Sunday, 05 September 2010
What We Do

Watch the video below to learn more about the work I do.

Expertise: ADHD, ADD, Anxiety, Trauma, Depression  

My expertise is in working with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, ADHD, ADD, Anxiety, Trauma (physical abuse, sexual abuse, bullying, etc.) and depression. I am constantly seeking innovation in the way I help clients and the tools I use to do so.

Coaching Vs Counseling

As a result of this seeking of different approaches I do both counseling which is the traditional approach to psychotherapy treatment and coaching. Coaching is more future oriented, it is much more focused on goals and behavior change. As a result I would describe coaching as "cutting to the chase". We will focus on what you need to do to improve. In this process we may find that there are some things that are blocking you to move forward. When this is the case my unique skills as a psychologist make me a "psychologist-coach". This means that when you compare my training and experience to other coaches I have an unusually rare level of experience, training and education to help you get unstuck. So, if we have to go "remote", or go backwards in time to gain some insight before we go "forward" I have the skils to do that whereas other coaches don't have the expertise or training to do so. Coaching rather rapidly moves into "candid conversations". I will combine a ability to join with you with a rare quality to understand situations and dynamics very rapidly. I will also gently and respectfully challenge you to move forward. I feel honored and privliged when people are willing to share their lives and vulnerability to me and I reciprocate that back to you.

Technology and Psychology

Another area in which my seeking new ways to help you is the thorough integration of technolgy into my work. This includes my use of the Cogmed Working Memory TrainingTM program, the use of HeartMathTM technologies and my recent development of the website Clarity4health.This site combines multi-media blogging with the largest mental health portal on the web. To join this site and have access to over 25 self-assessments you must register at Clarity4health. I am very excited about these tools.

Self Assessments

When you register at Clarity4health there are a wealth of mental health self-assessments you can do including, self-assessments of anxiety, attentention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD, ADD), Stress resilience, depression, parenting, relationships, violent relationships, etc. There are too many self-assessments to include here. Your results will tell you where you fall on the range of normal to abnormal, but also the results link you to articles and videos to get you further help. The more you read and educate yourself the better you will get, provided you get good guidance along the way. That's my role.

Secure Online Journaling Or Narrative Therapy

One of the most interesting features is the confidential journaling. What might be described as narrative therapy or writing your thougths on a consistent basis can be done here. I am presently offering my guidance and oversight for free through securre online journaling at this site through June of 2010. What you do is register at Clarity4health then you go to the confidential journaling page and click to make it accessible to me and I can give you feedback. I am doing a demo test of this for June. I have existing face to face counseling and or coaching clients who are now journaling. I will review the entries every Friday. I will assess how this works in June. After that I will offer this service at a reasonable price. This makes progress for you on your mental health more affordable and effective.

Cogmed Working Memory Training and ADHD, Why it matters.

My oldest son has struggled with ADHD since he was 6 or 7. Part of the story of my professional life is how I found him solutions. I detail this story on one of my blogs: ADHD Doctor DAD. You will get much more of that whole story by reading that blog. I will give you the short version here. Over my son's life I have been trained and implemented parent training, behavior management, EEG biofeedback for ADHD and Cogmed Working Memory Training. Also, along the way when he was about 8 to 10 years old he took medication. I did not like the side effects and neither did he. That set me off on a path to look for other solutions. ADHD Doctor DAD gives you insights into how to help your child. In many regards it shows you what I did to help my son get to the very successful place he is now. It will also help you understand why I do what I do. This comes from my perspective as both a dad, and a psychologist, a psychologist-dad or "ADHD Doctor DAD". On that blog I cover parenting young children, teenage parenting, anger and management in children. I give you my perspective as a "ADHD Doctor DAD". In my view Cogmed Working Memory TrainingTM was the most effective and efficient program we did. As a result this has become a primary focus of my practice. After doing Cogmed Working Memory TrainingTM my son has had straight A's (98% average as a 9th grader), he taught himself Farsi (my wife's Persian, but she doesn't speak Farsi at home), advanced 1.5 to 2 years of guitar in 6 months (according to his music teacher's unprompted complimentary email) and his social life has become so active my wife and I need to get our taxi cab driver's license. Keep in mind, I am a psychologist (ADHD Doctor DAD), I am trained not to hype anything. I am very skeptical. I am simply reporting the facts to you as they occurred with my son. Also, you will find from reading that blog and others that what interested me in Cogmed initially was the research. What has stoked my enthusiasm is my son's great success. The details of why this program matters to you in your long term strategy for managing ADHD is contained in this blog. Clarity4Mind.

Blogging and more Blogging

Why so much blogging? To give you quality content. So you have several ways to find me to I can help you. In the process of blogging I took coaching on how to develop an online business and a primary argument that was made wat that multiple blogs is effective. However, another point I took to heart was that blogs with quality content must be delivered. I have done both.

My intent is to deliver content and my comments suggest that I have been successful. My blogs focus upon my expertise and deepen my communication with my readers much more than is possible in a typical website. I hope you become one of my regular readers. You will get a much greater understanding of me and how I think and approach mental health by reading my blogs. More importantly, you will learn some things you didn't know.

My present focus is to get the word out about Cogmed Working Memory TrainingTM an innovative and effective way to approach training attention. So, my blog Clarity4health has a section on "Mind" in which I focus upon Cogmed Review and the complications of ADHD Drug side effects, ADHD drug abuse (especially Adderall Abuse) in that section of that blog. I have a blog that has been very well-received with lots of great comments Clarity4Mind. In this blog I focus upon Attention Deficit Hyperactivy Disorder also, but my focus is on natural therapies for ADHD or natural remedies for ADHd, Genius Kids, Academic Scholarships, and Summer Camps.

Anxiety and Stress Reduction Blogs

Presently my blog Dr. Charles Shinaver Stress Reduction, Self Help Tips and Servant Leadership focuses upon stress reduction, meditation, relaxation, stress reduction biofeedback, self help tips and servant leadership. One intersting insight is that when a person lives by his "heart-felt" values he tends to experience less stress. This is an insight found to be the case by the HeartMath organization and I have found this to be true both in my life and the lives of my clients. This is why Servant Leadership is included on that site.

Charles Shinaver's Blog, Live a better life with this insight This was my first blog, or close to my first blog. As a result it is the broadest and will stay that way. I consider it to be my "all things mental health" blog. So, I will build it out that way. There presently is some over lap between that blog. Charles Shinaver's Blog. That happened when I transferred one blog to another place. I will get that cleaned up over time.

Videos, ADHD Videos, Mental Health Videos

I have been working online for a few years as I developed my practice and Clarity4Health, LLC. Videos have been very helpful at getting the word out and educating people about what I do. Fit Families.TV was developed with this in mind. That site presently has one video on the home page and 5 more when you register. I am in the process of changing that site. However, the video on the home page is informative as I interview a college student about ADHD drug abuse. Another source for videos is the channel withing Youtube called fitfamiliesonline. This channel has 21 videos about ADHD Treatment, ADHD drug side effects, ADHD drug abuse, and Cogmed Working Memory TrainintTM. Also, there are about 5 more videos on mental health topics. I think you will find these videos very informative about issues related to ADHD treatment.

There is more, but that is all for now. I hope you begin to follow one or more of my blogs. I also hope you register at Clarity4health so you can begin to use the resources there for free. I look forward to being of service to you.

Sincerely,

Charles Shinaver, PhD.



Whatt