AbilTo Blog

Momentum — No comments
29
Aug 11

The New Nanny Law Firm O’Melveny Rocks It!

Just when you’re beginning to give up on law firms ever fulfilling their purported devotion to diversity and inclusivity, one of them actually steps up to the plate and does something about it. This time its L.A.’s own O’Melveny & Myers that has moved the ball forward for its working mothers far enough to be called a first down.

As the post The Nanny Firm over at The Careerist Blog explains,

“This spring, in partnership with behavioral health company AbilTo, the firm introduced a program called Momentum One to help new parents transition back to work.

The program pairs new moms or dads with one of AbilTo’s transition specialists, who are also licensed clinical social workers. Meetings via videoconference are set up once a week for eight weeks–four before the new parent returns to work, and four after.

When O’Melveny announced Momentum One in April, it presented it as a way “to help new parents recognize and successfully manage the challenges of transitioning from parental leave back to work.” The firm said the program was “aimed at retaining, developing, and supporting new parents at the firm.”

If you read on you’ll get reviews from the moms who have used the program – quite a nice set of raves and a feather in O’Melveny’s cap. Note that the women are given negotiation advice by the program. Extra points for that!

Now Ford, General Mills and Burlington can follow suit after which… any other Fortune 500 company that wants to be named one of the best places for women to work and raise a family at the same time.

SOURCE: Forbes
http://www.forbes.com/sites/shenegotiates/2011/08/27/the-new-nanny-law-firm-omelveny-rocks-it/

Momentum — No comments
29
Aug 11

The Nanny Firm: O’Melveny & Myers is getting into the mommy business

The Nanny Firm: O’Melveny & Myers is getting into the mommy business: It now has a program aimed at easing new parents’ return to the law firm world.

O’Melveny & Myers is putting money behind its work/life balance rhetoric.

This spring, in partnership with behavioral health company AbilTo, the firm introduced a program called Momentum One to help new parents transition back to work.

Sounds good, right? Well, skeptics that we are, we decided to check in with some of the program’s participants. Four months later, has this “innovative initiative” lived up to its expectations?

So far, five new moms have completed the program. The four we talked to raved about its benefits.

Counsel Alicia Hancock, who works in O’Melveny’s Century City, California, office, was one of the first lawyers at the firm to enroll. “It was a big help because my consultant asked practical questions that I hadn’t thought of, like what would I do if my nanny called in sick?” says Hancock. After that conversation, Hancock signed up for backup care provided by O’Melveny. When her nanny became ill a few weeks later, she was all set. It was also nice, adds Hancock, “to talk to someone about the transition who wasn’t a family member.”

Abby Johnston, counsel in O’Melveny’s New York office, talked with her AbilTo specialist about drawing boundaries between her role as a lawyer and her role as a mom. She devised a plan that allowed her to leave work every day around 5:30 or 6. From then until 8 was family time. After that, she would plug back into work for a few hours. She made sure her colleagues were aware of this schedule.

“My consultant suggested I make it as nonnegotiable as possible,” she says.

Counsel Catalina Vergara says her consultant helped her work through the difficulty her older daughter had with her return to work. “I didn’t think me going back to work would be so hard on my 3-year-old. She’d basically forgotten that I’d ever had a job after my maternity leave,” says Vergara. Her consultant suggested that she create new rituals with her toddler to try to offset her return to work, she says.

Rochelle Karr, director of O’Melveny’s attorney professional development and alumni relations, introduced Momentum One to the firm and completed the program herself. “Lawyers, by nature, have more unpredictable schedules, and children, by nature, love predictability,” Karr says. The program, which costs the firm $1,925-$2,700 per participant, helps parents balance their obligations, she says.

When O’Melveny first announced Momentum One, it was AbilTo’s only law firm client. Since then, the idea hasn’t exactly caught fire: Just two more law firms have signed up for the program, says Margaret Klein, program director at AbilTo.

If you’re asking, “Where do I sign up?” we’re right there with you. But can it really be that easy to predict and conquer all the challenges of mixing a little baby with Big Law?

Probably not. But what new parent can turn down extra help if it’s offered?

Claire Zillman

SOURCE: The Careerist
http://thecareerist.typepad.com/thecareerist/2011/08/momentumone.html

Press Releases — No comments
25
Aug 11

Morgenthaler Ventures Announces Finalists of DC to VC: HIT Startup Showcase

Finalists will present in front of 200 health IT venture capitalists, angel investors and entrepreneurs. Reflects growing interest in health IT sector, which grew 27% in VC investments in Q2 2011.

MENLO PARK, Calif., Aug. 25, 2011 /PRNewswire/ — Morgenthaler Ventures, a premier venture capital firm, announced today the 11 finalists of their nationwide contest to find the most promising health IT startups looking for seed and Series-A funding. The 11 company founders will present in front of leading venture capitalists, angel investors and entrepreneurs at a gathering dedicated to health IT innovation. Held on September 22, 2011 in Mountain View, CA, the event is “invitation only.” www.DCtoVC.com Twitter: #DCtoVC.

Venture capital investments in health IT – loosely defined as medical software and information services – increased in the second quarter of 2011 to $198 million, a 27% increase from the $156 million invested during the same period in 2010, according to research from Dow Jones VentureSource.

“The tremendous response we received shows that health IT is becoming as sexy a sector as social media and games,” said Rebecca Lynn, partner at Morgenthaler Ventures and head of the firm’s health IT investing team. “We received 117 applications that reflect how entrepreneurs are ‘thinking big.’ They are building powerful applications and services on top of today’s Web, mobile, social media, and cloud-based infrastructures to transform our healthcare system.

“Many of the applicants were driven to build health IT companies because of their own personal experiences battling the deficiencies in our healthcare system. They are incredibly smart and motivated, and I am humbled by their passion. I believe that entrepreneurs – not corporations or the government – will ultimately fix healthcare,” continued Lynn.

The Finalists

The 11 finalists of the DC to VC: HIT Startup Showcase are grouped into two categories: companies seeking either seed or Series-A funding. They include:

Seed-Stage Finalists:

Careticker is the world’s first platform that helps patients plan in advance for a hospital or outpatient procedure. (Miami, FL)

EyeNetra is the most affordable mobile eye diagnostic ever developed, allowing anyone to take their own eye test, get a prescription for glasses, and connect to eye-care providers all on a mobile phone. (Cambridge, MA)

Skimble powers the mobile wellness movement with a cross-platform ecosystem of fun and dynamic coaching applications. Its latest title, Workout Trainer, ranks Top 10 in the free Healthcare & Fitness category on iPhone/iPad. (San Francisco, CA)

SurgiChart is a mobile, cloud-based, social-clinical network for surgeons to exchange relevant perioperative, case-centric information. (Nashville, TN)

Telethrive provides patients an instant connection to doctors for a medical consultation using any telephone or computer with complete audio and video conferencing. (Los Angeles, CA)

Viewics provides hospitals with cloud-based analytics and business intelligence solutions which enable them to drive enhanced operational, financial and clinical outcomes. (San Francisco, CA)

Series-A Finalists:

AbilTo develops and delivers online mental health programs to managed care members and enterprise workforces that help reduce payor costs while improving overall health outcomes. (New York, NY)

Axial Exchange moves healthcare organizations towards pay-for-performance, enabling providers to coordinate care and measure clinical quality across disparate settings. (Raleigh, NC)

Empower Interactive’s online services deliver proven psychotherapy methodologies via an e-learning platform to greatly improve the economics and accessibility of mental and behavioral health solutions. (San Francisco, CA)

Jiff is the first HIPAA-compliant iPad platform for patient education in the medical industry –used by doctors, nurses, patients and more. (San Francisco, CA)

YourNurseIsOn.com employs bi-directional text, phone and email communications to help hospitals and agencies put “the right healthcare providers, in the right places, right now.” (New Haven, CT)

CareyinSync, a real-time care collaboration platform for smart-mobile devices such as iPhones or iPads to radically transform patient care, was an honorable mention (referred by BluePrint Health IT).

About the Competition

Organized by Morgenthaler Ventures with co-organizers Silicon Valley Bank, Health 2.0 and Practice Fusion, the contest was opened to US entrepreneurs looking to raise seed or Series-A capital for their health IT startups. Applications were judged by Rebecca Lynn, partner at Morgenthaler; Shai Goldman and JC Simbana directors at Silicon Valley Bank; Matthew Holt, founder of Health 2.0; and Steven Krein, founder of StartUp Health and CEO of Organized Wisdom. The judging criteria can be found here.

The finalists will present in front of the following judges at the event on September 22:

Seed stage judges include: Aydin Senkut, managing director of Felicis Ventures; Jeff Tangney, founder and CEO of Doximity; Chaim Indig, co-founder and CEO of Phreesia; Robert Fassett, MD, chief medical informatics officer at Oracle; and Enoch Choi, MD, urgent care physician at Palo Alto Medical Foundation.

Series-A judges include: Rebecca Lynn, partner at Morgenthaler Ventures; Brian Ascher, partner at Venrock; Isaac Ciechanover, partner at Kleiner Perkins; Tim Chang, partner at Norwest Venture Partners and Alex de Winter, partner at MDV.

In addition, Ryan Howard, founder and CEO of Practice Fusion, the largest and fastest-growing Electronic Health Record system, will be a featured keynote speaker.

One Event, Two Sessions

Morgenthaler is pleased to partner with StartUp Health for this year’s DC to VC event. StartUp Health is an innovative program to help entrepreneurs create, fund and rapidly grow meaningful health and wellness IT companies. It is chaired by Jerry Levin, former Chairman and CEO of TimeWarner, and was launched in June with the help of Aneesh Chopra, US CTO, US HHS (Health & Human Services) and the Startup America Partnership.

The DC to VC session will take place from 12 noon to 5:00 pm on September 22, followed immediately by StartUp Health’s roundtable from 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm. The roundtable is entitled, “Bridging the Gap between Health and Wellness IT Entrepreneurs and Investors” and will be moderated by Thomas Goetz, executive editor at Wired magazine and the author of The Decision Tree, and feature Bob Kocher, partner at Venrock and former special assistant to President Obama for Healthcare and Economic policy.

Invited guests are welcomed to attend both sessions as well as a cocktail reception from 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm. The activities for the day – from 12:00 noon to 9:00 pm – will be held at the same location: Microsoft’s Mountain View campus. The agenda can be found here. The event is also part of the annual Health Innovation Week organized by Health 2.0.

Sponsors

We are grateful to Microsoft and Gunderson Dettmer for sponsoring DC to VC: HIT Startup Showcase this year.

About Morgenthaler Ventures

Morgenthaler Ventures is a premier venture capital firm, dedicated to helping entrepreneurs build valuable companies for more than 40 years. Today, the firm has nearly $3 billion under management. Morgenthaler has invested in more than 300 companies in the information technology and life science sectors. Representative portfolio companies in the IT space include: Practice Fusion, Evernote, NexTag, Siri, Lending Club, Pageonce, Nominum, JasperSoft, MuleSource, Synopsys, VeriFone, Nuance Communications, Apple and NEXTEL. Representative life science companies include: Ardian, IPC – The Hospitalist Company, OncoMed, Catalyst Biosciences, Transcend, and GlobeImmune. Morgenthaler has offices in Menlo Park, CA, Boston, MA and Boulder, CO. www.morgenthaler.com.

Media Contact:
Ching Wu
650-388-7620
ching@morgenthaler.com

SOURCE: Morgenthaler Ventures

http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/morgenthaler-ventures-announces-finalists-of-dc-to-vc-hit-startup-showcase-128378863.html

Cardiac Health Forum / Press Releases — No comments
28
Jul 11

Aetna and AbilTo Team Up to Combat Depression in Cardiac Patients

HARTFORD, Conn., Jul 28, 2011 (BUSINESS WIRE) –

Aetna (NYSE: AET) and AbilTo today announced a new program to help Aetna members who have had heart attacks, bypass surgery, or other cardiac events combat depression and improve recovery.

“Many individuals who experience a significant cardiac event also experience depression,” said Michael Golinkoff, Ph.D., Aetna’s head of clinical specialty operations. “According to published studies, between 15 and 20 percent of people who have had bypass surgery experience depression. The same figures apply to patients suffering a heart attack. Not only can the depression itself be a problem for patients, but it can interfere with their overall recovery and prevent them from adopting recommended behavioral changes, including healthier diet and more exercise. We need a better approach to treating – more importantly preventing – depression following cardiac events.”

Starting this month, selected Aetna members in California, Connecticut, New Jersey and New York will be given the opportunity to join an eight-week program designed to address the unique emotional and behavioral requirements of individuals learning to live with heart disease. The program enables members to use web-based videoconferencing to meet face-to-face with a dedicated team. A transition specialist helps the member adjust to the emotional challenges that follow a cardiac event while a coach helps the individual implement a healthy new life regimen.

AbilTo developed the program – based on well-validated, empirically substantiated approaches – and will provide the transition specialists and behavioral coaches. “It’s called ‘Cardiac Health Forum.’ The evidence-based approach has already been used to help many individuals recover more quickly and successfully from their cardiac events,” said Michael Laskoff, CEO of AbilTo.

Aetna and AbilTo will analyze the results from the program and compare member outcomes with those of similar Aetna members not enrolled in Cardiac Health Forum. The program’s impact on duration and severity of depression experienced, adherence to physician’s orders, medical outcomes, and health care costs will be examined.

“This approach has great potential to improve overall health and lower costs. If that happens, this type of program may be valuable for other health care areas beyond cardiac events,” said Golinkoff.

“The stress of dealing with a cardiac event is sizeable in and of itself,” said Golinkoff. “The depression that can follow could make full recovery more difficult. If we can help reduce or shorten that depression, we’ll be making a very notable contribution to the well-being of these cardiac patients. The prospects of that are very exciting.”

“We’re proud to be working with Aetna as it strives to bring valuable new services to its members,” said AbilTo’s Laskoff. “Not only is Aetna one of the country’s leading health care companies, it is also one of the most innovative when it comes to embracing new, technology-enabled service models.”

About AbilTo LLC:

AbilTo offers single price, fixed duration programs to corporations, national law practices and health care organizations that enable their employees and members to proactively manage addressable life transition issues, resulting in measurable, positive health outcomes and reduced health spending. The company’s programs are based on well-accepted protocols and delivered ‘face-to-face’ to participants using web-based videoconference. Current offerings include Momentum and Health Forum. For more information, please visit www.abilto.com or contact Lilibeth Gecale at lilibeth.gecale@abilto.com or 646.558.3246.

About Aetna:

Aetna is one of the nation’s leading diversified health care benefits companies, serving approximately 36.5 million people with information and resources to help them make better informed decisions about their health care. Aetna offers a broad range of traditional, voluntary and consumer-directed health insurance products and related services, including medical, pharmacy, dental, behavioral health, group life and disability plans, and medical management capabilities and health care management services for Medicaid plans. Our customers include employer groups, individuals, college students, part-time and hourly workers, health plans, governmental units, government-sponsored plans, labor groups and expatriates. For more information, see www.aetna.com.

Source: AETNA

Aetna
Media Contact:
Ethan Slavin, 860-273-6095
SlavinE@aetna.com

Momentum — No comments
20
Apr 11

New Parents at O’Melveny Get Free Life-Transitions Coach

O’Melveny & Myers is helping new parents transition back to their legal work by providing a free life-transitions coach.

O’Melveny officially launched its “Momentum One” initiative on Friday after trying it out in a pilot program last year, the Recorder reports. Coaches from AbilTo will work with associates, partners and counsel for at least eight weeks to help them return to work after becoming new parents.

O’Melveny may be the only major U.S. law firm to offer such a program, according to law professor Joan Williams, director of the Center for WorkLife Law at the University of California at Hastings law school. She told the Recorder she is aware of a similar program at just one other law firm—McCarthy Tétrault in Canada.

Alicia Hancock was the first lawyer to use the new program. She met with a counselor by video conference before and after her maternity leave, the story says. She came away with tips on organization and the realization that she needed to find backup child care and to schedule time to pump breast milk at work.

“As a first-time parent there’s always a struggle, it especially happens among moms, about whether to come back at all,” Hancock told the Recorder.

Source: ABA Journal Article, posted on Posted Apr 19, 2011 8:03 AM CDT by Debra Cassens Weiss

Momentum — 1 comment
19
Apr 11

O’Melveny Program Helps New Parents Return to Firm

SAN FRANCISCO – Like many new moms, O’Melveny & Myers lawyer Alicia Hancock had mixed feelings about returning to work after having a child last August.

“As a first-time parent there’s always a struggle, it especially happens among moms, about whether to come back at all,” Hancock, a business litigator in Century City, said. “There’s a lot of guilt about missing special moments with your child, or having somebody else spending the majority of their time with them.”

Her concerns were professional, too. Hancock wondered how she’d manage to hit the ground running at the office after five months off.

She found out the transition can be pretty smooth. Hancock took part in a pilot program for parents returning to work that O’Melveny tested last year. The firm officially launched the program – which is said to be unique among major U.S. law firms – today.

Tailored for parents, the “Momentum One” initiative hooks up attorneys with a coach from AbilTo, a New York-based provider of counseling for life transitions, among other things. The coach helps with the plunge back into professional life by talking workers through the practical realities inherent in transition. O’Melveny is making the program available to all associates, counsel and partners firmwide.

Joan Williams, a Hastings College of the Law professor who focuses on work-life balance issues, said she’s worked with Canadian law firm McCarthy Tétrault, the only other Northern American law firm Williams is aware of with a similar program. Williams said the Project for Attorney Retention, a Washington, D.C., think tank that promotes the retention of women attorneys through work-life balance programs, has been singing the praises of McCarthy’s program. Counseling programs are important, she said, because new parents often haven’t thought through the details of adjusting to life with a child. “There tends to be a tremendous amount of conflict around work-life balance for new parents,” Williams said. “That kind of conflict can interfere with the lawyer’s ability to perform effectively at work.”

Programs like O’Melveny’s, and others that gradually bring a parent back up to full time as an entitlement, make the transition easier, Williams said. Project for Attorney Retention has been encouraging law firms to consider both types.

O’Melveny head of attorney development Rochelle Karr said the program is part of an ongoing effort to distinguish the firm from the competition. For instance, O’Melveny has been offering on-site child care for the past few years. Convincing leaders to back this latest effort – which costs between $1,750 and $2,450 per participant for a five-to-eight-week session, according to AbilTo’s website – was not difficult. “We want to retain our top talent,” Karr said. “We want to offer things that other law firms don’t offer.”

Hancock, a counsel at the firm, was the first lawyer at O’Melveny to test the program. She met by phone and video conference with a counselor in the weeks before and after her maternity leave ended. She said the counselor made suggestions about how to get organized so that she could focus on work while at the office. One thing that Hancock said she wouldn’t have thought of was back-up childcare. That spurred her to sign-up for the firm’s childcare program before she found herself in a bind, she said. Another thing was scheduling time every day for pumping breast milk. “My assistant knew not to schedule me in meetings at those times,” Hancock said.

Karr said O’Melveny’s program runs eight weeks – with an extension possible – and costs attorneys nothing. She said the hope is that both men and women take advantage of it.

Source: Law.com | The Recorder Article

Momentum / Press Releases — No comments
14
Apr 11

O’Melveny and AbilTo Launch Advisory Program for Lawyers Returning From Parental Leave

Initiative Supplements Existing Firm Support for New-Parent Lawyers

NEW YORK, NY–(Marketwire – April 14, 2011) – O’Melveny & Myers LLP, in conjunction with AbilTo, is pleased to announce an innovative initiative aimed at retaining, developing, and supporting new parents at the firm — Momentum One. AbilTo developed this unique program to help new parents recognize and successfully manage the challenges of transitioning from parental leave back to work. Momentum One, which launches April 15, is available to all associates, counsel, and partners in O’Melveny’s 14 offices around the world.

Momentum One is an eight-week offering designed to assist new parents as they develop the skills to manage the practical realities inherent in transition. The confidential advisory program pairs a returning lawyer with an AbilTo transition specialist, starting four weeks prior to the end of family leave and continuing four weeks after work return. All meetings occur via video chat — utilizing AbilTo’s embedded videoconferencing technology — or telephone, allowing participants to pick the schedule and location that is most comfortable and convenient.

Alicia Hancock, a counsel in O’Melveny’s Century City office and a member of the Business Trial and Litigation Practice, used the trial program of Momentum One after the birth of her daughter last year.

“As a first time parent I was having a lot of conflicting emotions about returning to work at the end of my leave,” Hancock said. “The program helped me work through those concerns. It was good to talk through action plans with someone who had already gone through this transition and could give suggestions about ways to feel more prepared. It made me feel better about my daughter’s situation at home and my situation at work.”

The program is highly individualized to address specific challenges of each participant. AbilTo professionals will work with new parents to identify examples of successful work/life balance arrangements and take full advantage of benefits O’Melveny already has in place, including back-up childcare and nursing rooms.

“O’Melveny is proud to continue its tradition of providing progressive, practical benefits that acknowledge and support the unique challenges faced by our professionals throughout the course of their careers,” said Rochelle Karr, O’Melveny’s Director of Attorney Professional Development & Alumni Relations.

“AbilTo created Momentum One to ensure that new parents receive expert, timely resources to successfully manage the return process and discover sustainable work-life effectiveness,” said Margaret Klein, Momentum One’s Program Director at AbilTo. “We look forward to helping O’Melveny implement additional programs in support of other life transitions experienced by its professionals throughout their careers.”

About O’Melveny & Myers LLP
With approximately 900 lawyers in 14 offices worldwide, O’Melveny & Myers LLP helps industry leaders across a broad array of sectors manage the complex challenges of succeeding in the global economy. We are a values-driven law firm, guided by the principles of excellence, leadership, and citizenship. Our commitment to these values is reflected in our dedication to improving access to justice through pro bono work and championing initiatives that increase the diversity of the legal profession. For more information, please visit www.omm.com.

About AbilTo LLC
AbilTo offers set-price, fixed duration programs to employers and managed care companies that enable employees and members to proactively manage addressable life transition issues, resulting in measurable health outcomes and reduced expenditures. The company’s programs are based on, well-accepted protocols and delivered ‘face-to-face’ to participants using web-based videoconference. Current offerings include Momentum and Health Forum. For more information, please visit www.abilto.com.

Contact:

Julie Fei
O’Melveny & Myers LLP
213.430.7792 (office)
213.440.7792 (cell)
Email Contact

Lilibeth Gecale
AbilTo LLC
212.203.0627 (office)
347.989.2024 (cell)
Email Contact

Source & Related links:

ADD / ADHD — No comments
11
Apr 11

Making Peace With Adult ADD Diagnosis, Symptoms

If you’ve long dealt with frustrating symptoms, an adult ADD/ADHD diagnosis can be empowering. But when improvement seems impossible, inconsistent, or gradual, how do you stay motivated about treatment?

Knowledge is power, which is why I felt positively super-heroic when my attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADD/ADHD) was first diagnosed. I was 39 already, tired of struggling against forces that I didn’t understand, and entirely ready for actionable alternatives. My diagnosis led to exciting treatment options — medication, behavioral therapy, and codification of useful behaviors — for relief and betterment. As I brought these approaches to bear, I started to feel genuinely powerful and capable of doing everything. But then, over time, that sense of mastery began to recede. To use an apt metaphor, I fell off the horse.

Falling off the horse is a normal part of dealing with ADD/ADHD. It’s what happens when our natural optimism collides with the restraints of the ADD/ADHD brain. Unfortunately, the harder you strive to control the condition, the more disappointed you will feel when you cannot do it successfully. The resulting jolt can leave you disoriented, disheartened, and profoundly frustrated.

When this happens, you have an obligation to yourself to get back on the horse — to take measured, purposeful actions to keep working on symptom management and treatment. But before you can undertake such activities, you probably need to adjust a few of your attitudes about ADD/ADHD. Stated another way, better control over your condition starts with changing your thinking.

‘Til death do you part. You were born with ADD/ADHD, and it has stayed with you into adulthood. If it’s hung on this long, then it’s absolutely not going anywhere. In effect, you and the condition are together for life — ’til death do you part. Your first reaction is likely to be, That’s depressing. Actually, it’s not. Having ADD/ADHD is an immutable part of who you are, so you might as well learn to embrace it. Once you do, you’ll fret less and find it easier to manage the realities of the condition.

Progress, not perfection. When I discovered all that I could do to battle the undesirable aspects of ADD/ADHD, I came to expect that I would be able to purge the unwanted completely — no more careless errors, goodbye to forgetting names, so long to being late. In reality, I reduced the impact these symptoms had on my life but could never fully eliminate any of the behaviors. But because my expectations were too high, I saw failure instead of progress. To say the least, it was demoralizing. Finally it dawned on me: Total elimination of unwanted behaviors was an unrealistic goal. Progress, not perfection, is the key.

Take the medicine that works. I’m compulsive about some kinds of organization. For example, I leave my keys, wallet, and phone in the same place every night. If I don’t, I’ll walk out of the apartment without them in the morning. It’s a simple and effective approach that prevents all kinds of problems. On the other hand, I have tried and failed to use a number of ADD/ADHD coping strategies that others swear by. My lists are terrible, my time-planning skills still stink, and I’ve wasted silly amounts of money buying into methods like Getting Things Done and project-planning software. What’s worse, when I would try a new treatment option and it wouldn’t work for me, I would feel guilty — like I was doing something wrong. And so I’d refuse to abandon them without actually quite using them either. It was like taking medicine that had been proven to help others but which actually made me sick. Eventually, I considered the old adage that anything that isn’t part of the solution is actually part of the problem. That realization made it easier to move on with life.

If you’re serious about not letting ADD/ADHD limit your career, then you already understand the wisdom of getting back on the horse. Slip-ups are inevitable; don’t read too much into them. Think pragmatically, act effectively, and whatever you do, don’t let your ADD/ADHD hold you back.

How do you get back on the horse? How do you overcome setbacks as you work to treat your ADD/ADHD?

By Michael Laskoff

for ADDitude Magazine

Momentum — No comments
24
Jan 11

Mom Central Blogger Talks About The Benefits of Momentum

Mom Central is a “one-stop web resource dedicated to providing busy moms with smart household and parenting solutions”. So we were pleased to provide one of their consultant/bloggers – Michelle Fernandez – an opportunity to experience Momentum first hand. Read about her experience below on Mom Central.

Surrounding a working mother with support through the Momentum Counseling Program

Your time during pregnancy can easily be consumed by maternity clothes and equipment for baby – and I’m all for these wonderful distractions that help you feel beautiful and give you warm fuzzies when thinking about bringing life into the world. But there are mental transitions that are happening and sometimes we all just need someone to talk to about it. I was offered a wonderful opportunity to participate in a therapy/coaching program called Momentum offered by AbilTo. The seven-week program is a tag-team of a psychotherapist paired with a coach who helps you through this transition with two one-hour sessions per week using video conferencing technology.

Preparing for maternity leave and re-entry

I took on the Momentum Counseling Program prior to going on maternity leave rather than prior to returning to work, which is the time-frame it is designed for. I don’t think the timing makes a difference as there are issues in every stage of pregnancy and motherhood. I took away resources and tools that helped me prepare for my eight-week maternity leave and eventual re-entry.

Flexibility

What I liked about the program is that there is a very clear roadmap for each session. There was a progression from week to week, but with flexibility to go off course as needed. In a couple of instances I needed time to work through some feelings and my team set aside the map to just listen and guide. We talked via video conferencing and phone, so I never needed to take the time to travel to my appointments. If you aren’t used to using Skype or one-on-one video conferencing it could be a bit uncomfortable at first, but it is so much easier for a mom with a new baby to manage.

Setting up your schedule

The program starts with a questionnaire and a conversation with a psychiatrist who helps you assess if the program is right for you. Together we created a schedule that included seven one-hour sessions each week with two specialists – a psychotherapist and a coach. I chose Mondays and Fridays at 8:30 a.m.

Goal setting

We started the seven weeks with a goal-setting session. I had no idea where to start so my therapist and coach facilitated my thoughts and guided me to a few conclusions. I chose to focus on my relationship with my husband, remaining positive throughout my transition as a working mother of two, and self care. For each goal we worked together to assess that it was Measurable, Achievable, Positive and Specific (MAPS). I highly recommend running your goals through this filter in other situations as well – it really challenges your thinking!

Worksheets

The Momentum process is considered “behavioral therapy” and there are many worksheets and lists that guide each session. I’m not keen on worksheets, but I do see the value in them and they work well as a reference and to help facilitate discussion. My team was kind enough to fill out some of the sheets for me as I found it difficult to fill them out while thinking through my feelings.

Gaining insight

There were two sessions that were ah-ha moments for me. The first one addressed thought patterns that can sabotage thinking – there is a list of about 10 such thinking errors that many of us fall victim to. When it comes to sabotaging thinking I seem to be very skilled! I had just about every one of them covered – some of them include black and white thinking, living in “shoulds,” all or nothing thinking, etc. By having these “thinking errors” brought to my attention I can now see better ways to adjust my response to difficult situations.

The second ah-ha session for me was called “empowering yourself as a working mother.” It made me truly think hard about what my own personal definition of a working mother. I was shocked how I stumbled through my thoughts on this one. Is being a working mother a necessity? A choice? Always guilt-ridden? What are my impressions of other working mothers? What does society tell us versus what are my feelings about my choice to not stay home with my kids? It was a challenge and I’m still noodling it around in my head.

Support means better employee retention

The fact remains that the population of working mothers is growing and for many of us it is not a choice. Employers who are enlightened enough to take steps to help their female employees with this transition will see more committed and happier employees and less maternity leave drop outs. Steps such as creating a culture that is supportive to parenthood and offering progressive and confidential counseling such as the Abilto Momentum program are great places to start. Managers will only know what is best for their employees by asking working mothers (and fathers) what they need – no one size fits all.

There is nothing more difficult than having a child and leaving him or her with another care giver, so it makes sense that mothers who work need to feel great about their work to make it worth their efforts – employers who recognize this will surely receive the fruits of that dedication in spades.

_________________

Michelle Fernandez recently gave birth to her second child and is currently on maternity leave from Mom Central Consulting’s NYC office. She will return in early March.

Disclosure: Michelle received seven weeks of Momentum sessions from Abilto to facilitate this post.

Source: Mom Central Blog

_________________

Momentum — 1 comment
14
Dec 10

Life after childbirth, and you are certainly not alone

My favorite commercial is the Johnson and Johnson commercial with the Mom and baby, ending with the following message: “Having a baby changes everything”. Every time I see it I get teary. The message is so true. So many things that mattered in life before baby seem so insignificant after the birth. The baby’s first smiles, first giggles, first steps, first words, the first time they say “Mama” are just such amazing milestones. As a Mom of four, I have been so lucky to have these milestones with each of my children. Motherhood is just wonderful.

Unfortunately, what often comes along with the wonders of motherhood is baby blues. Many of us experience some sort of depression or odd feelings in the first weeks of motherhood. We may question our parenting abilities, we may be anxious about the Mom-baby bond; we may worry about the future and the baby’s well being. In planning for the future, we may decide on returning to old careers.

Returning to work often causes additional anxiety: Mom may feel guilty about leaving her baby. She may be uncomfortable about her childcare options. She may have financial worries and may be concerned with how she will continue to nurse her baby when she goes back to work.

If I described you (fully or partially), just remember that you are far from alone. In fact, if you surveyed any new mother, you would find that most (if not ALL of them) are sharing many of the same thoughts. Luckily, there is help available to assist in your transition to motherhood AND returning to work after maternity leave. AbilTo’s Momentum program is geared just for your transition and concerns in mind. Read more about the program here. Discounts are available, your medical insurance my help offset the costs of the program, and/or your employer may be willing to send you through the program. Schedule a free consultation to learn more about the program and to see if it is a good fit. Email me for your discount code to take $500 off your enrollment. And congratulations on your new addition!

Jennifer Nevadomski, M.S

MOMentum Coach and Mom of 4

jnevadomski@gmail.com