- Overview
- Interactive Courses and Personalized Worksheets
- A Model of Behavior Change (proactive adaptation)
- A Process for Self-reflective Dialogue
- A Versatile Delivery System
- Capacity to Customize
- Easy to Implement
- Dynamic Population Reports
- Self-Directed Care Options
1. Overview
Mastering Stress is a new and powerful Internet-based self-help program that provides a safe place for your employees to explore the issues surrounding their stress.
The overall PROGRAM goals areThe Mastering Stress Program involves a series of unique courses that are designed to help EMPLOYEES achieve their objectives
- To facilitate mental well-being and physical health
- To enhance communication and reduce tension in relationships
- To promote cautious, thoughtful and effective action
- To accelerate individual growth and development
The program also facilitates EMPLOYER goals
- To get the clarity necessary for taking effective action
- To develop more confidence in creative problem-solving abilities
- To have more energy to devote to achieving positive and satisfying goals
- To reduce sickness or lost time because of overwhelming stress
- To increased time spent in being productive rather than fighting off fatigue, irritability or the inability to concentrate
Features that directly benefit employees
- To increase motivation and productivity of employees
- To reduce absenteeism and disability claims
- To promote utilization of EAP benefits and work site wellness programs
- To listen and respond to employee needs
- To facilitate employee's growth and loyalty to the company
Features that directly benefit employers
- Interactive Courses and Personalized Worksheets
- A Model of Behavior Change
- A Process for Self-reflective Dialogue
- A Versatile Delivery System
- Capacity to Customize
- Easy to Implement
- Dynamic Population Reports
- Self-Directed Care Options
Top2. Interactive Courses and Personalized Worksheets
Mastering Stress will help employees get a clear picture about what is troubling them and what they can do about their situation by facilitating a self-reflective conversation that is prompted by the questions and answers presented in the courses.
The courses are designed to carry out a private, intelligent and informed conversation with a person on a subject that is important to them as well as create a summary document for further reflection. When used repetitively over time, important problem-solving skills and action-resolution strategies will be learned and incorporated into the routines of daily life.
This 30-day program allows the process to continue after the courses are completed. The printout allows individuals to review their thoughts, revise their action plans, and go back and annotate their decisions. The person goes through the process of confronting, digesting and acting in order to reach the goal of substantial and enduring stress relief.
Following is a short description of each course.
Taking Care of Myself
Taking care of yourself is an important part of mastering stress. This includes the proper balance of diet, exercise, relaxation, fun and creative expression. This course helps the user identify the places that are out of balance, decide if the modifications will be easy or difficult and put together a plan of action to implement the desired change.
Resolving Problems
Some problems resolve themselves without effort. Other problems need extra attention. Knowing what to do when a problem arises isn't always easy. This course helps users to sort through problems, look at them from different perspectives, make decisions based on more than just feelings, and chart a course of appropriate action.
Tension in Relationships
Tension, at one time or another, is inevitable in every relationship. Often tension just passes. Other times action must be taken to relieve it. This course helps users sort through the issues and outline the best approach for resolution.
My Signs of Stress
When stress goes unchecked it can cause a myriad of other problems. Often, people don't realize the amount of stress they are under. This course helps users explore and identify the impact of stress. It assists users in determining if professional help would be beneficial.
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3. A Model of Behavior Change (proactive adaptation)
The "therapeutic conversations" (courses) are based on a tried and tested clinical therapy model and methodology that simulates the probing, highly personalized interaction that occurs in a therapist's office.
The courses in the Mastering Stress Program empower individuals with increased capacity to make better decisions. They develop the skills and abilities necessary to move through the life cycle with a highly refined conscious perspective.
These courses deal with daily problems-in-living and decisions about life that are the root cause of stress and distress. The 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.
Stress relief is a step-by-step process. It requires changing attitudes and behaviors that address the source of the problem or change a response to the trigger as well as minimizing stress by taking preventative measures. Each action requires careful thought about what is taking place. Individuals must look at all their options, make intelligent choices, and plan and execute well-thought out action plans.
This complex process has been translated into three distinct steps.
Step 1 - IDENTIFY what you want
In this step employees pinpoint the issues that are bothering them. In accurately defining the problem they may not necessarily learn anything new; they do, however, have a solid place to begin.
Sometimes this first simple step brings a certain amount of relief. By clearly acknowledging that this is a real issue, and putting their thoughts into words, employees have stepped into the world of conscious problem solving.
Step 2 - DECIDE the best option
In this step the work goes deeper and gets more revealing. By analyzing interpretations and reviewing personal contributions to the problem, employees make intelligent choices about the most beneficial action strategy. Employees see beyond previous self-perceptions to the full range of possible solutions. This level of inquiry can be difficult, but the payoff is worth it.
By understanding what they need to do, employees experience a deeper level of relief. In addition, as they repeat this step, they learn precise ways of thinking about and resolving everyday problems and challenges.
Step 3 - ACT on your intention/plan
In this step, employee's previous answers become the focal point of an interactive worksheet that helps them translate their decisions into specific actions. While taking action can be difficult because it demands new behavior, once intentions are written down, they take on a life of their own. They stick with a person until they either take action, or make a conscious decision not to. This decision alone resolves the problem and therefore provides relief.
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4. A Process for Self-reflective Dialogue
Through "therapeutic conversations" the computer simulates the highly personal dialogue that occurs in a good counseling or coaching session.
Users are presented with detailed and comprehensive multiple choice response menus, which represent a range of options 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."
The design guidelines during development ensure that users:
- feel comfortable, understood and respected
- are encouraged to share information at their own pace
- are empowered by their own insights and self-directed discovery
The program captures and converts this powerful dialogue into a coherent printout that the user can hold onto and think about. The user sees his or her own thought process, in his or her own language, externalized on the computer screen. This is a unique, compelling, and highly personal experience.
It is well documented that this type of interactive computer-based conversation promotes honest and open dialog as people tend to reveal more sensitive or embarrassing material to a computer than to a human interviewer or therapist.
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5. A Versatile Delivery System
Using the Internet to deliver the Mastering Stress program overcomes the barriers of
- cost and scheduling
- privacy and confidentiality
- convenience and accessibility
- stigma and reluctance to get help
- is highly interactive and personalized
- is self-paced and self-directed
- promotes honest disclosure
- is password-protected
- is self-documenting
- can be accessed from home or work 24 hours a day
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6. Capacity to Customize
We customize certain web pages based on information supplied by you. There are two pages that must be customized as part of the standard package. And there are two other pages that can be modified at no extra cost.
The "one time only" pre-measurement survey is the first page that can be completely customized by the customer. Additional fields can be added to differentiate the employees that use the service.
On the Personal Page (from where each member accesses the program) there will be a NEW button that will be completely customized to the needs of the corporation.
When the user chooses to end the program they will be taken to a completely customized EXIT page. This page includes certain "help" information as well as specific links designated by the customer. The exit page also points to an evaluation survey that can be modified.
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7. Easy to Implement
The Mastering Stress program is
- Easy to use and manage
- Inexpensive, and
- Complements existing programs
We provide customer service (both content and technical support) to you and your employees by phone, FAX and/or email.
We also provide you with promotional and marketing materials to facilitate your internal marketing.
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8. Dynamic Population Reports
We will compile, forward and review with you statistics and data to facilitate internal promotion, effective usage of the program as well as tracking trends within your company. Described below are a brief description of the reports.
Monthly Usage Patterns
How many employees have signed on to the program and how many times have they used it. How often has each session been started and what percent have been completed.
Quarterly Aggregate Data
What percent of employees selected specific items, e.g., level of stress and number and type of symptoms; if they felt they wanted more help and what form of help; types of work related problem; interpersonal issues at work that trigger tension; and ways to take better care of themselves.
Annual Program Evaluation
How many employees offered feedback, such as: level of satisfaction, degree of improvement, whether or not they would use this type of program again, and if they would recommend it to others.
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9. Self-Directed Care Options
There is a unique opportunity for early intervention, prevention, and screening. The program allows individuals to "self-triage" issues related to depression, substance abuse and cardiac symptoms.
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