FAIR News: An Alarming Trend in Psychotherapy
FAIR News: An Alarming Trend in Psychotherapy
December 2nd, 2021
An Alarming Trend in Psychotherapy
For our latest video, FAIR’s Christine Sefein explains how her field of psychotherapy has been taken over by what she describes as a “divisive and regressive ideology” that led her to resign from her position as a professor of clinical psychology at Antioch University in Los Angeles.
This ideology teaches people to see themselves as part of an oppressed group and to blame their hardships on oppressor groups. And sometimes that’s true! But most often this way of thinking, which encourages hypersensitivity, is harmful to people who are seeking help from mental illness conditions.
Sefein worries that her field, which is designed to help people overcome their mental illnesses, will actually exacerbate patients’ symptoms by causing them to view themselves as having no control over improving their situation. Instead, people are acquiring an attitude called “learned hopelessness,” which locks them into a feedback loop of pessimism and despair.
FAIR Responds to FTC’s Strategic Plan
It has come to FAIR’s attention that the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has composed a “Draft Plan” outlining and updating their strategic goals to be achieved from 2022 through 2026. Under each strategic goal, the plans list “objectives” to “guide [its] work” in that area. While the objectives outlined in the Draft Plan are similar-sounding (but not identical) to those contained in the current plan, it adds a new Objective 2.4: to “[a]dvance racial equity, and all forms of equity, and support underserved and marginalized communities through the FTC’s competition mission.”
The plan, however, does not define the term “equity,” sets forth no specific policies or actions that will be instituted to achieve it, and establishes no standards by which equity can be assessed or measured. By leaving the central goal undefined, the FTC risks not only inconsistent actions, but arbitrary enforcement that may result in unlawful discrimination.
The FTC should not adopt vague objectives that draw racial classifications and are beyond its scope and mission. For those reasons, FAIR respectfully requests that the FTC omit Objective 2.4 from the final Strategic Plan for Fiscal Years 2022-2026.
To read, download, and discuss the FTC’s Draft Plan and FAIR’s response, visit our FAIR Community forum.
FAIR in Medicine
FAIR in Medicine is a nonpartisan professional network dedicated to advancing the highest ethical standards in medical practice, and promoting a common medical culture based on critical thinking and the pursuit of excellence in all medical endeavors.
FAIR believes that medical care should be provided without regard to background, sex, skin color, and all immutable characteristics. We offer support to physicians who are threatened or persecuted for raising concerns about patient safety, weakening of medical education standards, unethical research and practice, or any medical pursuit negatively impacted by ideology.
To learn more, visit our FAIR in Medicine website here.
Get Rational with FAIR Advisors Steven Pinker and Melissa Chen
On November 19th FAIR hosted a live book event with FAIR Advisor Steven Pinker. FAIR Advisor Melissa Chen spoke with Professor Pinker about his new book—Rationality: What It Is, Why It Seems Scarce, Why It Matters—and explored progress, reason, and scientific understanding in the 21st century.
Watch the video of that event above, and explore more original video content on FAIR’s YouTube channel.
FAIR’s John McWhorter on ‘The View’
This week FAIR Advisor John McWhorter appeared on the popular ABC television show The View to discuss his new book Woke Racism: How a New Religion Has Betrayed Black America.
We need policy, we need pragmatic solutions, not these abstract conversations that are more about feeling guilty, teaching people to be guilty, virtue signalling… All of that to me is recreation. We need to get back to what civil rights leaders of 50 years ago were doing.
NEW: FAIR Wellness Webinars
On December 13th, 14th, and 15th from 7:00 to 7:45pm ET, FAIR Advisor Zander Keig will be hosting a series of wellness webinars for FAIR members. The webinars include:
Stress Management
Stress is our body’s reaction to stressors in our environment. Figuring out how to respond to stressors starts with understanding how they impact the body. During this webinar, we will learn about the signs of stress, when we are most vulnerable to stressors, how our body responds to stress, the thinking traps we fall into, and strategies to manage our stress.
Navigating Uncertainty
Dealing with difficult thoughts, coping with strong emotions, and supporting kids and older adults while simultaneously navigating uncertainty during a pandemic, around the holidays, and with an upcoming New Year can all seem overwhelming. During this webinar, we will learn about signs of burnout, how to manage anxiety, how to have a work/life balance, how to establish and maintain boundaries, and how to regulate our emotions.
Getting a Good Night Sleep
The importance of getting a good night's sleep cannot be underestimated. Poor sleep habits lead to weight gain, emotional dysregulation, ineffective communication, and poor relationship dynamics. During this webinar, we will learn how to prioritize sleep, what happens while we sleep, strategies for improving sleep, how stress impacts sleep, and tools for getting to sleep.
Keep these dates marked on your calendar; registration information will be made available soon.
Intro Session For Volunteers: What is FAIR Diversity?
FAIR Diversity is our pro-human approach to diversity, equity, and inclusion training based on over 20 years of empirical research.
Rather than building social identities around our differences and immutable characteristics, FAIR Diversity trainings focus on shared identity, common ground, and our similarities to foster greater peace, communication, and relationships. Our training teaches us how to honor unique cultural and social identities while keeping our common humanity at the forefront.
On Wednesday, December 8th from 7:00pm to 8:00pm EST, FAIR’s Christine Sefein will be hosting a intro session for FAIR volunteers.
RSVP for link: christine.sefein@fairforall.org
FAIR Illinois Holiday Party and Book Signing with Dr. Jason Hill
Join FAIR Illinois for a holiday party and book signing with FAIR Advisor and DePaul University Professor Dr. Jason Hill to celebrate his new book What Do White Americans Owe Black People? Racial Justice in the Age of Post-Oppression.
Ted Dabrowski from New Trier Neighbors and Wirepoints will lead a wide ranging conversation and Q&A with Dr. Hill about his new book and today's most pressing cultural issues.
The first 45 guests will receive a signed copy of Jason Hill's new book!
COVID restrictions: Masks are required at Writer's Theatre unless eating and drinking. Space is limited, so please register here.
Questions? Contact Carrie Mendoza at carrie.mendoza@fairforall.org
FAIR Educator Alliance
Teachers often feel isolated and alone in their schools, but FAIR is here for you! We will be holding weekly informal “happy hours” to share experiences and concerns and work on developing resources just for teachers. We’ll also be holding more formal monthly meetings to address issues based on your needs and interests.
For more information, contact Brian Kors at brian.kors@fairforall.org
Grassroots Training Workshops
Are you ready to be an effective advocate for pro-human values in your community? You know in your heart of hearts our common culture of fairness, understanding, and humanity requires you to be civically engaged and actively organizing and advocating in your community.
But how do you get started?
We’ve got you covered with the FAIR Grassroots Leader Training series.
Register to learn practical tools for organizing your community, how to be a more effective advocate, and ways to create positive, bottom-up change in our culture and country. The sessions include:
Grassroots Leader Session 1 | Bottom-Up Organizing
Grassroots Leader Session 2 | Finding Your Place At FAIR
Grassroots Leader Session 3 | Organizing Your Organizing
Public Speaking Training | Keeping Your Audience Captivated
Register now for the next Grassroots Leader Training series.
FIRE’s Free Speech Essay Contest
The Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE) is awarding $20,000 in scholarships to students who can make the best argument for why freedom of speech is a better idea than censorship. All juniors and seniors in U.S. high schools are eligible.
Entries are due by December 31st.
Check out FIRE's essay contest page for details.
Why Our Brains Deceive Us
Our friends at the Heterodox Academy will be hosting Julia Galef, author of The Scout Mindset: Why Some People See Things Clearly and Others Don’t, to discuss discuss how to think like a “scout” instead of a “soldier,” see reality more clearly, and get things right more often.
Want to learn how to resist caving to personal biases and giving in to our tribal inclinations, how can we lower our defenses, open ourselves up to constructive disagreement, and learn from those beyond our walls? Then be sure not to miss Galef in conversation with Heterodox Academy Director of Programs Kyle Vitale on December 6th, 2021 at 7:00PM in ET (US and Canada).
Questions? Email events@heterodoxacademy.org
Register here.
Join the FAIR Community
Click here to become a FAIR volunteer or to join a FAIR chapter:
Join a Welcome to FAIR Zoom information session to learn more about our mission by clicking here. Or, to watch a previously recorded session click here to visit the Member section of www.fairforall.org.
Sign the FAIR Pledge for a common culture of fairness, understanding and humanity.
Join the FAIR community to connect and share information with other members.
Share your reviews and incident reports on our FAIR Transparency website.