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Estelle Friedman, Ph.D., has had a long and varied career. Currently
an adjunct professor of developmental psychology at Quinnipiac University
in Hamden, Conn., she has also been a clinical psychologist in the
Connecticut State Health Department and at the Southbury Training
School; a research associate in the Columbia/Greystone Park New
Jersey project; and a founder of the clinical psychology department
at Utica State Hospital in New York.
It was her role as a clinical psychologist with the now-defunct
Norwich Hospital in Connecticut and a problem she had in dealing
with that state over professional advancement that planted the seed
for her first novel, Non Carborundum Illegitimati published by Vantage
Press.
An inside look at the workings of a state hospital and the career
of a professional psychologist, the novel takes the reader through
the day-to-day life of one Dr. Sheila Rappaport and the problems
she faces trying to "fight city hall."
Friedman spoke with New England Psychologist's Catherine
Robertson Souter about her work and what makes an experienced psychologist
sit down at her keyboard and tap out her own roman a clef about
the world inside.
Q: What happened in Connecticut that got you so riled up that
you sat down and wrote a 177-page novel about it?
A: They downgraded me unjustly. They put me in a lower category
than I qualified for. You are supposed to fit into particular pay
categories when you have specific training but I found out it's
not always what you know but who you know.
I got downgraded at one point because of a survey done by a super
agency to see how much money the hospital could save. I had to get
a lawyer and sue the state and I won. It took me two years to fight
this, but I got back pay and I got my upgrade.
In the book I wrote about how I tried to figure out why younger
psychologists got upgraded above me. They had less experience and
experience is supposed to count. There are protections built in
for this type of thing so that's why I won.
Q: Tell us a bit about the book itself.
A: It's based on actual events but it's fictionalized, a novel.
It is based on my experiences as a psychologist working for the
state. It's all about the work I did there, the lectures I gave
and even my dreams. And it's about a lot of the characters there,
the patients, my friends and colleagues. I kind of mixed them up
so it wouldn't be obvious who they were.
I did try to make it more interesting than real life by adding
some experiences that didn't occur during this period of time. I
wove a love story into the main story of how this character Sheila
was treated by the state of Connecticut and how that relates back
to the title of the book. It's all about not allowing the administration
to grind me down.
I had always wanted to put together a novel. When I told friends
and relatives my story of how I dealt with the administration, everybody
was always fascinated. So a few years ago I thought, "well, there's
a nice plot." I was also taking some writing courses and had written
a couple of chapters for the courses and my teachers and fellow
students thought they were interesting.
Q: You said that you changed the names and traits of colleagues
and friends so they could not be identified. Did you refer to the
hospital by name?
A: I called it Norwell. I felt I should not name it specifically,
although anyone could figure that out if they wanted to. This all
occurred in the late 80s and I left there in 1989. The hospital
was closed down in 1991.
It worked out well because I was reaching the age of retirement
and had received attractive offers to work for Yale and Quinnipiac.
I did an Alzheimer's research study at Yale for two years and then
went on to Quinnipiac. At this point in time, I like it very much
there.
Although, that does make it harder to write about, because when
things go well, there is no plot.
Q: Have you written anything since the book was published?
A: No, I am working on things, but I haven't finished anything yet.
I'm still working as a psychologist and this is sort of an outlet
for me to do some writing of a non-academic type.
Q: Will you do a follow up with the same characters?
A: No, it would be different. I'm working in academia now, so
it's a totally different kind of setting. I have five grown children
so those are experiences that I can work with. I am also a breast
cancer survivor and there are a lot of experiences involved with
that that will have to play a role in anything I write.
Q: How would you say that being a psychologist affected how
you wrote or what you wrote?
A: Well, it's part of me - my extensive training and experience
in psychology - so it's part and parcel of the whole thing I guess.
One section is pretty much a take off on one of the lectures on
intelligence that I give and there are some discussions with one
of the psychiatrists. It's woven right into the story.
Q: What was it like to get this published, to enter a completely
different field from what you are used to?
A: It was terribly frustrating. I have a collection of rejection
letters - all the publishers who wouldn't even take a look at it.
It was frustrating to learn about this strange publishing industry.
It's not very receptive to new writers. It took lots and lots of
letters - probably a year or so. But, I am very happy that I did
it and I hope to do another one.
Q: Any advice for other psychologists? What's a good way to
get started?
A: Oh, dear, I suppose just latch on to something that's interesting
to people - your living experiences as well as your own professional
contacts. Then just sit down and do it, if you like to write.
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