Changes, the Aliveworld Blog

Stanford project underway

I'm really excited about a partnership we've formed with a group at Stanford University Medical School headed by Dr. Barr Taylor. Barr is a professor of psychiatry and director of Stanford's psychiatry residency program. I've had a great working experience with him in the past, and am delighted to be collaborating with him and his group of students (including post-doctoral fellows and psychiatry residents) again.

We'll be doing three programs with Barr. First up is Student Bodies, aimed at helping college-aged women deal with eating disorders and body image issues. The project is going to be piloted next month and will be the focus of a controlled research study in the fall, as part of a full-scale roll-out. The second project is Breathe -stress management for college men and women - and the third is Keeping Cool, which applies the same principles to a younger, high-school-aged population.

Barr is convinced that the public's need for these sorts of treatments can only be filled online. Face-to-face therapy, aside from being costly, severely limits the number of patients who can be seen. The interventions take a cognitive/behavioral approach, which modifies thoughts and behavior in a highly structured manner well supported by the Aliveguide interactive, multimedia format.

Tom Lane

Published Apr 24 2008, 12:14 AM by gail

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Comments

 

John said:

Interesting. The benefits of online work make sense. But aren't there significant limitations to not havingt in-person guidance, or the support of a group where others are sharing their successes or struggles to validate your own experiences?

I did some reading on sleep disorders but I only go so far by reading. When I took an 8-week seminar on Insomina at the Stanford Sleep Clinic, it was much different. There was the guidance of the Dr and the sharing of stories with others in the class that made it hit home a lot more than just reading.

Of course, online work isn't just about reading. If the online work means having the guidance of an experienced teacher, interaction with others, and interaction in general, perhaps that's enough. We do live in a virtual, online world. However, I just don't think there's any substitute for in-person interaction.

To be clear, I think the ideas you are talking about are great. The idea of helping people with stress control, body image, etc. is great. I'm just thinking aloud about the method or format of that and the idea of online vs. in-person. No criticism of your great efforst are intended.

May 10, 2008 2:57 AM

About gail

I am a poet, a mother, a dreamer and a corporate colleague. I am married to a teacher and have two inspiring children. I have degrees in English and commerce. I've taught economics and enterprise at high school, written textbooks, published poetry, written software documentation, managed money and people, and worked in various ways to advance the development and prospects of people and of technology products.