Posted by Rhonda Shrader on Mon, Apr 30, 2012 @ 06:31 PM
News of Aubrey Huff’s bout with anxiety and panic attacks spread through sports-crazed San Francisco like wildfire. It’s tough to believe that our beloved Huff Daddy is on the 15-day disabled list to seek treatment. Is this the same guy who swung a red rally thong to lead the Giants in the 2010 World Series?
“He seems so together” and "He should stop being a baby" are the two prevailing (and rather unhelpful) sentiments on sports radio.
That’s the awful thing about anxiety, though. It doesn’t discriminate. Fun-loving, “together” people—even athletes who get to play games for a living, can be brought to their knees…literally.
Anxiety symptoms don’t always look like what you’d expect—sometimes folks become more withdrawn instead of agitated. It’s doubly hard to recognize anxiety in teens, since symptoms like sleeplessness and nervousness are often attributed to hormones, just being a teenager or shyness.
If you think your child is experiencing anxiety, talk to your pediatrician. Check back with us, too--we’re releasing an effective and private online program for teens. We can help support your family team with skills training…and peace of mind.
Posted by Rhonda Shrader on Mon, Apr 23, 2012 @ 09:50 AM
As the leader in developing evidence based, immersive solutions for behavioral health, Thrive is invited to participate in conferences around the world. Last weekend, a master lecture at the California Psychological Association’s annual meeting was a very hot ticket!
During the keynote session, Chief Medical Officer (Ivana Steigman, MD, PhD) and Chief Strategy Officer (Walter Greenleaf, PhD) shared how immersive and virtual technologies (VT) are being applied to a variety of clinical and therapeutic settings.
Dr. Greenleaf detailed how practicing skills in a virtual environment works particularly well for children with autism. He highlighted an ongoing program where students meet weekly in-person after school to learn social skills such as how to introduce themselves, how to invite someone to the movies, how to start/maintain and even end a conversation. After the group meeting, students are given the option to log in at home and practice with each other, virtually.
Addressing a comment from the audience, Dr. Greenleaf explained that the virtual environments for training are purposely different from video games. He emphasized that the most effective environments are created to look as realistic as possible for their users. This can be in a location sense (lunch room, playground, etc.) as well as a physical sense (avatars turn automatically toward the speaking avatar).
He and the other presenters acknowledged the continuing contributions from Dr. Skip Rizzo (at Thrive partner USC’s Institute for Creative Technologies) in creating realistic effects such as breathing and emotion recognition as well as in creating advanced integrated VR applications like the SimCoach used by the military.
Chief Medical Officer Dr. Ivana Steigman challenged the group to embrace technology as a way to teach people new skills and behaviors. “Let technology help us with some of the routine things like report writing and administration while taking some of the stigma away for patients who may otherwise be reluctant to seek help. Let’s not be the barrier that keeps some very helpful tools from people.”
She detailed Thrive’s work with substance abuse and explained why the addiction population is particularly tough to reach through traditional talk therapy. By presenting examples of how VR is used for cue exposure, she showed how the technology is being used to support recovery and do things that would be impossible inside the therapist’s office. “When addicts are back in the real world, we know they’re going to be re-exposed to all kinds of seductive things. But we can simulate the environment, give them exposure to those things, produce the symptoms of stress and help them to refine and then apply the skills that ultimately help them to refuse.”
She wrapped up by encouraging the assembled clinicians to integrate technology into their practices as a way of engaging patients in novel ways. ”This is where we’re heading…technology to integrate all of this into a single technology platform with assessment, training and practice.”
Posted by Rhonda Shrader on Tue, Apr 17, 2012 @ 04:23 PM
Last week, two Washington middle school students were caught up in a real life drama when the bus driver of their packed, moving bus slumped over the wheel. Caught on video, the ensuing minutes are nothing short of miraculous. Six seconds after the bus driver’s collapse, one student sprang into action, steering the bus off the highway and yanking the key from the ignition. A second teen began CPR and life saving compressions on the driver, who lost consciousness after suffering a heart attack.
How did these two seventh graders know how to respond? Training. The first called upon skills he learned from his mom, as she routinely let him back the car out the driveway to be washed. When asked about pulling the key from the ignition, he sheepishly admitted borrowing that one straight from a Hollywood action flick. Describing his lifesaving experience as “exhilarating and breathtaking”, the second teen reported learning CPR at a weekend event with his family. Other students on the bus called 911 from their cell phones—thanks again to training from parents and teachers.
We believe in the power of training to prepare teens for the unexpected. Just like first aid skills, all families hope their children won’t experience an occasion to use them. Similarly for behavioral health, parents hope their child won’t be one of the 20% of teens who experience a behavioral, emotional or mental disorder such as depression, anxiety or sleep issues.
However, as a grateful bus driver and scores of parents will attest—it’s always best to be prepared. Learn more about how our solutions can help you and your family stay prepared for the unexpected.
Posted by Rhonda Shrader on Tue, Feb 21, 2012 @ 01:03 PM
“Now is the time. We’ve proven that it works in the clinic…multiple times and multiple ways. Now is the time that virtual reality (VR) needs to move out of the lab and into every clinic and hospital to deliver the clear benefits.”
A rallying call for sure, issued by our very own Dr. Walter Greenleaf at the recent Medicine Meets Virtual Reality (MMVR) conference.
Dr. Greenleaf, Dr. Ivana Steigman and Lisa Henderson-Coe from Thrive partner SAIC led a spirited workshop titled, “Physical & Mental Health Apps / Avatar Based Recovery Platform”.
VR is now used extensively to train surgeons and other providers on invasive procedures. This is analogous to how airline pilots use simulator training to sharpen their skills and practice emergency procedures.
Using VR collaboratively with patients, though, has not been adopted as quickly. Thrive is leading the way with its Avatar Based Recovery. Thrive’s behavioral platform will make extensive use of VR to provide a safe environment for skills practice and exposure therapy.
With the confluence of better/faster/cheaper hardware and renewed enthusiasm for the field, next year’s conference promises to bring even more innovation. We’ll be leading the way…both now and in the future!
Posted by Rhonda Shrader on Fri, Feb 10, 2012 @ 01:39 PM
The arts offer us windows into worlds vastly different than our own. A new play called Body Awareness does for Asperger’s what the movie Rainman did for raising autism awareness.
The play centers around a couple and their 21-year old son Jared. He may or may not have Asperger’s, a condition on the autism spectrum manifested as a lack of empathy for others and difficulty making eye contact. His two moms are doing their best to support him and their concerns echo what we frequently hear from parents, “I think there’s something wrong with my kid, but I don’t know what to do.”
Patrick Russell is exceptional as Jared. His arrogant certainty and critical tongue alternate with a little boy who knows he’s out of his depth. His portrayal is so strong, you'll struggle between wanting to throttle and hug him.
Through dinner table conversations and night time tantrums with supporting facts woven in, playwright Annie Baker shows us what Asperger’s looks like. She offers some hilarious, yet heartbreaking examples of Jared’s attempts to mimic the social skills that are symptomatic of Asperger’s. His attempt at empathy with his mother’s partner goes horribly wrong, when he says that he understands how awful it must be to no longer be pretty.
After the play, folks lingered in the lobby to talk about their own experiences with friends and relatives who may or may not have Asperger’s and other conditions on the autism spectrum.
This issue is becoming particularly salient, as the American Psychiatric Association is currently reassessing the guidelines for disorders along the autism spectrum. If the guidelines are narrowed, healthcare payers and disability adjudicators can restrict coverage and claims.
See Body Awareness @ Berkeley’s Aurora Theatre and you’ll understand why it matters.
L: front to back, Jared (Patrick Russell*), Joyce (Jeri Lynn Cohen*), and Phyllis (c. Amy Resnick*) have a family discussion in Body Awareness
photography by David Allen
Posted by Rhonda Shrader on Tue, Jan 31, 2012 @ 11:11 AM
Time for the Super Bowl, clever commercials and endless hype.
Too bad one of the most interesting NFL stories won't be part of the big game.
Until this season, San Francisco 49ers tight-end Vernon Davis was famous for under-delivering. A first round draft pick in 2006, Davis signed a record-breaking five year contract. Coaches and fans had high hopes.
Clearly a gifted athlete, he struggled with injuries, multiple coaching changes and finding his place in a tough league where he was no longer the star. According to former coaches and teammates, he also had some serious attitude, discipline and work-ethic issues.
Everything came to a head in 2008, when Davis slapped a defender across the face mask after catching a pass, resulting in a 15 yard penalty. On a nationally televised game, coach Mike Singletary sent him packing to the locker room. After the subsequent humiliating defeat, Singletary's frustration with the star boiled over at the post-game press conference, where he gave his now famous "I Want Winners" speech.
Fast forward to this year's NFC West championship, the 49ers first post season appearance since 2002. Davis capped two of the most exciting minutes in football history with a game winning TD reception, nine seconds before the end.
Embraced by his coach and teammates, he cried openly on the sidelines. He also publicly thanked his old coach Singletary for the wake-up call and his support in turning it all around.
During the past two years, Davis has worked diligently to learn skills like emotion regulation, mood management and communication basics that were missed on his journey to becoming a pro athlete.
He's also publicly discussed how anxious he was to see his current coach's thick new playbook at the beginning of the season. However, by doing the work to learn the basic skills neeed to cope with issues such as anxiety and other strong emotions, he's finally living up to his potential as an athlete.
That's a win for all of us.
Posted by Rhonda Shrader on Sat, Jan 21, 2012 @ 06:59 PM
The second lady made a visit to our back yard and for a cause close to our hearts.
Dr. Biden made her first visit to a VA polytrauma center and according to reports, she spent about an hour with soldiers and doctors, “mostly listening“. The Palo Alto center is one of five such centers in the US and offers complete, comprehensive rehabilitation care, specializing in treating traumatic brain injuries (TBIs).
Learn more by watching video from her visit.
Posted by Rhonda Shrader on Tue, Nov 29, 2011 @ 10:17 AM
I found drama of a different kind in San Francisco’s theatre district yesterday.
Spotted this mural in an alley near Union Square sandwiched between upscale hotels and a less genteel neighborhood, known as the Tenderloin. Shannon Alley is now home to the SF Vets Mural project, where artist veterans can share their stories and “give veterans a permanent voice and presence within the community".
Reuben “Chip” Santos was a local and the son of Native American parents. He was a decorated Army veteran with eight years of service and a host of NATO medals for service in Kosovo, Kuwait and Jordan. He was awarded a National Defense Medal for his service in Iraq.
When he first returned to the Bay Area after his tour in Iraq, family members thought everything was fine. However, subtle symptoms began to appear, such as the inability to hold down a job, erratic driving at high speeds and nightmares so gripping his girlfriend felt like she was being strangled.
He avoided getting help for the first five years because, according to his mom, “He didn’t want to admit he had a problem.”
To cope, he developed a penchant for playing violent video games around the clock and also enrolled in a creative writing course. In a poem from the class published after his death, he said that video games helped him to deal with the “denial that is burning cancer into hope.”
After sending an email to loved ones saying, “I’m tired of fighting this,“ Reuben lost his battle with PTSD at the age of 27.
At Thrive, this family's heart break is something we hear all too often. It motivates us to keep fighting to lower stigma, reduce barriers to behavioral health care and to meet patients whereever they are in their journey to recovering a healthy, happy and long life.
Posted by Rhonda Shrader on Mon, Nov 07, 2011 @ 10:24 AM
In addition to her own social network, where fans can get "@littlemonsters" email addresses, Lady Gaga is diving into youth empowerment.
The Born This Way foundation will support programs and initiatives that address issues like self-confidence, well-being and anti-bullying using digital technologies to mobilize and create lasting change.
Gaga and her mom (Cynthia Germanotta) have secured some heavy hitters for the project--the John D. & Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, the California Endowment and the Berkman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University.
Hey, Gaga--you clearly get it and so do we...TR helps everyone from individuals to communities learn and spread the interrelated skills critical to sustainable change: stress, mood, sleep, exercise, nutrition, relationships.
Contact us to learn more about how we can help you and your family with everything from academic stress and test anxiety to online bullying and body image concerns.
Posted by Rhonda Shrader on Wed, Oct 26, 2011 @ 09:44 PM
Join us in cleaning out those medicine cabinets and ridding your family of unused or expired prescription drugs.
This Saturday, from 10:00 am - 2 pm, law enforcement locations throughout the country, in conjunction with the DEA, will accept and safely dispose of drugs. Click here to find a location near you.
Why does it matter?
Numerous studies show that a majority of abused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends, including the home medicine cabinet.
If that doesn’t convince you, consider that each day, approximately 2500 teens use prescription drugs to get high for the first time.
That’s a good enough reason to make sure your house is truly clean.