Americans Don't Take Vacation

OMG...….what is this about? Why do Americans turn away and lose their vacation time? Then, what happens to their quality of life, relationships and self-care as a result? If you are interested in the entire article, this is the link. Wasted Vacation Article. "The U.S. remains the only advanced economy that does not guarantee paid vacation while a statutory minimum is very much the norm everywhere else. In France and Spain for example, workers get at least 25 and 22 paid days off per year respectively. It might then come as a surprise to hear that U.S. workers managed to waste 768 million paid vacation days last year despite their miserable vacation allowance. That's also a 9 percent increase on the amount wasted in 2017."

10 reasons why vacations matter from. TakeYourLifeBack.org                                  Vacations...…...

• relieve stress
• prevent heart disease
• maintain focus
• prevent illness
• improve sex life
• make you happier
• strengthen relationships
• more productive at work
• improve sleep quality
• help you get thinner

Take a look at how to preserve the quality of life, happiness and health. Take vacations, have more fun, relax and create positive memories. 

How to Start, Sell & Run an Employee Assistance Program

Interested in starting an EAP or improving an existing one? Once a year, EAPA offers it's live course "Planning and Implementing a 21st Century EAP from Zero to Go" taught by Marina London, LCSW, CEAP and Michael Klaybor, Ed.D., CEAP. This preconference all day training program will be offered on Tuesday, September 24, in St. Louis MO at the fabulous St. Louis Union Station Hotel. Find out more and register here http://www.eapassn.org/Conferences-Education/EAPA-2019-EAP-Conference-and-EXPO

Why Worry?

Recently, a reprint of the book Why Worry by friend and prolific author, Eric A. Kimmel was recently released. Gayle and I loved this book and read it to our children, then sent it around to friends and because we liked it so much. With major encouragement to Eric from Gayle and me, we pushed Eric to see about getting it back in print. He was successful.This book has an empathetic message to help children with worry and anxiety.  We felt that this book was quite timely to help children understand there are ways to manage their worry, especially during these very stressful times in schools. We highly recommend this book for all parents who have children with anxiety problems, worry or tendencies to be fearful. There is a lot to be learned from Cricket and Grasshopper on having a positive attitude, optimism and trust. In psychotherapy lingo, CBT or Cognitive Behavioral Therapy techniques can be very helpful to children. The message of the book addresses doubt, worry and negativity. Parents can use this children's book as an opportunity to explore and redirect worry in a creative manner. Highlighted at the end of the book are various methods to help with worry. Gayle (mostly) and I put together ideas of re-framing worry with reassurance, re-focusing on a positive adventure, opportunities to role play with your child managing their worry, ideas on  managing conflict, enhancing communication, relaxation strategies, and how to intervene when your child is struggling. In fact, there is even a curriculum developed for teaching to help with expanding the book in creative ways. Just click on the bold links to go to the sites to take a look at what is available to you. 
Why Worry Book Guide Written by Eric A. Kimmel Illustrated by Aiko Ikegmai Guide created by Val Hornburg.
To purchase this book, go to this link. 
Why Worry? Amazon link. 
For this and other amazing and wonderful books by Eric, go to his website. 
Eric Kimmel Website

Alcohol Rehab in Russia--New Trends

Historically, the Russian state's drug treatment technology is referred to as "narcology." It is an outgrowth of old Russian psychiatry. Treatment typically consisted only of a heavily medicalized detoxification or may be followed with a course of antipsychotic medications or barbiturates. Drug or alcohol rehabilitation treatment centers that offer more extensive treatment are likely to use hypnotic techniques to implant the idea in the addict that if they drink or use drugs again,  they will die. According to several reports, "only about a third of Russia's regions have any treatment facilities at all. And the results from treatment facilities, when they do exist, are disappointing. Some reports state that 90 percent of addicts relapse in a year or less. In very few cases do any drug treatment centers attempt to teach an addict how to live a drug-free life."
Now, new clinics are forming to help update treatment methods based on Western Models of Alcohol Rehabilitation utilizing the 12 Step Model of Alcoholics Anonymous. It is time to bring treatment out of the shadows. Help is possible for alcohol and drug addiction. Thanks to Sara Rozin and an international program department at Baylor, I participated as a subject matter expert on addiction, stress management, smoking cessation and more to Russia and trained psychologists, Narcologists, HR departments on how to assess and treat addiction. In addition, we helped develop a wellness program on Sakhalin Island. What an exciting time and wonderful experience. By the way, I have an undergraduate degree in Russian, so this made the experience that much more rewarding. One of my most memorable experiences was walking by this church during a service and standing in wonder and awe as the nuns chanted along with the priests during a series. Sakhalin Russian Orthodox Church

How to Coach Using Skype—A Live Demonstration

Coaching via Skype* is increasing in popularity. Many coaches who have shunned coaching by telephone because of its psychological distance are using Skype as a means of having a more personal relationship while still coaching virtually.

Dr.  Michael Klaybor, an executive coach and professional counselor, will provide an actual demonstration of an online Skype coaching session via the internet. This presentation will demonstrate how to:

•       Set up a Skype account for yourself and your client
•       Get your client comfortable with the technology and the coaching process
•       Adjust basic face-to-face coaching techniques for a Skype session
•       Apply practical hints for a successful session

You will find this to be a very practical session with ample opportunity for asking questions about any aspect of using this technology in your coaching practice.

* Skype is a very popular webconferencing and audioconferencing product, available in free of charge (less features) and fee–paid (more features) versions for both Windows and Mac.

On August 6th, I will be presenting to the International Coach Federation (ICF) . This presentation demonstrates on the use of social media is the future now. 

Elements of Wellness

The World Health Organization (WHO) defines health as, "a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity."
Wellness is a process of making informed choices that will lead one, over a period of time, to a health lifestyle that should result in a sense of wellbeing. Wellness has several components that represent a balance to physical, mental, nutritional, and spiritual components. Some steps to consider to establish and enhance Wellness include:

1. Physical: Re-establishng structural integrity, the foundation of health. This is to allow or improve a free flow of vital energy.
2. Nutritional: Rebalance nutrition. To optimize digestion, replenishing vitamins and minerals will aid assimilation and improve immune system functioning.
3. Sleep: Reprogram the body with regular sleep hygiene, exercise, rest, strength and conditioning.
4. Mental: Strengthen emotional patterns and remove limiting believe systems and negative thinking. 
5. Toxins: Detox from "excessive" alcohol and cigarettes.
6. Life Skills: Social, environmental, financial and occupational care taking. 

As you take time to assess your life balance, happiness, connectedness, you may find that utilizing coaching for wellness to be a great avenue for taking charge of your life by engaging in a holistic approach. Accessing and promoting preventive medical, mental, physical and social balance will in fact, add years and quality to your life.

International SOS Services---iGlobal Pathways Provide Services

Our services range from face-to-face crisis management services, onsite debriefing for mental health emergencies using resources we have established in Houston and Eastern Europe. We also have a great deal of experience utilizing Teletherapy, Internet-based training, and psychological assessment protocols for employees having a wide range of problems. In addition, we can access a global network of providers, who can provide mental health services to employees. Our rapid response team will coordinate with the medical team to quickly assess and/or provide your company with the support it needs - on demand.

iGlobalPathways’ healthcare professionals specialize in support for employee crisis situations and offer emergency psychological services. We believe that emergencies in the workplace not only affect the mental health of an employee, but also may affect the productivity, satisfaction, and safety in the workplace. We offer a crisis response program to help employees cope with traumatic situations, ultimately leading to a more stable and productive work environment.

We specialize in a wide range of scenarios, which include:

•      Death in the workplace
•      Stress management
•      Employee conflict
•      Expatriate assessment or repatriation counseling
•      Emotional and mental health problems
•       Addiction problems
•      Family problems
•      Follow-up services

The iGlobalPathways team will:

1.     Travel to the targeted location to provide face-to-face assessment or treatment.

2.     Provide professional consultation via distance learning technology to medical providers.

3.     Provide treatment and/or referral to appropriate resources in the Houston area.