Lifestyle Medicine Interventions
Board Certified Diplomat, Lifestyle Medicine Professional, American College of Lifestyle Medicine, 2018
Trained Facilitator, Complete Health Improvement Program (CHIP), 2018
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Lifestyle Medicine
Lifestyle Medicine is a growing field of evidence-based approaches to treat and reverse lifestyle related illness and disease. We know that “more than 80% of chronic conditions could be avoided through the adoption of healthy lifestyle recommendations,” (Bodai et al, 2017). The key areas that are addressed in Lifestyle Medicine are nutrition, exercise, sleep, relationships, and stress management. Successful programs have a team of providers that include behavioral health providers, physicians, and patient educators trained in Lifestyle Medicine interventions. Mental health providers serve a vital role in lifestyle modification by addressing underlying emotional concerns and barriers to change, increasing motivation, and teaching people effective change strategies.
I am available to integrate Lifestyle Medicine approaches in therapy sessions. Through individual therapy, I can help you identify safe, realistic, and healthy goals to address lifestyle related illnesses. We can explore the barriers in your life that have interfered with your past efforts and develop, or improve upon, healthy habits to help you make progress toward your future goals. The education, encouragement, guidance, and accountability provided in therapy can greatly improve your chances of success at making behavioral changes to improve your overall health and wellness.
Complete Health Improvement Program (CHIP)
Group interventions can be very effective for behavior change. The Complete Health Improvement Program (CHIP) is the most comprehensive, evidence-based, lifestyle medicine program with 70,000 people completing the program worldwide (Morton et al, 2014). As a Trained Facilitator, I lead CHIP groups when I have enough interested clients or when an organization wants to offer the program to their members/customers/staff.
Participants will learn how to cook healthy meals, engage in more physical activity, and become active participants in managing their own physical and mental health through lifestyle changes. CHIP is an 18 session, 12-week intervention offered in a group format. Video modules provide education on lifestyle medicine topics with a trained group facilitator offering on-going support and additional interventions.
Multiple studies (over 31) published in peer-reviewed scientific and medical journals demonstrate that CHIP participants experience significant reductions in symptoms of depression, cholesterol, blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, stroke risk and weight (Kent et al, 2013; Mechley & Dysinger, 2015; Morton et al, 2014; & Rankin et al, 2012). In a randomized control study of 348 participants, CHIP participants reported a 64% decrease in depression symptoms 6 weeks after program completion and a 34% decrease in depression symptoms 6 months after program completion (Morton et al).