Human Behavior

Minneapolis, human rights officials will negotiate agreement on police by fall – Star Tribune

Minneapolis leaders and state human rights officials say they are on track to negotiate the terms of a court-enforceable agreement by this fall to address findings of illegal behavior in the city's Police Department.

Six weeks after returning to the negotiating table amid a disagreement on evidence, the city released a "Joint Statement of Principles" on Thursday, signaling they have resolved some but not all of the major disputes that stalled talks early on.

"Although the City does not agree with all of [Minnesota Department of Human Rights'] findings, it agrees that a number of MDHR's findings raise important issues, and the City is committed to addressing those issues," says the joint statement, signed by Mayor Jacob Frey, City Council President Andrea Jenkins and Department of Human Rights Commissioner Rebecca Lucero.

The most significant revelation in the document is that the two parties have come up with a contingency plan in the event an ongoing Justice Department investigation also finds a pattern and practice of illegal behavior in the Minneapolis Police Department, as many expect it will. Frey and other city officials have been blunt about not wanting two consent decrees with possibly competing sets of standards and overseen by two referees, called "monitors."

The joint statement released Thursday says that if the Justice Department does reach a consent decree with the city, the state will modify its agreement if necessary to eliminate "conflicting provisions" and ensure there is only one monitor charged with making sure the agreement is followed.

The Human Rights Department charged Minneapolis with a pattern of racist policing in violation of state law in April, after an investigation beginning with the murder of George Floyd.

At the time, then-City Attorney James Rowader said he was "fully committed to working with MDHR to address the issues in the report." But Rowader resigned two weeks later, and the city's lawyers skipped meetings with human rights leaders after saying they couldn't verify some of the findings. Among the evidence in dispute: that Minneapolis police used covert accounts to spy on Black people and Black organizations with no public safety objective, and didn't surveil white supremacist groups.

Last month, acting City Attorney Peter Ginder said the city wasn't backing away from its commitment, but it needed more precise information to continue. In a letter to Frey and other Minneapolis leaders, Lucero said the city already possessed the evidence to corroborate her agency's findings, and that she did not intend to release more data. In June, after six weeks of deadlock, the city reluctantly returned to negotiations.

The city and human rights leaders have now committed to a "frequent schedule" of meetings in coming months "to meet the importance of this moment" and craft the agreement by fall, according to the joint statement released this week.

The document says two parties will operate "in good faith" to develop and implement a framework that includes ensuring "non-discriminatory policing is lawfully delivered to better support public safety in Minneapolis focusing specifically on the use of force, supervision, traffic stop enforcement, arrests, training, accountability and oversight systems."

"MDHR looks forward to next steps to address race-based policing that undermines public safety in Minneapolis," said Taylor Putz, human rights spokesman .

"For years, our Black and Brown residents have been telling us about the racism they face daily at the hands of the MPD," Jenkins said in a statement. "I stand ready to work with all who are ready to fight for justice, equity and fair treatment for everyone."

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Minneapolis, human rights officials will negotiate agreement on police by fall - Star Tribune

Human Behavior

Business calendar: Upcoming events in the Houston area – Houston Chronicle

2-4 p.m. Registration: JS101.org/workshops.

Tuesday

How To Grow Your Business through Video Presentations to Large Groups of People:

Webinar hosted by SCORE. 10 a.m.-noon. Learn how to figure out a clear idea, how to title your speech and how to apply to be become a TEDx speaker. Information: http://www.houston.score.org.

Tuesday

Introduction to Legal Research:

Class hosted by Fort Bend County Law Library, 10-11 a.m., Fort Bend County Willie Melton Law Library, 1422 Eugene Heimann Circle, Richmond. Registration: http://www.fortbend.lib.tx.us.

The Art of Marketing Yourself:

Hosted by JS 101. 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Registration: JS101.org/workshops.

Wednesday

Small Business Certifications:

Webinar hosted by SCORE. 10 a.m.-noon. Learn the benefits and requirements of being certified for federal, city or other state entities. Information: http://www.houston.score.org.

Digital Marketing Clinic: Strong Website Strategies for Effective E-commerce:

Webinar hosted by SCORE. 6-8 p.m. Information: http://www.houston.score.org.

CrossRoads Business Building Breakfast:

Hosted by Services Cooperative Association. 7-8:30 a.m., Corner Bakery, 9311 Katy Freeway. Cost:$20. Information: http://www.servicesca.org/crossroads.htm.

Understanding the Science of Customer Behavior:

Hosted by the Fort Bend Chamber of Commerces Business and Professional Division. 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m., 445 Commerce Green Blvd. Also held via Zoom. Speaker: Jeff Pool of Texas A&Ms Human Behavior Lab. Information: http://www.FortBendChamber.com.

Google Drive Basics:

Class hosted by Fort Bend County Libraries. 2-3 p.m., Sienna Branch Library, 8411 Sienna Springs Blvd, Missouri City. Information: http://www.fortbend.lib.tx.us.

Resume Editing:

Hosted by JS 101. 10 a.m.-noon. Registration: JS101.org/workshops.

Thursday

IREM (Institute of Real Estate Management) Vacation Vibes Social:

5-8 p.m., 737 N. Eldridge Parkway lobby. Information: iremhouston.org.

Formatting in MS Word:

Class hosted by Fort Bend County Law Library, 10-11 a.m., Fort Bend County Willie Melton Law Library, 1422 Eugene Heimann Circle, Richmond. Registration: http://www.fortbend.lib.tx.us.

MS PowerPoint 2019: Intermediate:

Class hosted by Fort Bend County Libraries. 10:30-11:30 a.m., Missouri City Branch Library, 1530 Texas Parkway. Information: http://www.fortbend.lib.tx.us.

Cultivating Your Dream Job:

Hosted by JS 101. 2-4 p.m. Registration: JS101.org/workshops.

katherine.feser@chron.com

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Business calendar: Upcoming events in the Houston area - Houston Chronicle

Human Behavior

Mind Over Money: How marathon running helped this CEO tackle tight situations – Economic Times

Each time you go through that situation and come out of it, makes you feel more resilient and restores faith in my Can Do attitude which is the best way to approach any tight situation, says Mahesh Balasubramanian, MD at Life insurance.

In an interview with ETMarkets, Balasubramanian with over 25 years of experience in the financial services industry, said: Just focus on the process, stay in the moment, believe in your instinct, and let things flow and dont let the anxiety of the outcome affect the focus on working the solution! Edited excerpts:

With over 3 decades of experience and a large part of it in a management role how do you keep yourself calm?I have a strong urge to keep exploring new ideas, get more responsive and agile to the changes around us and work with an execution mindset. I keep challenging the teams who work with me to be bigger, better, and faster.

However, in all the years of experience and going through many tough situations and cycles it gives me a sense of calm that if you keep doing the right things everything will eventually fall in place.

You are an avid reader, a sports enthusiast and a half marathon runner --- how do these help you keep mentally fit?Reading broadens my world view on a variety of topics from geopolitics, economy, markets, technology, trends, human behavior, etc. This helps me to keep an open mind which is receptive to new ideas, concepts, and changes keep my learning and curiosity going.

As a rule, when I run, I dont listen to music and dont carry my phone, so it is time for cutting off from the rest of the world and focus on my body and my mind.

Each time you go through that situation and come out of it, makes you feel more resilient and restores faith in my Can Do attitude which is the best way to approach any tight situation, says Mahesh Balasubramanian, MD at Kotak Mahindra Life insurance.

So the style has always been one of exploring ideas experimenting with them, challenging status quo, problem seeking and solving them. It has always helped me keep my teams constantly engaged and energized.

My leadership style is a balance of deep connection with my teams and working with them to bring focus on opportunities, tasks, and outcomes.

Tell us more about being a marathon runner which requires tremendous discipline. How does it help you in your approach to a tight situation?I have been a half marathoner, started late by normal standards at the ripe age of 45 !!!. I quickly learned that physical fitness can only take you that far the desire to keep going despite sometimes the body wanting to give up is finally winning the battle of the mind over the body.

Each time you go through that situation and come out of it, makes you feel more resilient and restores faith in my Can Do attitude which is the best way to approach any tight situation.

Just focus on the process, stay in the moment, believe in your instinct, let things flow, and dont let the anxiety of the outcome affect the focus on working on the solution!!! This is what I have learned.

Any books you read and would like to recommend?Lots of them some of my all-time favorites in Fiction O Jerusalem & The Exodus both focus on the birth of Israel. On Management The Founders Mentality by James Allen and Chris Cook.

(Disclaimer: Recommendations, suggestions, views, and opinions given by the experts are their own. These do not represent the views of Economic Times)

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Mind Over Money: How marathon running helped this CEO tackle tight situations - Economic Times

Human Behavior

What Should You Read Next? Here Are the Best Reviewed Books of the Week – Literary Hub

Silvia Moreno-Garcias The Daughter of Doctor Moreau, Isaac Fitzgeralds Dirtbag, Massachusetts, andJamil Jan Kochais The Haunting of Hajji Hotak all feature among the Best Reviewed Books of the Week.

Brought to you by Book Marks, Lit Hubs Rotten Tomatoes for books.

*

Fiction

1. The Daughter of Doctor Moreau by Silvia Moreno-Garcia(Del Rey)

6 Rave 2 PositiveRead an essay by Silvia Moreno-Garcia on bad seeds and mad scientists, here

The imagination of Silvia Moreno-Garcia is a thing of wonder, restless and romantic, fearless in the face of genre, embracing the polarities of storytellingthe sleek and the bizarre, wild passions and deep hatredswith cool equanimity the novel immerses readers in the rich world of 19th-century Mexico, exploring colonialism and resistance in a compulsively readable story of a womans coming-of-age The visceral horror of what Carlota has endured, combined with Moreno-Garcias pacing and drama, makes for a mesmerizing horror novel.

Danielle Trussoni (The New York Times)

2. Reward System byJem Calder(Farrar, Straus and Giroux)

2 Rave 5 Positive 2 MixedRead a story from Reward System here

The publication of Reward System by Cambridge-born Jem Calder provides further evidence that the medium is attracting some of the most talented young writers of fiction at work today, on both sides of the Irish sea as up-to-date as these stories feel, Reward System belongs firmly in the tradition of fictional miniaturism: Calders stories are all granular portraits of micro-interactions between people in ostensibly mundane settings, tapped out on six inches of LCD glass Calders view of contemporary reality feels several notches darker and more jaded than, say, Flatterys or Sally Rooneys. So why doesnt a single page here feel dour or depressing to read? Quite simply because Calder is a superb writer, by turns funny, graceful, acidly cynical, lyrical and always verbally dexterous and inventive. He can make the boredom of office life fascinating, as in Search Engine Optimisation; he can make a desolate house party enlivening, as in Better Off Alone; and his descriptions of loneliness and dissatisfaction, as in virtually all these stories, leave the reader feeling understood or, as his characters would say, seenBut he can also write simply and beautifully, with a keen eye for the natural world and human behavior.

Matt Rowland Hill (The Guardian)

3. The Haunting of Hajji Hotak and Other Stories by Jamil Jan Kochai(Viking)

4 Rave 1 PositiveRead Jamil Jan Kochais essay, How Final Fantasy VII Taught Me to Write, here

Kochai, an Afghan-American writer, shapes and reshapes his material through a variety of formal techniques, including a fantasy of salvation through video gaming, a darkly surrealist fable of loss, a life story told through a mock rsum, and the story of a mans transformation into a monkey who becomes a rebel leaderLike Asturias, Kochai is a master conjurerThe collections cohesion lies in its thematic exploration of the complexities of contemporary Afghan experience (both in Afghanistan and the United States), and in the recurring family narrative at its core: many of the stories deal with an Afghan family settled in CaliforniaKochai is a thrillingly gifted writer, and this collection is a pleasure to read, filled with stories at once funny and profoundly serious, formally daring, and complex in their apprehension of the contradictory yet overlapping worlds of their characters.

Claire Messud (Harpers)

**

Nonfiction

1. Dirtbag, Massachusetts by Isaac Fitzgerald(Bloomsbury)

4 Rave 5 PositiveListen to an interview with Isaac Fitzgerald here

introspective yet entertaining The writing is heartbreaking in its simple and straightforward description of the world in which he was trapped a memoir composed of essays, some initially published (in somewhat different forms) almost 10 years ago. Perhaps because of this, the books most wrenching scenes only come after 200 pages, while in the opening essays about his childhood, Fitzgerald skims over the surface of what he endured. Vital information is scattered throughout and the books haphazardness somewhat dilutes our understanding of adolescent Isaacs emotional turmoil, as well as the self-destructive tendencies of his 20s That said, this essayistic approach frees up Fitzgerald to tell long stories, unhampered by the demands of chronology Like every story in Dirtbag, Massachusetts, its one worth hearing and thinking about, even if, like life, its sometimes messy and out of order.

Stuart Miller (The Boston Globe)

2. The Sewing Girls Tale: A Story of Crime and Consequences in Revolutionary America by John Wood Swift(Henry Holt & Company)

3 Rave 3 PositiveRead an excerpt from The Sewing Girls Tale here

[an] excellent and absorbing work of social and cultural history the book also provides an opportunity, set apart from the heated politics of abortion regulation, to reflect on the power we give today to legal authorities whose views about basic matterslike what it means for a man to sexually assault womenare so different from what we think, or want to think we think, now A second coda is emblematic of the delights to be found in this book, despite its grim subject.

Tali Farhadian Weinstein (The New York Times Book Review)

3. Shadowlands: A Journey Through Britains Lost Cities and Vanished Villages by Matthew Green(W.W. Norton & Company)

1 Rave 6 Positive

Greens haunting travelogue through Britains disappeared places is both an examination of the historical forces that led to their abandonment and a meditation on the presence of absence in physical and emotional landscapes In each case, Green evokes the deep loss felt by the displaced as livelihoods, traditions, and cultures disappeared along with the communities that supported them Through these slices of British history, Green has woven a moving exploration of impermanence, memory, and the hypnotic allure of the past.

Sara Shreve (Library Journal)

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What Should You Read Next? Here Are the Best Reviewed Books of the Week - Literary Hub

Human Behavior

Jessica Alba goes to therapy with both of her daughters – Shelbynews

Jessica Alba goes to therapy with both of her daughters.

The 41-year-old actress has daughters Honor, 14 and Haven, 10, and son Hayes, four with her husband Cash Warren and believes going to family therapy makes her a better parent.

Speaking to Glamour UK, she said: "I went with both of them. And around puberty is when its the time I think, for me, with my girls. Thats when they started to sort of shut down and get really like, I dont want to talk any more. And Im like, Were not doing this. Weve got to keep a line of communication here. How can I be a better parent to you? How do you want me to talk to you? Dont shut me out.

"First of all, this person [the therapist] has studied human behavior and theyre good at it. And they have no relation to you so they can be really objective and you create a safe space for your kid to really candidly tell you whats not working about your parenting. I was like, Look, Im not perfect. Im not going to know all the answers, but I want to be a great parent to you. And what you like and dont is different from what your sister likes and doesnt like. And Im going to make mistakes. Heres a safe space, you cant get in trouble let me know what Im doing wrong, or what you would like me to do differently. Or how do you want me to discipline you when you do screw up? What does that look like for you? And how would you want to be treated so you can still feel like you have your dignity intact?

And Jessica insisted that she always tries to learn from her mistakes, whether they are personal or business-related.

The Honest company founder said: "Theres nothing more telling that youre evolving and that you are getting better as a person in this life. Its a teaching, its a gift. I was like, That is so interesting and so cool that [these are] some of the most successful people Ive ever met, and were all talking about celebrating mistakes!... because I wouldnt say the challenges or mistakes were anything other than the opportunity to be better tomorrow.

Read the full interview in the GLAMOUR UK July/August Digital Issue online now.

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Jessica Alba goes to therapy with both of her daughters - Shelbynews

Human Behavior

How Can the World Adapt to a Changing Climate? – Columbia University

Can you give some examples from the book of successful strategies that governments, communities, and the private sector are now deploying to adapt to climate change?

Many creative ideas are starting to bubble up in the literature. Local governments everywhere are experimenting with nature-based solutions, which involve using natural processes and features to serve social needs. For example, green roofs can be installed without engineering expertise or private financing, and they help communities adapt to warmer temperatures by providing cooling effects for buildings and people.

Another example comes from the agricultural sector, where farmers around the world are starting to plant new crops that better align with the new climate in which they live; rebounding yields in those locations offer a promising approach for communities that struggle with food insecurity.

In terms of equity and inclusion, how can climate adaptation policies account for the needs of marginalized groups?

Everywhere, disadvantaged people and communities stand to suffer the most from a changing climate. Unlike climate mitigation policies that seek to reduce greenhouse gases at the country level, adaptation policies are interesting, in part because they tend to happen at the local level. When those policies include a participatory process, it potentially offers a meaningful way for disenfranchised communities not only to have a voice, but to develop and implement strategies that target local needs.

Any great books youve read lately that youwould recommend?

One book I loved isThe WEIRDest People in the Worldby Joseph Henrich, a professor of human evolutionary biology at Harvard. He explains how so much of what we think we know about human behavior and psychology comes from a limited sample size: Only wealthy, educated, industrialized, and democratic societies are considered in most scholarship.

I appreciate this perspective, which reminds me that much of the worlds population operates with different foundational assumptions, and those cultural touchstones are manifest in vastly different institutions. These realities suggest we should approach climate change adaptation policy with an open mind, and not assume we know much about what faraway communities need or want. The books viewpoint prioritizes curiosity over certainty, and I find that inspiring.

Whats on your summer reading list?

Im buried in wildfire policy articles this year, as I am working on research in that area out West. But I also always make room for fiction, and have a few novels on my Kindle, patiently waiting for me to find time to indulgeHow Beautiful We Wereby Imbolo Mbue, andCrossroadsby Jonathan Franzen.

Speaking of summer, any exciting plans?

This year Ill be spending most of my summer in the western U.S. Before moving to New York City, I lived in Colorado for 25 years, and have a deep history there. Ill be teaching a field course, Public Lands in the American West, to Columbia undergraduates, and Im working on wildfire policy research. That research will apply many of the concepts in my book to a complicated setting, where millions of families live in areas with high risk for wildfire. Solutions are elusive, but I will be exploring the relative efficacy of existing policies.

Youre hosting a dinner party. Which three academics or scholars, dead or alive, would you invite, and why?

Elinor Ostrom, a political economist, would be my first choice; her work on collective action and common pool resource management inspired my 2002 dissertation research in Ethiopia, and I find myself coming back to her insights regularly.

I also appreciate psychologist Steven Pinkers optimism as a response to the overwhelmingly negative drumbeat of news we consume each day. Along those same lines, I have been gratified to read Oren Casss analysis on the futility of climate catastrophizing. All three of these scholars offer practical reasons for hope, and I imagine that this dinner party would be energizing!

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How Can the World Adapt to a Changing Climate? - Columbia University

Human Behavior

In The Pink Hotel, Delusional Newlyweds Head Toward a Grand Reckoning – The New York Times

THE PINK HOTELBy Liska Jacobs318 pages. MCD/Farrar, Straus & Giroux. $27.

One strange element of human behavior is that much of what we call vacation involves endlessly tinkering with our body temperatures. Think of the beach. You lie on a towel, grow hot, dip in the ocean to cool down, get out, reheat yourself, dip, cool down, repeat. The joy of recreation cant be reduced to the fact that its really fun to swivel between hot and cold, but signature vacation moments often involve just that: snuggling up to a campfire on a cold night, plunging into a frigid lake on a sweltering afternoon, coming in from the snow to warm up with cocoa.

The more luxurious the vacation, the more extreme the temperatures. In Liska Jacobss new novel, The Pink Hotel, characters at a posh Beverly Hills establishment bake themselves in triple-digit sunshine before heading indoors to air-conditioned rooms; then, shivering, slip into fluffy robes and walk across heated marble floors to fetch chilled champagne from an ice bucket. All day long they regulate their personal thermostats.

At the center of this dazed book is a pair of newlyweds, Keith and Kit Collins, who have flown south from Sacramento on their honeymoon. The Pink Hotel is a lightly fictionalized version of the Beverly Hills Hotel, with banana-leaf wallpaper, poolside cabanas and a famous souffl. Keith, 27 years old, is curly of hair, suave of manner and employed as the general manager of a Michelin-starred restaurant in the boonies (located in a town literally called Boonville). Kit is four years younger, pretty and docile, and employed as a part-time waitress at the same spot.

Kit believes the couple has traveled to Los Angeles to kick off their marriage but for Keith, thats only half the plan. The other half is to accomplish a bit of furtive networking. Two months earlier he met Mr. Beaumont, the Pink Hotels director of guest services, and now hes auditioning for the role of protg. A gig at the hotel with its population of C.E.O.s, oil barons, hedge fund managers, real estate tycoons and foreign aristocrats would be a major step up.

The details of high-end hospitality are not glamorous. If you rolled Mr. Beaumonts job title through a de-euphemizing machine, it would be revealed as a combination of fixer, babysitter, therapist, fall guy, animal control specialist and janitor. This is especially true at the moment Keith and Kit visit. It is summer in Los Angeles, and the spooky arid weather has made guests restless. Fires break out beyond the hotels borders, and the sky is a haze of brown smoke. Particles of city grit are borne on fierce winds over lush lawns. When Kit raises safety concerns with Mr. Beaumont, he reassures her that the hotel is invulnerable to catastrophe, sounding a lot like a shipping executive bragging about a certain vessels unsinkability circa 1912.

While Keith embeds with staff, Kit wanders the hotel in awe. She observes a circus of sinning, with all seven of the cardinal ones represented. Guests complain about their servants, encrust their manicures and teeth with diamonds and feed each other gold-flaked chocolate truffles. They nap and rut and gossip. Kit and Keith, initially cowed by the excess, quickly find themselves adapting to it.

Meanwhile unrest continues to sweep the city. Freeways close and domestic violence skyrockets. Riot police fire tear gas into crowds of protesters. Storefronts on Rodeo Drive are incinerated. Jacobs doesnt dwell on the identity of these protesters or the nature of their demands, but tells us that they shout EAT THE RICH and erect a guillotine in front of a Saks store. News of the outside world trickles into the hotel in the form of footage flashing across a bar TV or glimpsed on a cellphone between glasses of ros.

Jacobs is the author of two previous novels, The Worst Kind of Want and Catalina. Both are swift, insightful and raw. The Pink Hotel is comparatively plodding and repetitive. This comes down to a perspectival choice: Jacobs moves fluidly among characters, briefly alighting in one persons inner monologue before moving to the next. To do so with clarity is a technical achievement, but it presents a narrative conundrum. If the reader is aware of every characters intentions at all times, opportunities for uncertainty or deception for suspense and revelation become scarce.

Being trapped in the minds of the couple and the hotel guests also means that we exist in a nonstop stream of ditziness. Jacobs is talented at conjuring outrageous images theres a memorable pet monkey named Norma who wears a sequined harness and defecates liberally across hotel grounds but the examples lose their punch as they pile up. Neither Kit nor Keith experiences what could be called an idea. They merely exist as avatars of complacency and ignorance.

To hammer home the couples navet, Jacobs uses and reuses the metaphor of childhood. Kit sucks her thumb, accepts candy from strangers and kicks her legs like a kid in a soda shop. Twice she is compared to a child with a fever. Keith is an unsure boy and a schoolboy. Zoological allusions are also rampant. People swarm, screech, howl, hoot, act like pack animals or have an animal vibe or make animal sounds or behave as animals sizing up other animals. Everyone is a baby and everyone is an animal. The comparisons are vivid but slightly confusing. After all, the helplessness of a baby isnt a failure of conduct, and animals arent hedonists.

Whats missing in the book is a fresh, revelatory target. Vulgar materialism, climate change denialism, status anxiety and the solipsism of the rich are all implicitly denounced, as is misogyny. (When the couple arrives at the hotel, a bunch of men compliment Keith on his choice of bride, as though Kit were a sedan.) As the story proceeds, we wait for the couple to collide with their delusions in a grand reckoning. Eventually they do, but Jacobs hasnt given them the depth to earn our sympathy.

Excerpt from:
In The Pink Hotel, Delusional Newlyweds Head Toward a Grand Reckoning - The New York Times

Human Behavior

Addressing Racism-Related Stress and Trauma in Psychotherapy – Mad in America

A new article published in the journal Psychotherapy explores a psychotherapeutic approach entitled Keeping Radical Healing in Mind a strength-based, culturally relevant, and racially responsive approach to treatment for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC).

Led by Hector Adames at The Chicago School of Professional Psychology, the authors utilize a clinical case example and model how providers can implement antiracist and liberatory approaches to psychotherapy by using the Psychology of Radical Healing (PRH) a new theoretical framework that considers the cultural and systemic mental health concerns of BIPOC from a collectivist standpoint.

When therapists are applying the PRH to their clinical work by keeping radical healing in mind, they are helping their clients do more than merely cope with racism-related stress, Adames and his co-authors write. They provide their clients with the tools to heal and thrive in the face of systemic racism. Specifically, therapists could help their clients internalize, develop, and nurture radical healing as a multisystemic approach grounded in the five anchors of the PRH framework.

Abundant evidence shows how racism and race-related stress adversely impact the health and well-being of BIPOC, including anxiety symptoms, reduction in personal self-worth and life satisfaction, hopelessness and stress, and physical ailments such as obesity and vascular disease. Given this knowledge, the need for therapists to address the role of racism on the health of BIPOC has become increasingly discussed within the profession.

Racism can be defined as the system of structuring opportunity based on the belief that one race is superior to another. It is designed to exhaust and harm the well-being of Communities of Color. It can manifest through institutional racism, cultural racism, interpersonal racism, as well as internalized racism, which can be defined as the individual inculcation of the racist stereotypes, values, images, and ideologies perpetuated by the White dominant society about ones racial group, leading to feelings of self-doubt, disgust, and disrespect for ones race and/or oneself.

Healing, a central goal within psychotherapy, requires deconstructing how professional training and ideas of healing have been grounded in a Eurocentric understanding of human behavior. There has been ample evidence showing how psychology and psychiatry have systemically upheld racism, which has only recently been acknowledged. Both fields have been criticized for locating problems within individuals (i.e., pathology) that often stem from broader systems of oppression and social determinants.

BIPOC scholars and therapists have long advocated for the need to develop psychotherapeutic approaches designed to address the impact of racism on peoples lives and have foregrounded methods developed by and for BIPOC communities. Examples include the Treating Racist-Incident Based Trauma approach, the Ethnopolitical Approach, Intersectionality in Psychotherapy, and Community Healing and Resistance Through Storytelling.

Building upon these works, The Psychology of Radical Healing (PRH) integrates liberation psychology, Ethnopolitical Psychology, Black Psychology, and Intersectionality Theory as foundational theories for the framework. The founders of PRH, psychologists Bryana French, Jioni Lewis, and Della Mosley, discuss how this framework fosters a sense of hope and possibilities for the future. They write:

Being able to sit in a dialectic and exist in both spaces of resisting oppression and moving toward freedom. Staying in either extremethe despair of oppression or the imagination of possibilitiescould be detrimental. On one end of the spectrum, one could get lost in an overwhelming sense of disempowerment. On the other end, only focusing on dreaming for a better future removes oneself from current reality. We believe it is essential that radical healing includes both acknowledgment of and active resistance from oppression and a vision of possibilities for freedom and wellness. Moreover, the act of being in that dialectic is, in and of itself, a process of healing.

The PRH is grounded in five anchors, including (a) Critical Consciousness, described as a persons capability to critically reflect and act upon their sociopolitical conditions; (b) Cultural Authenticity and Self-Knowledge, which honors cultural wisdom and self-definition; (c) Radical Hope and Envisioning Possibilities to improve the collective human existence; (d) Collectivism and belonging to ones culture for validation, joy, and healing; and (e) Strength and Resistance to create joy-filled lives despite awareness of racism and oppression.

Much research has been done on the empirical support for psychotherapy and the actions of effective therapists, including providing an acceptable and flexible etiology of the clients distress, developing a treatment plan, not avoiding complex and challenging content in therapy, being aware of the clients demographics and context, and the importance of the therapeutic alliance.

While these foundational concepts are essential, most psychotherapy research fails to explicitly center on healing from the wounds of racial oppression, which can be linked back to the earlier point of Eurocentric underpinnings of the profession and conceptualization of what and who psychotherapy was made for. The authors write:

For instance, although most theories of psychotherapy and counseling pay attention to how peoples internal subjectivities impact their functioning (e.g., assessment of functioning in social, educational, and occupational spheres of life), they often fail to contextualize how the external world and its structures impact people intrapsychically.

Keeping Radical Healing in Mind requires a therapeutic stance of curiosity, unassuming openness, and responsiveness to the interlocking ways BIPOC clients are oppressed a more effective practice than simply matching therapists and clients by shared racial/ethnic identity. It goes beyond multicultural competence. The authors provide an image of how this cycle is used, and it can be analogous to a compass helping a BIPOC client navigate living in White supremacy culture by resisting self-blame for racism and forms of oppression directed at them and their ethnic-racial group. It also supports the client in internalizing, developing, and nurturing the five anchors of PRH.

The authors provide a clinical exchange from a two-year working alliance with a client, Brenda, demonstrating how providers can keep radical healing in mind.

Brenda is a 32-year-old cisgender, heterosexual, African American woman. She lives with her mother and has a 6-year-old son. Her reason for seeking treatment was primarily due to increased anxiety that worsened during the COVID-19 pandemic. Her symptoms included feeling on edge, difficulties with concentration, loss of appetite, difficulty sleeping, and gastrointestinal issues.

The authors provide an overview of various exchanges between the therapist and Brenda, including how she has been experiencing the news and her sons questions about police brutality. A valid concern of Brendas, as research shows that repeated exposure to online traumatic events such as police killings of Black people are related to youth experiencing depression and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Keeping Radical Healing in Mind models how client and therapist become curious together and co-develop a shared account of the presenting problem. To foster critical consciousness, the therapist validates and connects (a) what Brenda is discussing in session to what is taking place in society and (b) how oppression can be a source of distress for both her and her son.

This conceptualization connects the ways in which Brendas concerns stem from racism-related stress and allows the therapist to observe the psychological toll of racism on Brenda to provide emotional support by recognizing how her lived experience and the sociopolitical environment impact her life. In addition, by being attuned to Brendas indirect description of her collectivistic worldview through her statement, I am not the only one who has to worry about their childs safety, the therapist has an opportunity to become curious about ways for Brenda to collectively heal.

In their clinical exchange, it was healing for Brenda to be reminded of how her mother raised her and maintained a sense of hope in the face of oppression. This gave way to helping Brenda develop Cultural Authenticity and Self-Knowledge. Thus, Radical Hope and Envisioning Possibilities were also an essential component of Brendas healing because she could begin to imagine future possibilities for her Black son to live in a more socially just world and live a joy-filled life, and in doing so, participate in community healing. Ultimately, the exchange provided in the article focused primarily on helping Brenda internalize, develop, and nurture five anchors of the approach.

In summarizing her case, the authors write:

Essentially, therapists must constantly challenge themselves to consider structural issues as they manifest themselves in clients lives and provide space to name, explore, and resist self-blame for these concerns.

In closing, the authors highlight how PRH is viewed as cyclical, ongoing, and co-constructed between therapists and their BIPOC clients. Therefore, it is essential that therapists themselves develop critical consciousness and critically reflect and act upon their sociopolitical conditions before assisting their clients in increasing their critical consciousness.

This approach requires clinicians to know the history and have an understanding of the clients culture, develop a deep understanding of what their ascribed race means to them and what it represents in a White supremacist culture, and lastly, recognize how power and oppression operate in society as well as within clinical settings.

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Adames, H. Y., Chavez-Dueas, N. Y., Lewis, J. A., Neville, H. A., French, B. H., Chen, G. A., & Mosley, D. V. (2022, March 10). Radical healing in psychotherapy: Addressing the wounds of racism-related stress and trauma. Psychotherapy. Advance online publication. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/pst0000435 (Link)

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Addressing Racism-Related Stress and Trauma in Psychotherapy - Mad in America

Human Behavior

NIH study finds loss of ‘youth’ protein may drive aging in the eye – National Institutes of Health (.gov)

News Release

Monday, July 18, 2022

Loss of the protein pigment epithelium-derived factor (PEDF), which protects retinal support cells, may drive age-related changes in the retina, according to a new study in mice from the National Eye Institute (NEI). The retina is the light-sensitive tissue at the back of the eye, and aging-associated diseases of the retina, like age-related macular degeneration (AMD), can lead to blindness. This new finding could lead to therapies to prevent AMD and other aging conditions of the retina. The study was published in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences. NEI is part of the National Institutes of Health.

People have called PEDF the youth protein, because it is abundant in young retinas, but it declines during aging, said Patricia Becerra, Ph.D., chief of NEIs Section of Protein Structure and Function and senior author of the study. This study showed for the first time that just removing PEDF leads to a host of gene changes that mimic aging in the retina.

The retina is composed of layers of cells that function together to detect and process light signals, which the brain uses to generate vision. The retinas light-sensing photoreceptors sit above the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE), a layer of support cells. The RPE nourishes photoreceptors and recycles pieces of the photoreceptor cells called outer segments, which get used up and their tips shed each time photoreceptors detect light. If the RPE cannot provide recycled components of older outer segment tips back to photoreceptors, these cells lose their ability to make new segments, and eventually become unable to sense light. And without nutrients supplied by the RPE, photoreceptors die. In people with AMD or certain types of retinal dystrophies, senescence (aging) or death of RPE cells in the retina leads to vision loss.

Previous work from Becerras lab and others has shown that PEDF protects retinal cells, preventing both damage to the cells and abnormal growth of blood vessels in the retina. RPE cells produce and secrete the PEDF protein. The protein then binds to its receptor, PEDF-R, which is also expressed by RPE cells. Binding by PEDF stimulates PEDF-R to break down lipid molecules, key components of the cell membranes that enclose photoreceptor outer segments and other cellular compartments. This breakdown step is a key part of the outer segment recycling process. And while researchers have known that PEDF levels drop in the retina during the aging process, it was not clear whether this loss of PEDF was causing, or merely correlated with, age-related changes in the retina.

To examine the retinal role of PEDF, Becerra and colleagues studied a mouse model that lacks the PEDF gene (Serpin1). The researchers examined the cellular structure of the retina in the mouse model, finding that the RPE cell nuclei were enlarged, which may indicate changes in how the cells DNA is packed. The RPE cells also had turned on four genes associated with aging and cellular senescence, and levels of the PEDF receptor were significantly below normal. Finally, unprocessed lipids and other photoreceptor outer segment components had accumulated in the RPE layer of the retina. Similar changes in gene expression and defects in RPE metabolism are found in the aging retina.

*One of the most striking things was this reduction in the PEDF receptor on the surface of the RPE cells in the mouse lacking the PEDF protein, said the studys lead author, Ivan Rebustini, Ph.D., a staff scientist in Becerras lab. It seems theres some sort of feedback-loop involving PEDF that maintains the levels of PEDF-R and lipid metabolism in the RPE.

While at first glance, the retinas of these PEDF-negative mice appear normal, these new findings suggest that PEDF is playing a protective role that helps the retina weather trauma and aging-related wear and tear.

We always wondered if loss of PEDF was driven by aging, or was driving aging, said Becerra. This study, especially with the clear link to altered lipid metabolism and gene expression, indicates the loss of PEDF is a driver of aging-related changes in the retina.

The study was supported by the NEI intramural program.

This press release describes a basic research finding. Basic research increases our understanding of human behavior and biology, which is foundational to advancing new and better ways to prevent, diagnose, and treat disease. Science is an unpredictable and incremental process each research advance builds on past discoveries, often in unexpected ways. Most clinical advances would not be possible without the knowledge of fundamental basic research. To learn more about basic research, visit https://www.nih.gov/news-events/basic-research-digital-media-kit.

NEI leads the federal governments research on the visual system and eye diseases. NEI supports basic and clinical science programs to develop sight-saving treatments and address special needs of people with vision loss. For more information, visit https://www.nei.nih.gov.

About the National Institutes of Health (NIH):NIH, the nation's medical research agency, includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. NIH is the primary federal agency conducting and supporting basic, clinical, and translational medical research, and is investigating the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and its programs, visit http://www.nih.gov.

NIHTurning Discovery Into Health

Rebustini IT, Crawford SE, Becerra SP. PEDF deletion induces senescence and defects in phagocytosis in the RPE. July 13 2022. Int J Mol Sci.https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms23147745

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NIH study finds loss of 'youth' protein may drive aging in the eye - National Institutes of Health (.gov)

Human Behavior

Poway woman with cerebral palsy finds relaxation with equine therapy – The San Diego Union-Tribune

Nancy Miller has spastic cerebral palsy and uses a walker, but when she gets atop her favorite horse, Jack, her muscles relax.

Miller, who lives at Villa de Vida in Poway, has been attending the Helen Woodward Animal Centers Therapeutic Riding program for a few years, although she has been riding since she was a kid.

Im a horse lady, Miller, 69, said. I love it. Its relaxing. Its fun.

Miller rides once a week at the Helena Woodward Animal Center in Rancho Santa Fe. The program works with riders with special needs through equine-assisted activities. It serves students aged 4 and older to enhance physical, cognitive, social-emotional and motor skills, officials said.

Horseback riding can lend independence and mobility to a person with disabilities who may be otherwise restricted.

The primary goal of Equine Assisted Learning is to teach and support life skills through guided horse interactions. This experiential approach integrates human-horse interaction that is guided by an equine specialist in mental health and learning, said Courtney Mellor, Therapeutic Riding Program manager at Helen Woodward Animal Center.

As horses use mostly non-verbal communication and are in tune with human behavior, they can help participants to better understand and learn how our non-verbal communication might be influencing or impacting others in their lives, she said. Through interactions with the horses, participants learn a heightened sense of self-awareness which is important in order to reveal patterns of behavior while also giving the opportunity to think in a new way.

Miller said her doctors have suggested horse therapy since she was young.

I think its a good thing for me because of my cerebral palsy, Miller said.

I just love being on the horse, communicating with the horse and being relaxed, she said. My story with horses is that I just love them.

For more information on the program, visit https://animalcenter.org/programs-services/therapeutic-riding.

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Poway woman with cerebral palsy finds relaxation with equine therapy - The San Diego Union-Tribune