About Phil Hickey Ph.D

I am a licensed psychologist, presently retired. I have worked in clinical and managerial positions in the mental health, corrections, and addictions fields in the United States and England. My wife Nancy and I have been married since 1970 and have four grown children.

Another Good Book by Stephen Ray Flora

February 22, 2012 By Phil Hickey |

A few weeks ago I recommended Taking America Off Drugs by Stephen Ray Flora. Well, he has also written The Power of Reinforcement (State University of New York Press, 2004), and this also is well worth reading. Reinforcement is a crucial concept in psychology, and in this book Dr. Flora clarifies the matter and dispels the… Continue Reading

What’s New? APA Threats, Xanax, Etc.

January 23, 2012 By Phil Hickey |

Daniel Carlat’s blog carries an interesting item. It seems that a lady named Suzy Chapman started a site called dsm5watch, in which she expressed criticism of the DSM. Well, the APA didn’t like this and sent her a cease and desist letter, claiming that the string “DSM-5” is trademarked, and that she was infringing their… Continue Reading

Another Good Book

January 22, 2012 By Phil Hickey |

Taking America Off Drugs by Stephen Ray Flora A few weeks ago, in a comment, A Behaviorist Fan recommended the above book to me. It came out in 2007, and I don’t know how I missed it at the time. But I’ve read it now and it’s a superb piece of work. Definitely a must… Continue Reading

Heroin Addiction is Not an Illness

January 19, 2012 By Phil Hickey |

A couple of weeks ago I heard a piece on NPR: “What Vietnam Taught Us About Breaking Bad Habits.” It’s an interesting story. It tells how in 1971, researchers found that about 20% of the American soldiers in Vietnam were addicted to heroin. This was shocking news to the Pentagon and to President Nixon, who… Continue Reading