Anxiety, Phobias and the Therapeutic Use of Humor Karen Levine

EPISODE 93
Interview with Dr. Karen Levine on
Anxiety, Phobias, and the Therapeutic Use of Humor

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Show Notes

Autistic and other neurodivergent people of all ages are vulnerable to many factors, both internal and external, that may lead to anxiety and phobias. Dr. Karen Levine’s publications and clinical innovations have directly addressed these challenges in respectful and insightful ways. We discuss ways to understand such challenges and provide support based on a deeper understanding of the experiences shared by autistic individuals and neurodivergent individuals. Karen discusses her approach focusing on relationships, affective support and the use of humor in co-regulation .

Featuring

karen-levine-bio-pic

KAREN LEVINE, Ph.D.

Karen Levine, Ph.D. is a Lecturer on Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, and is a practicing psychologist formerly in MA, now in Maine. She was the co-founder and co-director of the Autism program at Boston Children’s Hospital in the 1990s, and of the Autism Center at Cambridge Health Alliance. With Naomi Chedd, she authored three books, Replays: Using Play to Enhance Emotional and Behavioral Development for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (JKP, 2009), Treatment Planning for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders: An Individualized, Problem-Solving Approach (Wiley, 2012) Attacking Anxiety (JKP, 2015). She is the recipient of the 2012 Lesley University Autism Hero Award, the 2010 Federation for Children with Special Needs Founders Award and the 2000 Award for Excellence from the Boston Institute for the Development of Infants and Parents (BIDIP). She specializes in individualized, joyful, relationship-based treatments of anxiety in young neurotypical and neurodivergent children including children with diagnosis such as autism, anxiety, Williams Syndrome or selective mutism.

Visit Karen Levine’s Website

Workshop Treating Fears and Phobias in Young Children
Workshop on Humor in Play Therapy through the New England Association for Play Therapy

…and Continue the Discussion

Do you have a book or podcast club? If so, you may use this discussion guide to facilitate a conversation about this episode.

1) How does Karen describe the relationship between anxiety, phobias and trauma? Have you or a person you are in relationship with experienced any of these challenges?

2) How and why did Karen move to incorporating more play-based approaches to addressing anxiety and phobias when she was exposed to more traditional approaches early in her career? What does she see as the benefits of this shift?

3) Karen uses humor as an important part of her “tool box”, and believes it is rarely if ever used to support children who experience anxiety and phobias. Why does she believe this to be the case? Have you used humor in a similar manner to what she describes with your students or child, and have you found it to be helpful?

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Music

Matt Savage, courtesy of Savage Records

Matt Savage is an autistic jazz musician, composer, and bandleader. Matt has collaborated with jazz greats like Chick Corea, the Ellington All Stars, Chaka Khan, Wynton Marsalis, Bobby Watson, Clark Terry, Jimmy Heath, Jason Moran, Arturo O’Farrill, John Pizzarelli, Joshua Redman, Terri Lyne Carrington, Jon Faddis, Jerry Bergonzi. Donny McCaslin, and more. He has recorded more than a dozen records and graciously contributes the music for Uniquely Human.

Production and Sound Design

ELEVATEDSTUDIO

Uniquely Human: The Podcast is produced, engineered, and edited by Elevated Studio in Denver, Colorado. Owned and operated by co-host Dave Finch, Elevated Studio produces digital media assets and content strategies for the electronics, entertainment, and lifestyle industries.