All Stressed Out: Pressures in Today's Society

"All Stressed Out: Pressures in Today's Society"

by

HoustonPBS

We see it everywhere: recession and work anxieties building up to cause depression and uncertainty in both our home and work lives;  school students acting out in a harassing manner;  local, national and international unrest creating fear and pressure within ourselves;  the worry of natural disasters from flood, hurricanes and earthquakes.

How is all of this pressure affecting us as a people and a community? How do we cope with the mounting stress? And what can be done to bring our lives back into balance? 

Guests: Dr. Britta Ostermeyer, Chief of Psychiatry, Ben Taub General Hospital/Harris County Hospital District; John Vincent, Ph.D, Psychology, University of Houston; Lee Miller, Ph.D, Sociology, Sam Houston State University; original broadcast date April 16, 2010.

Experts Bio:

As a clinician administrator, Dr. Ostermeyer has administrative oversight of all psychiatric service lines at Ben Taub General Hospital/Harris County Hospital District. In 2005, she co-founded and implemented the Community Behavioral Health Program (CBHP); CBHP is one of the largest integrated psychiatry-primary care programs in the nation.

Dr. Ostermeyer placed psychiatrists and psychotherapists shoulder to shoulder with primary care physicians into 15 large scale primary care centers within Harris County Hospital District and for that received the prestigious 2007 Gold Award for Service Achievement by the American Psychiatric Association.

She also oversees the clinical operations of the Texas DMIE Project and was instrumental in the implementation of a MedPsych Inpatient Unit, a Psychiatric Trauma Clinic, and an OB Psychiatry Clinic at Ben Taub General Hospital in 2007.

In 2008, Harris County Hospital District nominated and sponsored Dr. Ostermeyer to received the highly respected fellowship training program for one year of intensive training and coaching in varies aspects of hospital administration by the National Association of Public Hospitals and Health Systems.

Dr. Vincent received his doctorate in clinical psychology from the University of Oregon in 1972, and is Professor of Psychology at the University of Houston.  In addition to his role as Department Chairman, for sixteen years he has served as Director of Clinical Psychology, which is among the top 15% of clinical psychology programs nationally and the top rated program in Texas.

He also serves as Director of the Center for Forensic Psychology and is Executive Director of Forensic Psychology Services at the University of Houston.  Dr. Vincent has also served as Director of the Victims' Resource Institute, where based on his dedication on behalf of victims of trauma and violence he was recognized by the U. S. Department of Justice Office for Victims of Crime. 

He also holds a clinical faculty appointment at Baylor College of Medicine.  He has maintained a practice in clinical and forensic psychology for over 30 years. He has been a licensed clinical psychologist in the State of Texas since 1974 and is board certified as a clinical psychologist with the American Board of Professional Psychology.

Dr. Lee M. Miller   received her Ph.D from  Yale University 1995. Before joining. SHSU Sociology Department. She was Chief Academic Officer for Brethren Colleges Abroad (BCA), a study abroad consortium with undergraduate programs in 16 countries.

For over a decade prior to joining BCA, Dr. Miller lived and worked in Italy. At Dickinson College's Center for European Studies in Bologna, Italy, Dr. Miller taught comparative sociology and created Dickinson's internship program there. Dr. Miller was also a guest lecturer on economic development and international cooperation at several Italian graduate programs.

Her background includes an appointment with the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) as Program Officer in Italy for The Joint Program on Small and Medium Enterprise Development aimed at encouraging economic growth in emerging countries, especially India and Tunisia. 

Numerous research projects on Italian small-firm networks while employed at the Italian economic research institute, Nomisma, also attest to Miller's interest in political economy and organizations. Current research interests include political economy, social organization, inequality and deviance. She is fluent in Italian and published in three languages.