanting something NEW and "better" does not automatically mean you suck right now. Change is a good thing. Change is not giving in to animal rights activists. It's being the zoological scientists we are and saying, "Hmm, this aspect of our care is going well. But this one isn't. Or it could be better."
Be like Rafiki.
Lastly, I think it's important to be careful how we handle trainers and zookeepers who have these different ideas. It's not as simple as "if you're not with us, you're against us." SO many of you guys have told me that's how you feel it is. Many of you have left jobs hoping to find a place that shares your morals when it comes to marine mammal care. Many of you say you're sticking around where you work so you can work your way up the ladder to get into a position to change things. Many of you bite your tongue because you don't want to be labeled as an animal rights activist. I totally get that, because I've been in that position too.
For example, one of the biggest criticisms I heard about National Aquarium's decision? That the dolphins would be put in sea-pens. Sea pens. Like, the kind they have at Dolphin Quest. DRC. The Navy. Okay, are we sure that we don't like sea pens?
Cool!
Wait, maybe we don't like animals going from a manmade environment to natural sea water. How we will acclimatize the animals? Um, why don't we ask those questions when we transport dolphins from similar conditions? From natural and/or outdoor habitats to indoor, manmade ones and vice versa? Guys, we do this ALL the time. I've literally dumped a dolphin who made a transcontinental transport into a pool with two other male dolphins with zero acclimation. He was fine. The others were fine.
What I'm saying is, we can't just freak out because a facility decides to try something different. Our arguments become really emotional, and really hypocritical. UNLESS. Unless we say, "Hey, you know what, maybe if we're uncomfortable with transport protocol, we should collectively study this. And you know what? Let's pair up with that place we're not totally in agreement with to work together to gather some information, swap some ideas."
But not on Saturdays.
But we keep getting hung up on "letting the activists win" or "we have to stick together" and shut down new ideas. Guys. Stop. The marine mammal community has got bigger goals to achieve. We've got to look at our facilities and say, "Let's do some research" and "What's working really well here...and what's really NOT." We have got to stop criticizing other facilities for stupid things like....maintaining natural social groups, phasing out shows, whatever. Those facilities are not dolphin huggers or weaklings who caved to Blackfish. Those facilities are managing their animals a) the way most zoos manage their animals....in natural situations and b) those facilities are cranking out some amazing research. Let's not make fun of them. What are they doing that is working? It may not be exactly what you want to do, and that is okay. What's even more okay is sharing info with each other without passing harsh, sophomoric judgment.
Come on! Let's have some fun! Let's dream!!! What is YOUR dream facility? What kinds of things would you do there? Start really asking yourself those questions, no matter what level you are. And if you're in a managerial level, be open to new ideas. Those are what make us BETTER. They are not dangerous. And let's do some RESEARCH guys!!! Get those training brains to work: if you love research, design some ideas. If you hate the idea of research but love training, you've got endless opportunities to train some amazing behaviors. Oh my god, there are so many incredible things you can do. I know a lot of you....so I can only imagine what you guys can do with a little support from your institution.
With a gif like Bill Murray, you know I'm serious.
I've got some cool content coming up, and some interesting forensic-y stuff, too. So this isn't the end of the Middle Flipper, it just needed a breather. Thanks for sticking with me! I heart you guys, no matter if you agree with this blog :). Feel free to reach out to me if you need to talk, whether you're supportive of my opinion or you want to have a mature discussion exploring our different perspectives!
from The Middle Flipper http://ift.tt/2punnEc
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