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May 27, 2008: Interview with Tina Champagne after receiving the 2008 Commissioner’s Distinguished Service Award & a MA State Senate Citation

The 2008 Commissioner's Distinguished Service Award & A State Senate Citation  

At the award ceremony at the State House in Boston, Commissioner Barbara Leadholm praised Champagne for her, "dedication in reducing restraint and seclusion locally and nationally, developing promising alternatives, such as, sensory rooms. Your body of work preventing restraint and seclusion has crossed local borders and informed many states and organizations of the latest research, helping to make Massachusetts a national and international hub of alternative advancement."

Since 2005, Champagne has worked with University of Massachusetts Amherst Mechanical Engineering Department conducting numerous formal research studies in the area of weighted modalities. That same year, Champagne helped to develop and initiate a Cooley Dickinson Hospital-wide response, known as code SAM (sensory approaches and methods), to help patients who are experiencing anxiety or distress.  Champagne says a quality improvement study has shown that "early response to those in distress has lead to a decreased use of restraints and an increase in patient satisfaction."

More recently, Champagne has collaborated with students and professors from the University of Massachusetts Amherst School of Nursing, Baypath College and American International College Occupational Therapy departments and says these "expanded research opportunities have become fruitful in helping to begin establishing an initial body of research in the area of sensory modulation/integrative interventions, and in demonstrating the significance of interdisciplinary collaboration."

Employed at Cooley Dickinson Hospital since 2001, Champagne has also been recognized by the Massachusetts Department of Mental Health for providing leadership to hospitals in the areas of facilitating culture change in mental health service delivery, program development and for initiating a broad range of therapeutic interventions designed to offer more person-centered, trauma-informed and recovery-focused care. In addition to her work at CDH, she is a professor, consultant, public speaker, researcher and has authored numerous publications.

Neurofeedback (NF) is biofeedback provided to the central nervous system, and is based on the training of the frequency of the neurological firing patterns. NF is a form of "brain training" used in the treatment of a broad range of mental health issues (e.g., ADHD, anxiety, depression, seizures, migraines, panic attacks, PTSD, cognitive performance, mood and many other brain based problems), and NF is also used for peak performance training.

Similar to the occupational therapy process initiated before the use of any therapeutic modality, prior to using NF, an assessment process that includes obtaining the occupational history, client factors, occupational skills and performance patterns, and any other assessment procedures needed to complete a comprehensive occupational profile is necessary.

Many NF clinicians focus largely on the global patterns of neurophysiological arousal symptoms during the assessment process, in order to consider whether a client seems to be generally more under aroused, over aroused or if an “instability” is present (the combination of over and under arousal symptoms).

According to Sebern Fisher (2007),

“When the assessment is completed, sensors are attached to the patient’s head to record the real time EEG (electroencephalogram) on a computer. The trainee looks on a second (computer) screen at a video game that corresponds directly to this EEG and plays the game by shifting the amplitude of targeted frequencies in his brain. Brain frequencies relate to states of arousal. As an example, if someone is making a robust amount of 8-11 Hz (alpha waves) in the right hemisphere, they are likely to feel calm. If they are producing appropriate amplitudes of 15-18 Hz (beta) in the left hemisphere, they are likely to feel alert. The patient is rewarded for increasing appropriate frequencies in the appropriate hemisphere, as established with the assessment, while decreasing frequencies that might interfere with optimal functioning.” (p. 109)

Occupational therapists are becoming certified NF providers, integrating NF into the range of therapeutic modalities offered in practice. For example, Tina Champagne is a certified NF clinician and is working on integrating NF services into mental healthcare services.

For more information on neurofeedback, and existing NF research visit the following websites:

International Society for Neurofeedback and Research: http://isnr.org/aboutisnr.cfm

Zengar Institute: http://zengar.com

EEG Spectrum: http://eegspectrum.com

Reference:

Fisher S. (2007). Neurofeedback, affect regulation and attachment: A case study and analysis of anti-social personality. International Journal of Behavioral Consultation and Therapy, 3, 109-117.