PsiAN Speaks: Todd Essig PhD

Editor’s note: The Forum will periodically post video interviews of authors, researchers, academics, and policymakers under the heading PsiAN Speaks. The views expressed do not necessarily reflect PsiAN’s official positions.

In this installment, Natasha Reynolds talks with Todd Essig PhD, who is an Advisor to PsiAN. They discuss what psychotherapies of depth, insight, and relationship can offer, as well as the utility and risks of what Dr. Essig describes as manualized, ‘algorithm based therapies.’ They explore the growth of virtual therapies before and during the pandemic, and discuss differences in intimacy and vulnerability in on-screen versus in-person therapy relationships. Drs. Essig and Reynolds also touch on complex cultural and social factors that impact human psychology and the field of psychotherapy, as well as the possibility of a national license for psychotherapists. The running time is 48 minutes.

Todd Essig PhD is a training and supervising psychoanalyst at the William Alanson White Institute. Widely known as a pioneer in the innovative uses of mental health technologies, he publishes and lectures widely. He has served on editorial boards for Contemporary Psychoanalysis and JAPA and recently co-edited with Gillian Isaacs Russell a special issue of Psychoanalytic Perspectives on psychoanalysis and technology.  In the aftermath of 9/11 he was Board Chair for the NY Disaster Counseling Coalition (NYDCC), providing free mental health care to first responders and their families. He currently serves as Co-Chair of the American Psychoanalytic Association’s Covid-19 Advisory Team and has been awarded Distinguished Service awards by APsaA and the NY State Psychological Association for his efforts.  He writes “Managing Mental Wealth” for Forbes where he covers the intersection of technology, psychology, and culture.  His practice is in New York City where he treats individuals and couples.

Natasha Reynolds PsyD is a clinical psychologist practicing in Chicago, Illinois. Alongside her private practice, she supervises and teaches as Clinical Associate Faculty at the Chicago Center for Psychoanalysis (CCP), at the The Chicago School of Professional Psychology, and leads a psychoanalytic consultation and reading group for psychotherapists working across China.