The Sylvia Brafman Mental Health Center features a number of therapeutic elements not found in ordinary mental health treatment centers. These additional features help support our “5 Lanes” philosophy towards attacking mental illnesses and addiction. Because different individuals respond to different approaches and modalities, we diversify our offerings to increase the chances of finding one more approach which is especially helpful for a particular patient.
Our unique offerings range from clinical or wellness focused to spiritual or vocational. Each has its own dedicated page on our site, but here is a brief summary of the individual offerings.
Genetic Testing
Sylvia Brafman’s genetic testing is a result of a partnership with Wired For Addiction™, a DNA company that utilizes a trademark process to look at genetic variants highly correlated to mental health conditions and mood disorders. One of the results of the analysis provides a list of medications that are considered safe, ones that should be used with caution, and medications that should be avoided. Another is an extensive report explaining the patient’s clinical correlations to their symptoms and biology predisposing them to mental health conditions.
Career Launch Program
Sylvia Brafman’s Career Launch program aims to channel the great potential for career success that many patients hold deep within, but have yet to realize due to the impact of mental health on their ability to move forward. The program is focused on helping patients succeed in their careers once they leave treatment. Personally designed and facilitated by CEO Jaime Blaustein, the Career Launch program consists of 5 phases: Contextualization, Reflection, Consideration, Preparation and Execution..
EMDR Therapy
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing treatment or EMDR Therapy, is an evidence-based mental health treatment originally developed to treat the effects of trauma. A significant amount of clinical research has shown this form of therapy to be dramatically beneficial to people with trauma disorders. In many cases progress is made in weeks or months that would ordinarily take years using conventional talk therapy alone. EMDR therapy has been proven especially helpful to people living with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and other trauma-related issues.
Art Therapy
In Art Therapy groups and individualized sessions, residents can really get involved in their personal healing journey. They can take the time to explore, work through, and really deepen their insights through several different mediums of art. Art Therapy sessions are about expressing oneself. Not focusing on technical skills or ability. It’s not about being judgmental or critical, but just allowing emotions to flow and going with the process of creation itself, undisturbed. The therapeutic benefits of art therapy are well-documented.
Physical Fitness
Physical fitness and nutrition are crucial for wellness. Exercising not only has been shown to reduce depression but it also has been shown to affect other things as well. It has been shown to alleviate anxiety, lessen low self-esteem, decrease negative moods, and reduce social withdrawal. It also has positively increased cognitive functioning and boosted self-esteem. Our fitness center is available to all residents to help give support in their recovery. It is filled with machines and equipment for those to utilize.
Medication Education
The Medication Education program here at Sylvia Brafman is one more step we take to empower patients to continue their progress long after they leave treatment with us. We help to teach about medication adherence, side effects, best times of day for medications and tips to properly. Being adherent means that a person is sticking to or following through with a plan. When it comes to medications, this means refilling prescriptions on time and taking them as they are prescribed.
Meditation
In the most basic sense, meditation practices are the practice and discipline of sitting still for periods of time. While training your brain to give attention to specific objects or goals, or sometimes purposefully not, and trying to just clear your mind entirely. This helps to train the brain to improve well-being, which in result increases happiness in everyday life. Those who suffer from anxiety and depression have a great focus on negative, worrying, and stressful events. Though it has been shown that meditation for those suffering can greatly help reduce that for them.
Music Therapy
Here at Sylvia Brafman, we want to make sure that everyone gets the opportunity to benefit from music therapy. Music therapy is when music is clinically used to help people achieve their goals such as improving mood, reducing stress or expressing themselves. It is evidence-based and popular in the mental health and physical health communities. This type of therapy involves playing instruments, singing along to music, creating songs and listening to music.
Non-Denominational Religious Services
The Sylvia Brafman Mental Health Center recognizes the value of religion in enriching many people’s spiritual lives. While religion isn’t required for spirituality to take root, many people find it helpful and the fellowship that comes along with belonging to a church, temple, synagogue or mosque. To that end, SBMHC offers access to non-denominational religious services to all patients enrolled in our treatment programs.
Therapeutic Yoga
The benefits of therapeutic yoga have been thoroughly researched and well documented. As an evidence-based therapeutic activity, it is part of The Sylvia Brafman Mental Health Center wellness-centered curriculum. At its core, yoga consists of exercises and positions for stretching and strengthening the body, improving circulation and muscle tone and even stimulating the production of hormones and endorphins.
