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SkyTherapist

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SkyTherapist

SkyTherapist

This week we sat down with the co-founders of SkyTherapist.  Sky Therapist, Inc is a virtual platform for mental health support addressing the major complaints of patients in their course of treatment. They offer integrative solutions for intelligent patient-therapist matching, quick initial assessment, and continuity of care.

CEO, Afshan Ali, and CFO, Keith Jones, shared their story about how they decided there must be a better way to provide patients in need with access to a mental health professional such as a psychologist or psychiatrist.

Keith talked about how as a teenager, he was present when his father died, causing him to experience great anxiety and emotional pain.  He was hospitalized for a few weeks but felt he did not receive very effective mental health care while he was there.

Afshan discussed how she developed an interest in neurology and mental health during her years in medical school before changing career paths.  The two of them looked at the landscape of how mental health is delivered and felt there was an opportunity to create a new platform that could help people in need find the therapist best suited for them.

As they got to work on building their virtual platform that incorporates telemedicine technology, they felt that a key element that would set them apart was going to be a matching algorithm, paired with carefully-chosen intake questions for the patient-to-be.  The purpose of this design is intended to make the process of linking up with a professional that is experientially suited and a fit personality-wise.

We talked about the fact that for persons in crisis, the process of trying to find that personal fit that allows them to be able to be open and get the most of their therapy can be overwhelming.  Having to go through talking about what the reason is for seeking help over and over to professional after professional, trying to find a fit can often cause patients in need to give up on finding help.

SkyTherapist is able to quickly provide several professionals for the patient to talk to who are much more likely to be a good fit for the patient.  The platform also provides for some communication through correspondence with their provider between sessions.  It also has a component that allows provider and patient to agree upon self-care activities such as exercise or others and actually track their compliance.

The company will be focusing much of its early launch (July 2015) on providing services to businesses with Employee Assistance Programs.  This will give them ability to scale more quickly while providing their client companies with much more effective and cost-efficient care to employees who need access to a mental health pro.

When you have the chance to hear how/why these experts built this healthcare platform it’s clear they are dedicated to insuring patients in need of professional mental health care, SkyTherapist is clearly providing a promising solution.

Special Guests:

Afshan Ali, CEO/Co-founder of SkyTherapist  linkedin_small1  Pinterest LOGO  facebook_logo_small3  twitter_logo_small  youtube-logo1

SkyTherapist

  • BBA, Management Information Services, Southern Methodist University Cox School of Business
  • Former Senior Consultant, Deloitt Consulting
  • Active Healthcare Consultant
  • Speaks English, Hindi, Urdu

Keith Jones, CFO/Co-founder of SkyTherapist  linkedin_small1

Keith

  • Managing Partner, HarCap Commercial Funding
  • Former Owner, Eclipse Investment Group
  • Multiple Successful Entrepreneurial Ventures

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ADHD

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ADHD

This week I was pleased to sit down with ADHD expert, Elaine Taylor-Klaus of ImpactADHD.com.  As a parent of three children who each have experienced some measure of ADHD in their lives, and as a patient who subsequently discovered that she, too, was an ADHD patient.

CDC.gov lists these statistics about ADHD:

  • Approximately 11% of children 4-17 years of age (6.4 million) have been diagnosed with ADHD as of 2011.
  • The percentage of children with an ADHD diagnosis continues to increase, from 7.8% in 2003 to 9.5% in 2007 and to 11.0% in 2011.
  • Rates of ADHD diagnosis increased an average of 3% per year from 1997 to 2006 [Read article] and an average of approximately 5% per year from 2003 to 2011.
  • Boys (13.2%) were more likely than girls (5.6%) to have ever been diagnosed with ADHD.
  • The average age of ADHD diagnosis was 7 years of age, but children reported by their parents as having more severe ADHD were diagnosed earlier.

With just over 1 in 10 children experiencing ADHD or one of its sub-types, it’s a significant disruptor of quality of life for many, many people.  We talked about how frustrating it can be for parents of hyper-active ADHD children and how she, herself, learned first-hand how challenging it can be to keep calm and avoid yelling to reign in their high energy kid(s).

Given her experiences in her own home, Elaine and a business partner, Diane Dempster, decided to start ImpactADHD.com.  The website serves as a resource for parents struggling to find answers for questions on how to better handle the stresses that comes with ADHD children.

The site provides recommendations for identifying suitable physicians and other professionals who can help with diagnosis and treatment.  Additionally, the organization provides a coaching approach to help parents learn other ways to communicate and how to deal with stress, among others.

ImpactADHD.com describes what they do this way, “ImpactADHD.com helps parents help their kids with ADHD and ADD, anywhere, anytime. ImpactADHD uses a combination of training, coaching and support resources, online and on the phone, to provide the “how to” that parents really need, whether they are new to the world of complex kids, or worn-out from years of management. By helping parents put strategies into action, and teaching them to make those strategies work best for their families, we guide parents to radically improve family life and empower their kids for independence and success.”

Special Guest:

Elaine Taylor-Klaus, CEO/Certified Coach, ImpactADHD  facebook_logo_small3  twitter_logo_small  Pinterest LOGO  google-plus-logo-red-265px  feed-logo  linkedin_small1

ImpactADHD

  • Certified Professional Co-Active Coach, The Coaches Training Institute
  • Professional Certified Coach, International Coach Federation
  • BA, College of Social Studies & Sociology, Wesleyan College
  • Parent of 3 children who have experienced ADHD, along with herself, who was diagnosed as an adult
  • Member, National Board of Directors, Children and Adults with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder.  CHADD.org

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Liv2BGirl

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Liv2bGirl

Tosha Marks, Cindy Abel, Diana Keough talk Liv2bGirl

Liv2BGirl

We’ve all heard the news stories about young people who have been victims of cyberbullying through social media.  In some cases, kids have even gone so far as attempting or committing suicide over the experience.  This week we sat down with Cindy Abel and Tosha Marks, co-founders of Liv2BGirl.  It’s a social media environment they’re building as a mobile app that will give girls a social media environment exclusive to them.  The site will be free from cyberbullying and negative, attacking/abusive behaviors—these being clearly prohibited when a user sets up their profile.

A recent article by Cindy and Tosha published on Momeomagazine.com states these statistics cited from dosomething.org:

  • Nearly 43% of kids have been bullied online
  • 68% of teens agree that cyberbullying is a serious problem
  • 81% of young people think bullying online is easier to get away with than bullying in person
  • 90% of teens who have seen cyberbullying ignored it
  • Girls are twice as likely as boys to be victims of cyberbullying
  • Only 1 in 10 victims tell there parent or trusted adult of the abuse.

In this short clip, Tosha Marks shares why they are building the Liv2BGirl app:

The concept proved to have traction with girls when they launched their beta website to evaluate interest and content offerings, gaining roughly 700 users who tested the site.  Cindy and Tosha quickly found that the idea of a social media space free from hurtful, hateful behaviors is appealing to girls—enough so that average time per visit was ~30 mins.

We talked about some of the troubling statistics around cyberbullying as well as negative experiences Cindy and Tosha saw their own daughters face in various social media platforms.  We also discussed the resources they need to bring their app to full realization and how folks can get involved to get this source of positive peer pressure and encouragement for our daughters into their hands.

Special Guests:

Tosha Marks, Co-founder, Liv2BGirl  linkedin_small1  twitter_logo_small  youtube logo  instagram-logo-transparent-png-i11-16x16  facebook_logo_small3

Tosha Marks

  • BS, Liberal Arts and Sciences, Middle Tennessee State University
  • Previous Sole Proprietor, The Silver Sak
  • Former Sales Representative, Dixie Packing and Seal Company

Cindy Abel, Co-founder, Liv2BGirl  linkedin_small1

Cindy Abel

  • BS in Management Information Systems, University of Dayton
  • Co-President, North Springs Charter High School
  • Member, Advisory Board, Hands On Atlanta
  • Co-founder/Owner, Abel Solutions
  • 7 years as information technology consultant, Accenture

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