Episode 356: Early Psychosis. The Course is Coming. Guy Macpherson

As many of you know, I've been working on The Trauma Therapist Project full-time now for about one year. Prior to that, my position was as a license-eligible clinician, working under a licensed therapist, at a clinic here in Northern California for five years. Our role was to assess and treat young individuals between the ages of 12 and 25 who were showing *early signs of psychosis*. I absolutely loved the job and learned an amazing amount. I’ve wanted to create a workshop around this topic for a long time, and so, here it is. In this episode, I introduce this topic and share a bit about the course. And yes, I’m very excited! *What is psychosis?* And what is early psychosis? Two great questions, and ones which you have to answer if you're a therapist, and could certainly help if you're a teacher. The word psychosis is not an actual diagnosis, but rather a collection of symptoms which indicate that an individual can not distinguish between what is real and what is not. Early psychosis then describes those symptoms which can sometimes precede full or complete psychosis. Such symptoms could include visual or auditory hallucinations (among others), but yet the individual still continues to maintain their hold on reality. In other words, someone might experience these symptoms but they know that those symptoms are not real. Assessing for these symptoms, whether you're a therapist or teacher, and whether you work with children or adults, is a crucial skill. This is what I spent 5 years of my life doing, and I loved it. Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-trauma-therapist-podcast-with-guy-macpherson-phd-inspiring-interviews-with-thought-leaders-in-the-field-of-trauma/donations