Sadžida Traynor-Herenda | Melem za Dušu Psychologist

Yeah, that tracks. We give so much for so many reasons. I have been reflecting lately on capacity and longevity. Hope you have a restful weekend.

Reflecting on world events, violence, and economic oppression...
1. IPCC reports on climate change have pointed to this repeatedly.

2. There are ways to turn things around: key players need a mindset change.

3. For us mere mortals, we need to learn from the oppressed.

I am midst some complex reports, research registration (I am about 3 to 6 months behind due to sick leave last year), and also literature search. Extra spicy Y3 brain melt. Best of luck to you too 😊

Thanks, Ursula. Yes, I saw your message flash as I was asking my cohort to check the programme. Some other people messaged me as well.

It is one of those things. I will think about it after the thesis.

If you are at the DECP TEP conference.

I didnt know my abstract was accepted. I didn't get emails and checking the form I thought I hadn't completed it properly (ADHD tax).

I was going to discuss refugees and offer a unique EP view as I found myself displaced at start and during Bosnian genocide

Thank you all for great posts in 2025. I have learnt a lot and made friends.

I wish us all good (enough) health, world peace (yes, I do mean it), justice, equity, harmony, and curiosity about the world and each other.

Life is so short and so precious.

MASSIVE thanks to @tanialt.bsky.social and SNJ team from the bottom of my heart for always excellent resources. I learnt so much from you as a SEND mama. And I had to advocate super hard for my two children.

I feel more confident as a Trainee EP because of your writing.

More wind to your sails

Ooh I did not know about these and reading the article I understood the principle but not the maths. Thank you for posting about these. I absolutely love how clever they are and I sincerely wish i understood the maths.

As I read for my thesis, I am genuinely worried about the validity of the new papers i find and have to double-check their bibliography.

Otherwise, in the siege of Sarajevo in the 90s, our National Library was targeted as Serb / Yugoslav National Army aggressors wanted to destroy our knowledge.

“A better understanding of how cultures evolve—how info is transmitted & modified, how we make decisions, how culture interacts with biology & other species—is a pressing issue in an increasingly interdependent world where cultural activities are causing rapid, drastic social & environmental change”

As dangerous eugenic ideas spread, NIH falls silent Federal research agencies are pulling back from fostering public discussions about science after the hollowing out of government communications offices.

Highly recommended read about the politicisation of science in the US and how this will help the resurgence of eugenic ideology and scientific racism.

“For the first time, there is a political appointee in the NIH communications operations”

www.statnews.com/2025/12/18/t...

When you look at the research, it's remarkable how inefficient deliberate practice and study are for increasing kids' vocabularies. Free reading generally turns out to be more effective than direct, explicit instruction, even for learning academic words: bit.ly/3qFtPbO

I am still.reading this paper but wanted to share as Y9 and Y10 are so critical for English GCSEs. Comprehension is everything.

Otherwise, as a doctoral student, my experience is that AI typically misses details in papers that really stand out to me. Super important for academic work.

Thank you so much for sharing this. 😊

Very interesting paper and it made me think of a mountain of material we have to digest as part of doctoral thesis, and how AI reliance affects our academic as well as information retention and understanding skills.

Was talking to my uni tutor about AI and the necessary criticality. For me the main point is: WE (psychologist and humans) should be learning from AI, using it for adminy support NOT we surrender our thinking to it. AI uses statistical probability which cannot replace human insight and creativity.

I experimented and found that AI rewrite of my LinkedIn post sounded terrible. I posted my words. Otherwise, an Information Science scholar I follow here shared a deeply disturbing experience with an AI circular self-referencing set of "journal paper shaped objects" rubbish she discovered.

Finally had Disabled Students Allowance assessment. 2 hours of focusing on my difficulties and supports needed. Assessor was ace. Also disabled.

Insights:
1. Aren't all disabled people already pushing boundaries?
2. If men can't truly know about labour, who can best understand disabled people?

I mean the following most seriously: my cat could write a book on negotiation, being present in the moment, and taking over a sofa. I must take notes. 📝📝
Ps. My feline research assistant is teaching me lots about joy

Image of a LinkedIn post with following text: In discussions about diagnostic labels, a current refrain seems to be that labels risk reducing the individual. As psychologists, we agree the *whole person* is paramount—and this is precisely why we must challenge the idea that precise language is antithetical to this goal. Our professional duty, as outlined by the BPS Ethics Code and HCPC standards, requires competence, evidence-based practice, and acting in the best interests of those we serve. A validated diagnosis is a tool of **scientific/clinical precision**. This precision transforms amorphous struggle into a navigable profile of strengths and needs, guiding the most effective intervention. To withhold or dismiss accurate description of needs in favour of well-intentioned vagueness can itself be an ethical lapse, as it impedes access to targeted support, accommodations, and valid research pathways. The needs will remain but support may be withdrawn without the precision. Some argue labels can create self-fulfilling prophecies. Yes, I hear you. There are worries that labels hamper ambition. Yet the greater risk is leaving children, teenagers, and their families without a framework for understanding their own experiences—a framework that often unlocks **community validation** and self-advocacy. The scientific utility or usefulness of a category is **not** in boxing people in, but in providing the key to a more tailored, effective, and ethically sound path forward. As professionals in helping professions, we shound not see commitment to labels for their own sake, but to the **accuracy and utility** they provide in fulfilling our fundamental professional obligations. **Precision is the foundation of ethical, person-centred care.**

Me on LinkedIn. TLDR: Labels are useful BECAUSE precision opens the door to person-centred care. Also just because someone doesn't have a label, it doesn't mean they have no needs.

Yet another example of what happens if we allow LLMs to become a form of epistemic grounding for society.

Bondi Beach: Twelve killed in shooting targeting Australia’s Jewish community A Hanukkah event with over 1,000 attendees was taking place on the beach at the time of the shooting - 29 people have been taken to hospital.

Bondi beach 😢 all the killings leave me speechless. My thoughts are with the victims and their loved ones.

Structural Analysis is important for:

1. Anyone seeking to make any positive changes in society, and
2. Anyone working in any psychology branch.

Psychology is a mere reflection of the rest of society. Psychologists are people.

To quote Donna Mertens, if you are in water, you will get wet.

Quote reads: Psychology professionals will face new scenarios in the future and will need to be prepared to understand and recognise the importance of human rights in their work from multiple lenses Dr Shakiba Moghadam Trustee and Chair of BPS Human Rights Coordinating Group. BPS logo. Photo of people with raised hands at a protest.

Psychology has a key role in safeguarding human rights.

In a new interview, Dr Shakiba Moghadam & Dr Carlotta Raby discuss culturally informed practice & psychology’s future in crises from displacement to climate trauma.

Full piece in @psychmag.bsky.social: www.bps.org.uk/psychologist...

Dehumanization: The Catastrophic Loss of Our Shared Humanity Autoimmune diseases misidentify parts of the body as a threat. Dehumanization mirrors this error. Here's why we dismiss others’ humanity and how to break the cycle.

This @psychologytoday.com piece by @rossgwhite.com explores what fuels dehumanization, citing past work by Francesca Prati, Richard Crisp, & Monica Rubini showing that counter-stereotype exposure reduces prejudice and helps re‑humanize others. 🧠💙

www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-...

I am fascinated by the refusal to entry for factcheckers and content moderators. It is also interesting HnB1 visa is $100k.
I saw a US farmer podcast on workforce shortage. I wonder how it will affect their food prices.

Thank you very much for replying. I am practicing my paper trustworthiness muscle and the AI issues is an added dimension. I shall check predatory journals lists. Thank you again. Found your thread super informative.

Trainee EPs, Assistant EPs, and anyone doing academic writing. This is a must read.

TLDR: predatory journals are publishing AI written fake systematic reviews of "paper shaped objects" with fake AI "reference shaped lists" Multiple self referenced layers of hallucinated rubbish. #posttruth

Thank you so much for sharing that Alfie. Very informative, if scary. I thought of behaviourism as I was reading the thread. It feels like we are in an age of circular evidence (is that a term?)

It also means I have to triple check all references I find for my thesis, especially new ones. Sigh...

Preparing for lit review for my doctoral thesis this has sent shivers down my spine. I knew AI hallucinated and I knew there were predatory journals and my mind is speechless at this combination. My additional question is: what about Global South journals which aren't even indexed often?

Brilliant point by Micheal Charles from Sinclair Law over on Fb.