by Cherie Massmann, MA, LPC, NCC
Webster Wellness Professionals
As we say good-bye to 2010, many are making New Year’s Resolutions. A common resolution for many people is to lose weight. Regular gym members will tell you that the longest lines for the treadmill occur after the New Year and begin to fade by early February. For many people the extra weight they carry is more than they can address on their own with a sensible diet and an increase in exercise. Individuals struggling with high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, depression or limited mobility associated with being overweight now have a resource in St. Louis to help them get off the dieting merry-go- round and develop lasting long term weight control.
The Green Light Program at Webster Wellness Professionals is an effective Intensive Outpatient Program for overweight and obese individuals. The Green Light Program, developed at the Wilkins Center in Greenwich, Connecticut is an evidence-based approach that targets the biological, psychological and environmental barriers that make lasting weight loss so difficult. The Green Light program works to remove shame and other negative thoughts that interfere with lasting weight control and provides the members with concrete skills. Green Light members meet in a group of no more than seven individuals for 2 1/2 hours each week for eight consecutive weeks. The group members also meet individually with Cherie Massmann, a well-trained, behavioral coach for 20-30 minutes each week. The coaching sessions are designed to individualize the treatment and help the participants overcome personal daily eating challenges (e.g. eating healthy at a potluck, dining away from home, or managing emotional triggers for overeating).
New Year’s resolutions come and go but real health concerns about being overweight or obese will remain. Why not make this the year that you get lasting help? The next Green Light group at Webster Wellness Professionals is scheduled to start soon. Call to schedule a 30-minute free consultation with Cherie Massmann, Green Light Program group facilitator at (314) 737-4070.
Ms. Massmann, M.A, LPC, NCC earned her Master’s degree in Counseling from Webster University in St. Louis, Missouri in 1999. Ms. Massmann has joined the Webster Wellness Professionals as a therapist for the Green Light Weight Loss and Weight Management Program. She will be running the groups for Green Light and offering individual consultations for individuals working on achieving lasting, long-term healthy weight loss.
Ms. Massmann is a cognitive-behaviorally trained therapist with over 9 years of experience treating binge eating disorder, anorexia nervosa, and obesity in adults and adolescents as a staff therapist in the Departments of Psychiatry and Internal Medicine at Washington University School of Medicine. She has been part of several multi-center National Institute of Health grants including: the Treatment Options for Type 2 Diabetes in Adolescents and Youth (TODAY study) and the Comprehensive Maintenance Program to Achieve Sustained Success (COMPASS), a treatment of childhood obesity. She currently serves as a staff psychotherapist for the Comprehensive Assessment of Long-Term Effects of Reducing Intake of Energy (CALERIE study) at Washington University School of Medicine.
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