the Behavior Therapist

America is hurting. The unemployment rate is still high, wages are low, and the housing market that pulled the economy into a deep recession is still not where it should be. To make things worse, the burden of the economic crisis is carried by the middle class and the most vulnerable groups. The poor are getting poorer; the rich are getting richer; and the middle class is eroding. Since 1980, around 5% of the annual national income shifted from the middle class to the nation’s richest people. Recent reports show that Americans making $1 million or more annually has grown 18% since 2009, while the number of jobs fell by half a million. Today, 1 out of 6 Americans lives in poverty, as defined by an income of less than $22,000 for a family of 4. Not surprisingly, the economy and job security have become the primary concerns for the majority of Americans, far ahead of education, health care, the war on terror, and other big issues. Many Americans feel a great deal of anger against corporate greed, as well as the political and social systems that have been supporting or tolerating it. As a result, many have begun to openly express their feelings of anger and frustration; some even support extreme political views that might promise a way out of the situation. Economic hardships can have a profound impact on mental health. Clinicians, researchers,