Thursday, July 18, 2013

Done: "Brooklyn Zoo" by Darcy Lockman

Done:  Brooklyn Zoo: the education of a psychotherapist by Darcy Lockman, 2012, 9780385534284.

Lockman grows up in Michigan.  Lockman's parents are in therapy.  Lockman's mother becomes social worker.  Lockman is used to therapy.  Therapy is not weird.  Lockman has the misfortune to attend the University of Michigan.  Lockman graduates and gets journalism job in the Big City.  Lockman decides to change careers.

Lockman goes to grad school for psychology.  Lockman studies to be a therapist.  Lockman gets internship at hospital in the Bronx that includes the notorious Building G that houses psychiatric cases.  Or was that Queens?  I don't recall exactly.

Lockman's time at Kings County Hospital is up and down.  Mostly down.  The place is not well run and her supervisors (MD and PhD employees of the hospital) are often absent or disinterested with the interns.  Psychology interns are often disdained by the M.D.s and, especially, the psychiatrists.

Psychiatrists have gone away from psychotherapy.  Psychiatrists prescribe pills for brain disease.  Psychologists, like Lockman, still practice therapy.  Psychiatrists and psychologist do not see eye-to-eye.

Lockman is still in therapy and well aware of her own troubles in how she reacts and works with other people.  But, she still has trouble acknowledging those issues and it holds her back in her actions during her internship. She figures the M.D.s there are experienced and very knowledgeable.  Lockman figures she is missing something when an M.D. pronounces one thing and gives a pill.  Lockman lacks confidence but gains it as the book moves along.

Lockman rotates among different parts of the hospital.  Lockman has many neat thing to say about psychology and therapy.  Lockman learns how difficult it can be to diagnose a patient.  Lockman learns how she can diagnose other patients immediately when meeting.  Lockman learns that diagnoses by other practitioners can often be incorrect.  Lockman learns that some doctors are absolutely lousy at treating mental health.  Lockman wants to practice long-term therapy but her position and the situations of transient patients does not allow that.

Comments:
1.  Lockman's boyfriend (then husband) scores a psychologist internship at a fancy-schmancy Manhattan hospital where he gets his own desk, a computer, and the hospital has a real cafeteria.  Lockman gets a rusty room to share, fluorescent lights, and the hospital has an elevator that doesn't work. 
1.b.  They fly all the way to Palm Springs for their honeymoon.  Really?  All the way across the country to go to the damn desert for ten days?
2.  I wrote Lockman twenty-two times up above.
3. Lockman.
4.  Lockman.
5.  Lockman. Lockman. Lockman. Lockman.

No comments: