New England Psychologist - An Independent Voice for the Region's Psychologists

Equine-facilitated psychotherapy: partnering with horses
The relationship between horse and human dates back centuries when these strong, speedy animals worked in agricultural settings and served as a primary means of transportation. Their beauty has been captured in several art and literary forms and they have been a source of pleasure for horseback riding enthusiasts. Now the horse is becoming a partner in psychotherapy. [More]

Research: Autism may not be lifelong
A diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) has generally been considered permanent, but families, therapists and researchers have reported that a small number of children, from three to 25 percent, can overcome the disorder to attain the normal range of cognitive and social function. [More]

Committee of psychologists studies mental health services in military
There's plenty of criticism of the mental health services being offered to our soldiers, but Brett Litz, Ph.D, a professor at Boston University's School of Medicine and Psychology Department and associate director of the Behavioral Sciences Division of the National Center for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder at the VA Boston Healthcare System, disagrees with most of it. When it comes to the services provided by the Department of Defense, he says, "the glass is more half full than empty." [More]

Butler launches endowment campaign
Butler Hospital, in Rhode Island, has launched a Research Fund Endowment Campaign to raise $1.2 million to seed new research and strengthen infrastructure for other research. [More]

Escapes from hospitals a delicate issue
In May, a 71-year-old patient went missing from Connecticut Valley Hospital in Middletown, Conn. He was found around 40 miles away from the facility two weeks later. Though the escapes from psychiatric hospitals make headlines, how they are handled reflects a delicate balance between informing the public and protecting a patient's privacy. [More]

'Silver Alert' system in place in some New England states
With the population aging, lawmakers in some states are hoping to piggyback on the successful Amber Alert system for missing children in order to quickly locate senior citizens who have gone missing. [More]

Worcester breaks ground for new hospital
After more than nine years of discussions, public hearings and straw polls, Massachusetts broke ground on May 15 for a new state hospital to be located in Worcester. [More]

Q&A: Community health center brings aid to variety of populations
The city of Lynn, Mass., was a different place in 1969. From fires that destroyed many of the industrial city's old shoe factories in the 1970s and '80s to the gradual loss of a thriving downtown commercial base, this working class city 10 miles north of Boston has experienced a lot of change. [More]