Janina Scarlet | |
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 Dr. Janina Scarlet. courtesy of Dustin McGinnis | |
| Born | August 12, 1983 Ukraine |
| Known for | Superhero Therapy |
| Medical career | |
| Field | Clinical psychology Psychotherapy |
| Awards | Eleanor Roosevelt Award for Human Rights |
Janina Scarlet is a Ukrainian-born American author and clinical psychologist. [1] She is known for utilizing popular culture references in treating patients. [2] [3]
Scarlet was born and raised in Ukraine to a Jewish family. Scarlet and her family endured the Chernobyl disaster. As a child, she was poisoned and had severe migraines and seizures. [4] [5] Her family then decided to secretly move to the US. After a year-long series of examinations, on September 15, 1995, they landed in America. [5] [6] [4]
Scarlet struggled with PTSD. She was also bullied for her origins; for instance, she was taunted as radioactive. A few years later, after watching X-Men, she resonated to its character Storm. She was inspired by Storm's similar origins that rather strengthened her as an individual, and it prompted her to reframe her story — from a victim to a survivor. She decided to study psychology to be able to help others who struggled with their past too. [6] [7] [5]
Scarlet obtained a master's degree in psychology from Brooklyn College. In 2010, she acquired a doctorate in behavioral neuroscience from Graduate Center, CUNY. She earned a clinical psychology respecialization from Alliant International University and completed her post-doctorate training at Veterans Medical Research Center. [8] [9]
She treated active duty Marines with PTSD via her work at the Veterans Medical Research Center. [8] There, she noticed that many service members identified themselves with superheroes — many stated that they wanted to be Superman but believed that they failed because they developed PTSD. Scarlet once queried a patient whether Superman has vulnerabilities, and he responded Kryptonite; she then inquired whether Kryptonite made Superman any less of a hero, and there was a change of his perspective. It was a life-altering moment that made her apprehend the allegory of incorporating superheroes in treating psychological issues and disorders. [4]
Scarlet worked as a research faculty at Alliant International University from 2011 to 2017 and as a psychologist at Sharp Memorial Center from 2013 to 2017. She began working as clinical psychologist at the Center for Stress and Anxiety Management in California in 2012 and is currently the lead trauma specialist there. [10] [9] She specializes in treating anxiety, stress, trauma, and PTSD. [8] [3] Scarlet has also conducted and published psychological analysis of popular films, TV shows, and books.
Scarlet is the recipient of the Eleanor Roosevelt Award for Human Rights by the San Diego chapter of the United Nations Association of the United States of America for her work in mental health education. [11]
Scarlet has been featured as a character in the comic book Seven Days by Gail Simone. [12]
Scarlet worked as a mental health consultant on the fourth season of the HBO Max animated show Young Justice.
Scarlet developed superhero therapy; it is a clinical method of using heroes or popular culture figures and incorporating them into evidence-based therapies to reshape narratives, build rapport, and manage an array of psychological issues. [3] [7] It is reinforced by parasocial interaction which is the connection between a fan and an idol. [7] Scarlet noted a common tendency for patients to not open up — and she utilized stories, whether through films, novels etc. — to encourage free expression thereby gaining insight about the patient's case. Superhero therapy invites clients to consider their own origin stories, as well as to bring up fictional characters as heroic role models to facilitate treatment, as well as to help the clients to become their own version of a superhero in real life. [7] [13] It combines elements of cognitive behavioral therapy and acceptance and commitment therapy. While it is frequently used for treating younger patients, it is as applicable to adults as Superhero Therapy may use personal and nonfictional characters as well. [14]
Neurosis is a term mainly used today by followers of Freudian thinking to describe mental disorders caused by past anxiety, often that has been repressed. In recent history, the term has been used to refer to anxiety-related conditions more generally.
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental and behavioral disorder that develops from experiencing a traumatic event, such as sexual assault, warfare, traffic collisions, child abuse, domestic violence, or other threats on a person's life or well-being. Symptoms may include disturbing thoughts, feelings, or dreams related to the events, mental or physical distress to trauma-related cues, attempts to avoid trauma-related cues, alterations in the way a person thinks and feels, and an increase in the fight-or-flight response. These symptoms last for more than a month after the event. Young children are less likely to show distress, but instead may express their memories through play. A person with PTSD is at a higher risk of suicide and intentional self-harm.
Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) is an evidence-based psychotherapy that began with efforts to treat personality disorders and interpersonal conflicts. Evidence suggests that DBT can be useful in treating mood disorders and suicidal ideation as well as for changing behavioral patterns such as self-harm and substance use. DBT evolved into a process in which the therapist and client work with acceptance and change-oriented strategies and ultimately balance and synthesize them—comparable to the philosophical dialectical process of thesis and antithesis, followed by synthesis.
Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) is a form of psychotherapy that is a recommended treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder, but remains controversial within the psychological community. It was devised by Francine Shapiro in 1987 and originally designed to alleviate the distress associated with traumatic memories such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Barbara Rothbaum is a psychologist at Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. She is a professor in the Psychiatry department and a pioneer in the treatment of anxiety-related disorders. Rothbaum is head of the Trauma and Anxiety Recovery Program (TARP) at Emory as well as the Emory Healthcare Veterans Program. In the mid-1990s she founded a virtual exposure therapy company called Virtually Better, Inc. This company treats patients with anxiety disorders, addictions, pain, and the like using virtual reality instead of the actual place or scenario. It also allows the therapist to control the environment. She also played a key role in the development of the treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Flooding, sometimes referred to as in vivo exposure therapy, is a form of behavior therapy and desensitization—or exposure therapy—based on the principles of respondent conditioning. As a psychotherapeutic technique, it is used to treat phobia and anxiety disorders including post-traumatic stress disorder. It works by exposing the patient to their painful memories, with the goal of reintegrating their repressed emotions with their current awareness. Flooding was invented by psychologist Thomas Stampfl in 1967. It is still used in behavior therapy today.
Complex post-traumatic stress disorder is a stress-related mental disorder generally occurring in response to complex traumas, i.e., commonly prolonged or repetitive exposures to a series of traumatic events, within which individuals perceive little or no chance to escape.
Thought Field Therapy (TFT) is a fringe psychological treatment developed by American psychologist Roger Callahan. Its proponents say that it can heal a variety of mental and physical ailments through specialized "tapping" with the fingers at meridian points on the upper body and hands. The theory behind TFT is a mixture of concepts "derived from a variety of sources. Foremost among these is the ancient Chinese philosophy of chi, which is thought to be the 'life force' that flows throughout the body". Callahan also bases his theory upon applied kinesiology and physics. There is no scientific evidence that TFT is effective, and the American Psychological Association has stated that it "lacks a scientific basis" and consists of pseudoscience.
Somatic psychology or, more precisely, "somatic clinical psychotherapy" is a form of psychotherapy that focuses on somatic experience, including therapeutic and holistic approaches to the body. It seeks to explore and heal mental and physical injury and trauma through body awareness and movement. Wilhelm Reich was first to try to develop a clear psychodynamic approach that included the body.
Edna Foa is an Israeli professor of clinical psychology at the University of Pennsylvania, where she serves as the director of the Center for the Treatment and Study of Anxiety. Foa is an internationally renowned authority in the field of psychopathology and treatment of anxiety. She approaches the understanding and treatment of mental disorders from a cognitive-behavioral perspective.
Exposure therapy is a technique in behavior therapy to treat anxiety disorders. Exposure therapy involves exposing the patient to the anxiety source or its context. Doing so is thought to help them overcome their anxiety or distress. Numerous studies have demonstrated its effectiveness in the treatment of disorders such as generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), social anxiety disorder (SAD), obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and specific phobias.
Childhood trauma is often described as serious adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). Children may go through a range of experiences that classify as psychological trauma; these might include neglect, abandonment, sexual abuse, emotional abuse, and physical abuse, witnessing abuse of a sibling or parent, or having a mentally ill parent. These events have profound psychological, physiological, and sociological impacts and can have negative, lasting effects on health and well-being such as unsocial behaviors, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and sleep disturbances. Similarly, children whose mothers have experienced traumatic or stressful events during pregnancy have an increased risk of mental health disorders and other neurodevelopmental disorders.
Prolonged exposure therapy (PE) is a form of behavior therapy and cognitive behavioral therapy designed to treat post-traumatic stress disorder. It is characterized by two main treatment procedures – imaginal and in vivo exposures. Imaginal exposure is repeated 'on-purpose' retelling of the trauma memory. In vivo exposure is gradually confronting situations, places, and things that are reminders of the trauma or feel dangerous. Additional procedures include processing of the trauma memory and breathing retraining.
Leah Giarratano is a clinical psychologist and author who specialises in a number of areas including psychopathology and trauma counselling. She is an expert in psychological trauma and sex offences, treating both perpetrators and victims.
Cognitive processing therapy (CPT) is a manualized therapy used by clinicians to help people recover from posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and related conditions. It includes elements of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) treatments, one of the most widely used evidence-based therapies. A typical 12-session run of CPT has proven effective in treating PTSD across a variety of populations, including combat veterans, sexual assault victims, and refugees. CPT can be provided in individual and group treatment formats and is considered one of the most effective treatments for PTSD.
PTSD or post-traumatic stress disorder, is a psychiatric disorder characterised by intrusive thoughts and memories, dreams or flashbacks of the event; avoidance of people, places and activities that remind the individual of the event; ongoing negative beliefs about oneself or the world, mood changes and persistent feelings of anger, guilt or fear; alterations in arousal such as increased irritability, angry outbursts, being hypervigilant, or having difficulty with concentration and sleep.
Richard McNally is an American psychologist and director of clinical training at Harvard University's department of psychology. As a clinical psychologist and experimental psycho-pathologist, McNally studies anxiety disorders and related syndromes, such as post-traumatic stress disorder, obsessive–compulsive disorder, and complicated grief.
Robin Sue Rosenberg is an American author and a clinical psychologist, certified by the American Board of Professional Psychology. She is best known for her research, writing and presentations about the psychology of superheroes and the psychology of cosplay. She is also the co-author of textbooks on psychology. She also treats people with eating disorders and anxiety disorders through clinical hypnosis, and is a personal coach.
Richard Allan Bryant is an Australian medical scientist. He is Scientia Professor of Psychology at the University of New South Wales (UNSW) and director of the UNSW Traumatic Stress Clinic, based at UNSW and Westmead Institute for Medical Research. His main areas of research are posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and prolonged grief disorder. On 13 June 2016 he was appointed a Companion of the Order of Australia (AC), for eminent service to medical research in the field of psychotraumatology, as a psychologist and author, to the study of Indigenous mental health, as an advisor to a range of government and international organisations, and to professional societies.
Donald H. Meichenbaum is an American psychologist and Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Psychology at the University of Waterloo, Ontario. He is a research director of the Melissa Institute for Violence Prevention and Treatment at the University of Miami. Meichenbaum is known for his research and publications on psychotherapy, and contributed to the development of the technique of cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT). In 1982, a survey of 800 members of the American Psychological Association voted Meichenbaum the tenth most influential psychotherapist of the 20th century. At the time of his retirement from the University of Waterloo in 1998, Meichenbaum was the most-cited psychology researcher at a Canadian university.
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