Roger L. Gould, M.D., is the founder of IHS. He was an early pioneer who started working on an educational framework for psychotherapy and computerized it over 30 years ago! His research on adult development is the basis for the “Model of Change” which is the underlying framework of our products.
Interactive Health Systems has developed the Course Development System (CDS), the Therapeutic Learning Program (TLP), and the Mastering Stress suite of courses as well as other psycho-educational interactive software.
The Course Development System is the tool used to create interactive sessions. Course content and logic is defined, edited and dynamically interpreted with this “Authoring Tool”. The original tools used for the course development process were developed for DOS and have since been converted to a Windows platform and now are being used on the World Wide Web.
The Therapeutic Learning Program is a 10-session computer-assisted brief therapy program. It was originally designed as a tool to facilitate the interaction between client and counselor. However TLP has been proven to be an effective self-help tool.
A recent study reported to the American Psychological Association by UCLA and Kaiser Permanente, concluded that the Therapeutic Learning Program (TLP) is a powerful self-help tool and is as effective as short-term therapy with a professional counselor. The UCLA study corroborates 7 independent studies of the TLP between 1985-1996.The Methodology is the unique manner in which the content is delivered to and interacts with users, utilizing a conversational paradigm: the computer listens, thinks and speaks to users.
Listening: users are presented with detailed and comprehensive multiple choice response menus, which represent a range of options and are in a language that is user friendly or “experience near”. As users find themselves represented in a menu item, their issues are “normalized” and they “feel heard” - courses appear to “relate” to each individual user’s situation.
Thinking: a course is governed by rules, relationships, and algorithms based on a theoretical model or “expert” knowledge base, which allow the computer to “think” in terms of pre-defined structured context.
Speaking: the computer asks questions, rephrases or reframes users’ responses, and otherwise manipulates text to simulate a self-reflective dialog, mirroring an internal conversation.
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It is a deceptively simple, yet highly effective technique that engages the individual in a dialogue about their health and lifestyle goals. It is a unique, compelling, and highly personal experience that promotes honesty and responsibility.
The computer walks the user through a critical thinking process in order to facilitate insight and empower the individual to take appropriate action.
The clinical objective is to bring the source of an individual’s stress into focus as a solvable problem, which is an important piece of the psychological work necessary to regain health and well being.
This process dramatically enhances clarity and motivation and thereby moves the user quickly through the natural healing process.
Objectives of the MethodologyTo take people through a step-by-step behavior change process that mediates the user’s thinking and mirrors the critical thinking of a professional.
To engage people in a context specific, accurate and highly personal “emotionally alive conversation” until the individual reaches resolution (which can come at any stage).
To help people make choices that enable them to develop a new and healthier level of personal power.
Interactive Objectives :: To...
- actively involves users in non-threatening communication,
- allows users to find themselves and express their thoughts and feelings,
- guides users from a general or vague sense of pending issues to clarity,
- educates users about common issues and misconceptions,
- promotes honest reflective thinking by uncovering errors in perception,
- helps users develop a more realistic self-appraisal,
- surfaces the users’ dilemma or conflict that is inhibiting,
- facilitates options exploration and decision making,
- provides a positive framework to sort out and overcome obstacles,
- validates users’ frustrations and concerns,
- normalizes users' hesitations, fears and doubts,
- enhances users' motivation to reach their desired outcome.
Design Guidelines :: requirements are...- users feel comfortable, understood and respected
- users feel encourages to share information at their own pace
- users should not feel overexposed
- modules are personal, private and confidential
- modules are easy to use, with no previous computer experience needed
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