Goss and Associates, Inc.

12/04/2025

02/28/2025

I continue to be granted by The PSYPACT Commission the Authority to Practice Interjurisdictional Telepsychology (APIT). This allows licensed psychologist to practice online psychotherapy across state lines.

07/26/2024

I thought it might be helpful to post my updated mental health resources.

Therapist in Alexandria, VA specializing in Marriage Counseling, Individual & Couples Counseling. Dr. Michele Goss, Ph.D. services include Premarital Counseling, Divorce, Couples Counseling, Individual, Work and Career Issues, Conflict Resolution, Stress Management, Depression Therapy, Arlington, Fa...

09/25/2023

I wanted to take this opportunity to share an exciting new community event developed to help many of us heal from previous and ongoing traumas including, but not limited to, microaggressions in the workplace and community at-large, loss, victims of violence in the community and in our homes.

The American Psychological Association (APA) is thrilled to announce that registration for APA’s Psychology for the People: Healing from Trauma, Grief, and Oppression summit in Washington, DC, is now officially open!

You may benefit from this restorative event for individuals and communities continuing to heal from the ongoing trauma of our recent and distant years. This free summit is intended for adults (18+) with lived experience with mental health and the families and community advocates who support them. Please note that this event is not intended for mental health professionals.

11/02/2021

I thought I would share the most recent study published by the American Psychological Association (APA) on Stress in America™ 2021. Twenty months later: Understanding various stressors that impact work settings and possible decisions to change.

Date created: October 4, 2021
Facing compounding stressors, many American workers plan to change jobs in coming year

Low salaries, long hours and lack of opportunity for growth are most likely to contribute to work-related stress, says APA survey

WASHINGTON — As the pandemic grinds on through a second year, many American workers are feeling the pressure, and many say they intend to leave their jobs within a year, according to a new survey from the American Psychological Association.

Work stress related to low salaries, long hours and a lack of opportunity for growth and advancement has increased since the start of the pandemic. More than 4 in 10 workers said they plan to switch jobs in the coming year, which could impact many industries already facing a shortage of workers, particularly the hospitality and health care sectors.

However, there are actions that employers can take to improve employee well-being and support mental health.

APA’s 2021 Work and Well-being Survey was conducted online by The Harris Poll among more than 1,500 U.S. employees between July 26 and Aug. 4, 2021.

Nearly 6 in 10 (59%) reported experiencing negative impacts of work-related stress. Low salaries (56%, up from 49% in 2019), long hours (54%, up from 46%) and lack of opportunity for growth or advancement (52%, up from 44%) were most commonly reported as having a very or somewhat significant impact on stress levels at work, according to the poll.

More than 2 in 5 employees (44%) said that they intend to seek employment outside of their company or organization in the next year, up from around 1 in 3 (32%) in 2019. (APA did not conduct a similar survey in 2020.) But among some marginalized communities, the numbers were even more striking — 58% of Hispanic employees, 57% of Black employees, 56% of LGBTQ+ employees and 63% of workers with disabilities said that they intend to seek a job with another employer in the next year.

“Stress at work can have broad, negative consequences for employers and employees alike, including loss of productivity, high turnover and repercussions for the employee’s physical and emotional health,” said Arthur C. Evans Jr., PhD., APA’s chief executive officer. “A workplace that pays attention to worker well-being is better positioned to recruit and retain engaged and productive staff.”

Nearly 6 in 10 workers (59%) said that they had experienced negative impacts of work-related stress in the prior month including a lack of interest, motivation or energy (26%), difficulty focusing (21%) or a lack of effort at work (19%). More than two-thirds of front line workers (67%) reported experiencing negative impacts of work-related stress and more than 1 in 3 (35%) said they had felt fed up at work quite frequently or more often in the past 30 days.

Workers who perform manual labor or work in customer service, sales or entertainment were more likely than those who work in desk jobs to say they had experienced symptoms of physical fatigue (51% and 53% vs. 38%, respectively), cognitive weariness (41% and 44% vs. 29%) and emotional exhaustion (41% and 40% vs. 25%) at work quite frequently or more often in the past 30 days.

There are steps that employers can take to improve employee well-being and possibly reduce turnover. The vast majority of employees (87%) said they thought actions from their employer would help their mental health, including flexible hours (34%), encouraging employees to take care of their health (32%), encouraging employees to use paid time off (30%) and encouraging breaks during the workday (30%).

“During the pandemic, many employers switched to remote work where possible, thus providing greater flexibility for their employees,” Evans said. “Policies that promote flexible hours and breaks during the workday and provide other forms of support for employees to take care of themselves may also help employers retain staff in competitive markets.”

To achieve a psychologically healthy workplace, women were more likely than men to say employers should pay employees fairly (50% vs. 43%) and allow flexibility (47% vs. 36%). Women were less likely than men to say they receive adequate monetary compensation for their contributions at work (65% vs. 74%), according to the survey.

If they could only have one extra perk from their employer, one third of employees (33%) said they want more money, followed by more flexibility (14%), more time off (13%) or more benefits (12%). One in 10 (10%) said more meaningful work was their top priority.

Methodology

The 2021 Work and Well-being Survey was conducted online within the United States by The Harris Poll on behalf of the American Psychological Association between July 26 and Aug. 4, 2021, among 1,501 adults age 18+ who reside in the U.S. who are employed full-time, part-time, or self-employed. Results were weighted as needed for age, s*x, race/ethnicity, education, region and household income to be representative of the U.S. employed population. Propensity score weighting was also used to adjust for respondents’ propensity to be online. Respondents for this survey were selected from among those who have agreed to participate in online surveys. Because the sample is based on those who were invited to participate in online research panels, no estimates of theoretical sampling error can be calculated.

A frontline job is defined as directly involved with production or products or providing services, such as sales, secretarial, bookkeeping, clerical, customer service, etc.

Repost courtesy of American Psychological Association
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11/02/2021

I thought I would share the most recent study published by the American Psychological Association (APA) on Stress in America™ 2021. Twenty months later: Pandemic impedes basic decision-making ability.

Date created: October 25, 2021
Stress in America™ 2021: Pandemic impedes basic decision-making ability

Day-to-day stresses overwhelming younger adults, parents; American Psychological Association says mental health supports must be prioritized

WASHINGTON — Americans are struggling with the basic decisions required to navigate daily life as the effects of pandemic-related stress continue to take a toll, especially on younger adults and parents, according to a national survey from the American Psychological Association.

Stress in AmericaTM 2021: Stress and Decision-Making during the Pandemic conducted by The Harris Poll on behalf of APA, found that one in three Americans (32%) said sometimes they are so stressed about the coronavirus pandemic that they struggle to make even basic decisions (e.g., what to wear, what to eat, etc.). Millennials (48%) were particularly likely to struggle with this when compared with their counterparts (Gen Z adults: 37%, Gen Xers: 32%, boomers: 14%, older adults: 3%); as were parents (47%) versus non-parents (24%).

“The pandemic has imposed a regimen of constant risk assessment upon many. Each day brings an onslaught of choices with an ever-changing context as routines are upended and once trivial daily tasks are recast in the light of pandemic life,” said Arthur C. Evans Jr., PhD, APA’s chief executive officer. “Sustaining a heightened degree of vigilance inevitably wears on one’s mental health. And operating amid so much uncertainty compounds the general state of mental exhaustion being felt by so many right now, especially young adults and parents.”

The survey found that nearly two-thirds of adults (63%) agreed that uncertainty about what the next few months will be like causes them stress, and around half (49%) went further to say that the coronavirus pandemic makes planning for their future feel impossible. More than one-third said it has been more stressful to make both day-to-day decisions (36%) and major life decisions (35%) compared with before the coronavirus pandemic.
Younger adults, especially millennials, were more likely to feel these decisions are more stressful now (daily: 40% of Gen Z adults, 46% of millennials and 39% of Gen Xers vs. 24% of boomers and 14% of older adults; major: 50% of Gen Z adults and 45% of millennials vs. 33% of Gen Xers, 24% of boomers and 6% of older adults). Additionally, parents were more likely than non-parents to report the same (daily: 47% vs. 30%; major: 44% vs. 31%), with 54% of those with children ages 4 and younger reporting that day-to-day decisions have become more stressful. Hispanic adults were more likely than non-Hispanic white adults to say decision-making has become more stressful compared with before the pandemic (day-to-day decisions: 44% vs. 34; major decisions: 40% vs. 32%).

More than three in five adults (61%) agreed the coronavirus pandemic has made them re-think how they were living their life, and more than two in five adults (44%) made a major life decision during the coronavirus pandemic. Further, the majority of parents made at least one major life decision during the coronavirus pandemic (62% vs. 35% non-parents).

“This datapoint illustrates a decision-making paradox: Amid uncertainty and decision difficulty, major life changes still occur, and we are forced to deal with them,” Evans said.

While the overall stress level remained the same as last year — 5.0, on a scale from one to 10, where one means “little to no stress” and 10 means “a great deal of stress” — the report highlighted how the burden of stress is not being borne equally. Younger Americans, who were more likely to say they struggle with basic decisions, also reported generally high stress levels. Gen Z adults (5.6), millennials (5.7) and Gen Xers (5.2) reported higher average stress levels over the past month related to the coronavirus pandemic than boomers (4.3) and older adults (2.9). This pattern was mirrored in the groups’ respective ability to manage stress; around half of Gen Z adults (45%) and millennials (50%) said they do not know how to manage the stress they feel due to the coronavirus pandemic, compared with 32% of Gen Xers, 21% of boomers and 12% of older adults.

The majority of Americans (59%) said they have changed some behaviors as a result of stress in the past month. Most commonly, the changes were avoiding social situations (24%), altering eating habits (23%), procrastinating or neglecting responsibilities (22%) or altering physical activity levels (22%). In conjunction with changes in eating habits and physical activity, more than one-third said they eat to manage their stress, which remains elevated after increasing during the first year of the pandemic (35% in 2021, 37% in 2020, 25% in 2019).

Despite these struggles, U.S. adults have retained a positive outlook. Most (70%) were confident that everything will work out after the coronavirus pandemic ends, and more than half agreed they tend to bounce back quickly after hard times (57%).

“Americans’ optimism about the future is encouraging, but we have real mental health effects emerging from this period of prolonged stress that we have to address now. Pandemic stress is contributing to widespread mental exhaustion, negative health impacts and unhealthy behavior changes — a pattern that will become increasingly challenging to correct the longer it persists,” cautioned Evans. “It is urgent that as a nation we prioritize the mental health of all Americans and provide a universally accessible system of supports.”

Methodology

The August/COVID Resilience Survey was conducted online within the United States by The Harris Poll on behalf of the American Psychological Association between Aug. 11 and Aug. 23, 2021, among 3,035 adults age 18+ who reside in the U.S. Interviews were conducted in English and Spanish. Data were weighted to reflect their proportions in the population based on the 2020 Current Population Survey (CPS) by the U.S. Census Bureau. Weighting variables included age by gender, race/ethnicity, education, region and household income. Hispanic adults were also weighted for acculturation, taking into account respondents’ household language as well as their ability to read and speak in English and Spanish. Country of origin (U.S./non-U.S.) was also included for Hispanic and Asian subgroups. Weighting variables for Gen Z adults (ages 18 to 24) included education, age by gender, race/ethnicity, region, household income and size of household, based on the 2019 CPS. Propensity score weighting was used to adjust for respondents’ propensity to be online.

Parents are defined as U.S. adults ages 18+ who have at least one person under the age of 18 living in their household at least 50% of the time for whom they are the parent or guardian.
Generational definitions are as follows: Gen Z adults (ages 18 to 24), millennials (ages 25 to 42), Gen Xers (ages 43 to 56), boomers (ages 57 to 75) and older adults (ages 76+).

Repost courtesy of American Psychological Association
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11/02/2021

I thought I would share the most recent study published by the American Psychological Association (APA) examining our use of free time during the languishing pandemic.

September 9, 2021.
Date created: September 9, 2021

Too much free time may be almost as bad as too little

Using excess discretionary time on productive activities can help bolster well-being, study says

WASHINGTON — As an individual’s free time increases, so does that person’s sense of well-being—but only up to a point. Too much free time can also be a bad thing, according to research published by the American Psychological Association.

“People often complain about being too busy and express wanting more time. But is more time actually linked to greater happiness? We found that having a dearth of discretionary hours in one’s day results in greater stress and lower subjective well-being,” said Marissa Sharif, PhD, an assistant professor of marketing at The Wharton School and lead author of the paper. “However, while too little time is bad, having more time is not always better.”
The research was published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.

Researchers analyzed the data from 21,736 Americans who participated in the American Time Use Survey between 2012 and 2013. Participants provided a detailed account of what they did during the prior 24 hours—indicating the time of day and duration of each activity—and reported their sense of well-being. The researchers found that as free time increased, so did well-being, but it leveled off at about two hours and began to decline after five. Correlations in both directions were statistically significant.

The researchers also analyzed data from 13,639 working Americans who participated in the National Study of the Changing Workforce between 1992 and 2008. Among the survey’s many questions, participants were asked about their amount of discretionary time (e.g., “On average, on days when you’re working, about how many hours [minutes] do you spend on your own free-time activities?”) and their subjective well-being, which was measured as life satisfaction (e.g., “All things considered, how do you feel about your life these days? Would you say you feel 1=very satisfied, 2=somewhat satisfied, 3=somewhat dissatisfied, or 4=very dissatisfied?”)

Once again, the researchers found that higher levels of free time were significantly associated with higher levels of well-being, but only up to a point. After that, excess free time was not associated with greater well-being.

To further investigate the phenomenon, the researchers conducted two online experiments involving more than 6,000 participants. In the first experiment, participants were asked to imagine having a given amount of discretionary time every day for at least six months. Participants were randomly assigned to have a low (15 minutes per day), moderate (3.5 hours per day), or high (7 hours per day) amount of discretionary time. Participants were asked to report the extent to which they would experience enjoyment, happiness and satisfaction.

Participants in both the low and high discretionary time groups reported lower well-being than the moderate discretionary time group. The researchers found that those with low discretionary time felt more stressed than those with a moderate amount, contributing to lower well-being, but those with high levels of free time felt less productive than those in the moderate group, leading them to also have lower well-being.

In the second experiment, researchers looked at the potential role of productivity. Participants were asked to imagine having either a moderate (3.5 hours) or high (7 hours) amount of free time per day, but were also asked to imagine spending that time in either productive (e.g., working out, hobbies or running) or unproductive activities (e.g., watching television or using the computer). The researchers found participants with more free time reported lower levels of well-being when engaging in unproductive activities. However, when engaging in productive activities, those with more free time felt similar to those with a moderate amount of free time.
“Though our investigation centered on the relationship between amount of discretionary time and subjective well-being, our additional exploration into how individuals spend their discretionary time proved revealing,” said Sharif. “Our findings suggest that ending up with entire days free to fill at one’s discretion may leave one similarly unhappy. People should instead strive for having a moderate amount of free time to spend how they want. In cases when people do find themselves with excessive amounts of discretionary time, such as retirement or having left a job, our results suggest these individuals would benefit from spending their newfound time with purpose.”

Article: “Having Too Little or Too Much Time is Linked to Lower Subjective Well-Being,” by Marissa Sharif, PhD, University of Pennsylvania Wharton School; and Cassie Mogilner, PhD; and Hal Hershfield, PhD, University of California Los Angeles. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, published online Sept. 9, 2021.

Repost courtesy of American Psychological Association
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03/17/2021

Whew! It’s been a year. I thought I would share the most recent study published by the American Psychological Association (APA) on Stress in America™ 2021. One year on: Unhealthy weight gains, increased drinking reported by Americans coping with pandemic stress. Date created: March 11, 2021

One year on: Unhealthy weight gains, increased drinking reported by Americans coping with pandemic stress

• Substance Use, Abuse, and Addiction
• Obesity
• Stress

APA’s Stress in America ™ poll reveals secondary pandemic health crisis; parents, essential workers, communities of color more likely to report mental, physical health consequences.

WASHINGTON — As growing vaccine demand signals a potential turning point in the global COVID-19 pandemic, the nation’s health crisis is far from over. One year after the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a global pandemic, many adults report undesired changes to their weight, increased drinking and other negative behavior changes that may be related to an inability to cope with prolonged stress, according to the American Psychological Association’s latest Stress in AmericaTM poll.

APA’s survey of U.S. adults, conducted in late February 2021 by The Harris Poll, shows that a majority of adults (61%) experienced undesired weight changes – weight gain or loss – since the pandemic started, with 42% reporting they gained more weight than they intended. Of those, they gained an average of 29 pounds (the median amount gained was 15 pounds) and 10% said they gained more than 50 pounds, the poll found. Such changes come with significant health risks, including higher vulnerability to serious illness from the coronavirus. For the 18% of Americans who said they lost more weight than they wanted to, the average amount of weight lost was 26 pounds (median amount lost was 12 pounds). Adults also reported unwanted changes in sleep and increased alcohol consumption. Two in 3 (67%) said they have been sleeping more or less than desired since the pandemic started. Nearly 1 in 4 adults (23%) reported drinking more alcohol to cope with their stress.

“We’ve been concerned throughout this pandemic about the level of prolonged stress, exacerbated by the grief, trauma and isolation that Americans are experiencing. This survey reveals a secondary crisis that is likely to have persistent, serious mental and physical health consequences for years to come,” said Arthur C. Evans Jr, PhD, APA’s chief executive officer. “Health and policy leaders must come together quickly to provide additional behavioral health supports as part of any national recovery plan.”

The pandemic has taken a particularly heavy toll on parents of children under 18. While slightly more than 3 in 10 adults (31%) reported their mental health has worsened compared with before the pandemic, nearly half of mothers who still have children home for remote learning (47%) reported their mental health has worsened; 30% of fathers who still have children home said the same. Parents were more likely than those without children to have received treatment from a mental health professional (32% vs. 12%) and to have been diagnosed with a mental health disorder since the coronavirus pandemic began (24% vs. 9%). More than half of fathers (55%) reported gaining weight, and nearly half (48%) said they are drinking more alcohol to cope with stress.

The majority of essential workers (54%), such as health care workers and people who work in law enforcement , said they have relied on a lot of unhealthy habits to get through the pandemic

12/03/2020

Self-Care in the Year of Change Part Two. Here are some additional coping strategies that may prove helpful. part two will include some helpful things to do during times of illness and conflict/dissatisfaction in our relationships. I encourage you to take a moment to see if a few might work for you.

https://www.drmicheledgoss.com/PartTwoSelfCareInTheYearOfChange.en.html

Here are five blogs previously posted that may also prove helpful.

https://www.drmicheledgoss.com/MindfulnessIntheMeantime.en.html
https://www.drmicheledgoss.com/CulturalandSocialIsolation.en.html
https://www.drmicheledgoss.com/CreatingPositiveChange.en.html
https://www.drmicheledgoss.com/CopingWithLossOverTheHolidays.en.html
https://www.drmicheledgoss.com/SelfNurtureSelfCare.en.html

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Therapist in Alexandria, VA specializing in Marriage Counseling, Individual & Couples Counseling. Dr. Michele Goss, Ph.D. services include Premarital Counseling, Divorce, Couples Counseling, Individual, Work and Career Issues, Conflict Resolution, Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD), Anger Management,....

12/03/2020

Self-Care in the Year of Change Part One. I thought it would be helpful to post some coping strategies that may prove helpful during this unprecedented time of stress during this COVID19 pandemic. Many of these things listed have been discussed and found helpful with my clients who are trying to navigate stress while adjusting to change. I encourage you to take a moment to see if a few might work for you. These strategies will be presented in two parts. Part one will include some strategies for times when you feel: overwhelmed, bored, stress, and lonely. Subsequently, part two will include some helpful things to do during times of illness and conflict/dissatisfaction in our relationships.
https://www.drmicheledgoss.com/SelfCareInTheYearOfChange.en.html

Here are five blogs previously posted that may also prove helpful.
https://www.drmicheledgoss.com/MindfulnessIntheMeantime.en.html
https://www.drmicheledgoss.com/CulturalandSocialIsolation.en.html
https://www.drmicheledgoss.com/CreatingPositiveChange.en.html
https://www.drmicheledgoss.com/CopingWithLossOverTheHolidays.en.html
https://www.drmicheledgoss.com/SelfNurtureSelfCare.en.html

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Therapist in Alexandria, VA specializing in Marriage Counseling, Individual & Couples Counseling. Dr. Michele Goss, Ph.D. services include Premarital Counseling, Divorce, Couples Counseling, Individual, Work and Career Issues, Conflict Resolution, Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD), Anger Management,....