Paul-Roy Taylor, PhD

I am very pleased to announce that in addition to being a licensed psychologist in California, I am now also a licensed psychologist / psychologue in France!

When people can’t control their own anxiety and fear, they try to control the people and situations around them. Secure couples do not seek to control each other, because they have the greater expectation that each partner will control themselves.

There are many different types of licensed professionals who are permitted to provide therapy. Check out my newest article for Choosing Therapy that explains the ways psychologists differentiate themselves in the field.

Sexual anxiety is common across all ages and genders. I am very pleased to have been asked to provide my clinical expertise on this topic for Choosing Therapy.

Academic programs, even in psychology, too often center around a White hegemony. It's important for graduate programs to incorporate cultural diversity into their entire curriculum, not just one or two classes.

I've been asked to comment on the state of artificial intelligence in the wellness app market. I'm a big fan of implementing technology into my treatment plans, but AI is just not there yet. I've tested the most popular chatbot system, and I found it to provide empty validation, foster codependence, carry privacy risks, and to be just plain creepy. You can also check out a very good article globally summarizing the mental health app market (tl;dr, there's little empirical evidence that it works and there are no standards to regulate it). https://gizmodo.com/your-ai-chatbot-therapist-isn-t-sure-wh

To clarify about teletherapy effectiveness, it really requires being able to see the other person. Phone sessions are typically done only when a client is on vacation, sick that day, or on a short-term basis. As you can imagine, you lose all the non-verbal communication, it can be difficult to understand the difference between an introspective pause and a completed thought, bad connections and noise tend to be more prevalent, etc. Make sure to look for a therapist offering video therapy if you wish to conduct your sessions from home.

Reminder | COVID-19: Health care workers and other essential employees are being asked right now to make incredible sacrifices, and they are stepping up; however, that often results in acute stress, trauma, anxiety, and depression. I'm very glad to be able to participate in this database of licensed clinicians nationwide who are offering brief, free to low-cost online therapy for essential employees. Insurance is also accepted. Pass on to anyone you know for whom this might be helpful.

I'm very happy to be invited into this warm and charming office suite in Downtown LA.

For COVID-19 essential employees (grocery clerks, medical professionals, first responders): This site connects you with a licensed mental health professional for low-cost, short-term online therapy. Don't forget your self-care during this difficult time.

The American Psychological Association offers some helpful tips on nurturing social connection while maintaining social distance, as well as caring for mental health in these difficult times.

Who would you rank as the best / worst TV therapists? I would put Julia Sasaki from "Atypical" much higher on the damaging side. I am also really surprised to see Dr. Paul Weston from HBO's "In Treatment" missing on the list. Thoughts?

Yes, and it's often addiction to the validation from matches, taps, and responses. They each provide little bursts of validation that say "someone approves of me," which feels great on the self-esteem, but that feeling is only temporary. So we keep swiping, sending new messages, and liking new people to get another burst from someone else. What do you think? I'm really curious about your thoughts. By the way, the notification sound is the modern day equivalent of Pavlov's dogs salivating at the sound of a bell. It should be noted: Please do not use bells to harass dogs unless you've obtained their full consent.

Quick tip about your favorite TV villains: Psychopaths are born; sociopaths are made. Even better quick tip: We don't say either. It's "antisocial personality disorder."

For the New Year, how about trimming some of the excess in your social media? Can you get down to 200 Facebook friends? Research in sociology indicates humans can only manage about 150 social connections.