Last year we announced the launch of our bi-annual trichotillomania scholarship award, in which we would be awarding one student a scholarship to the value of $500 towards their studies in June and December each year. Applicants are required to submit a 400 word essay explaining the impact trichotillomania has their study efforts. We are pleased to announce the first winner who has requested to remain anonymous. You can read the winning essay below:
Amy Burzinski is a professional member of the Trichotillomania Learning Center (TLC) and a leading expert on trichotillomania in the state of Ohio. She practices a comprehensive model for behavioral treatment of Trichotillomania developed by Golomb, Charles Mansueto, Amanda McCombs Thomas and Ruth M. Townsley Stemberger, also known as the CoMB method. Amy leads a treatment team of certified professionals at A+ Solutions to aid adults, children and families in dealing with this disorder (and other BFRBs) through customized treatment programs.
Rebecca, or BeckiO as she is fondly known in the blogosphere, has been one of the pioneers of digital advocacy for trichotillomania. Her open disclosures and unfiltered sharing of her opinions and thoughts on all things trich has been a source of inspiration for many compulsive hair pullers the world over. This video. Although only posted in 2015, was filmed mid-2014 already and documents what Rebecca refers to as the shaving trap.
LeMetric is a hair and beauty center located in New York City. They import, manufacture, and design the 100% human hair imported from Europe, South America, India and Asia. Their hairpieces, wigs, extensions, clip-ins are completely customizable based on your needs.
LeMetric also offers specialized services for women with hair loss and hair thinning due to alopecia, trichotillomania, autoimmune diseases, medications, aging, surgery, and other causes of devastating hair loss.
Elline Surianello is the expert on hair loss and hair thinning in women. Elline is dedicated to helping women of all ages reinvent themselves and find empowerment through hair. In this video she talks about how LeMetric can help women with trichotillomania. You can find out more about LeMetric via their website.
Last month we shared part 1 of a three part series webinar hosted by the Trichotillomania Learning Centre (TLC) and the Canadian BFRB Support Network (CBSN) on starting and maintaining a peer support group for BFRBs. In this recording they briefly recap over the information from the previous video. There is then a detailed discussion about promotion of the group with examples of ways that you can get the word out.
The speaker provides a really useful breakdown of what content you can fill the groups with and how to ensure that the groups are more purposeful and fruitful each session. She provides a list of suggested topics or themes to focus discussions around.
Let us conduct a little experiment. For the next 2 minutes DO NOT think about a pink elephant…
The irony is that the harder we try not to think about something the harder it is to achieve this goal. The urge to pull hair or pick the skin in body-focussed reptitive behaviors (BFRBs) is much the same. Many patients report feeling that the urge to engage in these compulsive behaviors magnifies the more they resist it. This can be extremenly demotivating, particularly when an individual is excited at the prospect that they have made progress by not picking for a period of time, only to relapse, often with magnified effect.
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Meet Jillian Clark, an award winning editorial and portrait photographer and an advocate for people with Trichotillomania. Like many trich sufferers, Jillian struggled with this disorder for many years in silence, not knowing that her daily struggles had a name or that there was help available for her. Fortunately we live in the age of technology where we have access to information at our fingertips. Jillian found answers when she searched the term "pull out my hair" did she come across the term trichotillomania.
Trichotillomania involves the compulsive pulling out of one’s own hair. This act of pulling is precipitated by an urge to experience the sensation of the hair pulling action. For many the act of hair pulling is tension relieving, for others it is stimulatory, whatever the resultant feeling is that an individual experiences, it is this feeling that compels them to pull again and again despite wanting to stop. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) has been found to be the most effective form of treatment for body-focussed repetitive behaviors (BFRBs) such as trichotillomania.
Many trich sufferers report that they struggle to find local help for overcoming or dealing with compulsive hair pulling. Having the support of others is an important element of any effort to treat trichotillomania. Although you can find many resources and information about the various types of peer support groups on websites like the TLC or the CBSN, but it may be that none of these are in your local area.
Thanks to the Trichotillomania Learning Centre and the Canadian BFRB (body-focussed repetitive behaviours) Support Network this is part 1 in a three part webinar series about starting and maintaining a BFRB support group. The webinar for part 1 will address the following:
Find Out The Severity of Your Hair Pulling With This Free Online Test
