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When an organization finds itself in growth mode, it's important to have a team who understands the vision, supports the mission, and is equally dedicated to the purpose. So, as The FAC started focusing on 2023 growth goals, it became time to expand the team. Therefore, I'm SO excited for you to meet The FAC Advisors! These individuals were selected because they are forward-thinking change-makers who are passionate about positively impacting the allergy community. Each bring a variety of talents and are already making a mark in this community, so it's an honor to have them on The FAC team to offer guidance as we continue to expand! Without further ado, let me introduce you to these amazing individuals! To read more about these advisors, and The FAC's mission, visions, values, and story, visit the About The FAC page. Medical Advisor Alice Hoyt, MD is a food allergist who is focused on whole-patient care, and her allergy practice does just that. At The Hoyt Institute for Food Allergy, patients receive individualized care that includes access to an allergy-informed therapist at each step. In addition to her practice, Dr. Hoyt is the co-host of the Food Allergy and Your Kiddo podcast, and the executive director of Code Ana, an organization with a mission of optimizing safety for all students at school. Healthcare Advisor Olga Kagan, PhD, RN is a registered nurse, researcher, and educator with experiences across different healthcare settings inside and outside of the United States. Dr. Kagan has a passion for developing impactful resources and changes within the allergy community. She has been invited to contribute to textbooks, articles, and presentations in areas of healthcare informatics and innovation, health policy, and anaphylaxis education, receiving several awards for her contributions to research and leadership. Behavioral Healthcare Advisors Paige Freeman, PhD is a psychologist and experienced allergy parent. As a PsyPact-approved psychologist, Dr. Freeman is licensed to provide allergy-focused therapeutic services in 30 states via telehealth - and that number continues to grow! She is passionate about educating food allergic individuals (and their families and friends) about the very real psychosocial stressors of managing food allergies, and as such, is a frequent contributor to FARE. Additionally, Dr. Freeman is one of only a few alpha-gal informed mental health providers in the United States.  Lori Moussapour, MA, LCSW is a therapist, coach, consultant and educator. She has both a Masters Degree in Education and a Master of Social Work, as well as years of advanced training in areas such as Emotional Literacy (Yale University Center for Emotional Intelligence), Emotionally Focused Therapy, and Cognitive and Behavioral Therapies. Through her private practice, To Empower U, she focuses on helping people with the social and emotional burdens of living with food allergies. Lori also serves as an advisor to Equal Eats, whose mission is to support eating out safely, despite dietary restrictions, and she leads a peer consultation group for allergy-informed therapits through the Food Allergy Behavioral Health Network. Business Advisor Javier Evelyn is the Founder & CEO of digital health drug delivery company Alerje, where they create and deliver innovation that transforms the lives of over 220M families worldwide living with food allergies to help make every moment count. In addition to being a founding team member of MedTech Color, he currently sits on the boards of the Accelerate Blue Fund at the University of Michigan, MATTER Health, AdvaMed Accel, and the 'Case for Investment' Advisory Committee at Rock Health. Previously, he was named as an awardee of the inaugural Black Founders Fund by Google for Startups, made the 2019 Crain’s Detroit Business 40 Under 40 list, served as the 2017 Google x CODE2040 Detroit EIR, and served as a Millennial Advisory Board Member at First Independence Bank. Community Advisor Francesca Rose has a Bachelor’s degree in Math and Music, and is a freelance cellist and cello instructor. She has served as President of the Utah Food Allergy Network (UFAN) since May 2021, after having served as board secretary from 2018-2021. Her food allergy advocacy journey began 18 years ago when her youngest daughter was born with a food allergy to all milk proteins. Francesca is an active volunteer in her community and church, and cares deeply about helping the world be a better place for everyone. In addition to advocating for safe inclusivity for those with food allergies, she has advocated for women, families, and children at the United Nations and other venues. She is motivated by the belief that serving others through education and advocacy creates positive change in the world. Now that you've learned more about them, you probably understand the excitement about this amazing team of advisors who are helping to guide the growth and expansion of The FAC. So, please help me welcome them all, and I hope you check out their links to learn more about their work within the allergy community! Remember, support is there if you need it! Don't forget to check out the Food Allergy Counselor Directory, the Exploring Food Allergy Families podcast, the Food Allergy Behavioral Health Resource section, and the allergy-specific therapeutic worksheets. And if you're an allergy-informed therapy provider, then visit the Provider page! Don't be shy - reach out and say hi! I look forward to hearing your thoughts on this post and other FAC content. And don't forget to sign up to receive helpful allergy psychosocial tips and updates via email! Subscribers also get the free "Allergy Anxiety and Overwhelm Mini Guide." 
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When an allergic patient or parent of a child managing an allergy reaches out for therapy, it's important for me to learn how the allergy impacts their lives. Sure, they are reaching out because they feel overwhelmed or anxious about their allergy, but that's just the overall picture. And in order to truly help my patients, I need to get a more detailed picture. I do this by asking patients to complete the appropriate Food Allergy Psychosocial Information Form as part of their intake paperwork. The responses on this form gives me a solid glimpse into their quality of life, which domains are most impacted, and psychosocial themes that may need adjusting. It's a tool that has helped me more effectively meet my patients' needs and ensure they're feeling understood for years now. After sharing these forms during consultation sessions with allergy practices and fellow therapists, it became clear that these tools may be beneficial to others. Therefore, I've decided to offer them to allergy and therapy practitioners, too. Read on to learn more about how they're beneficial to both patients and providers!  The Food Allergy Psychosocial Information Forms are premade AND customizable! That means that you don't have to spend time creating them, and can personalize them with your practice's logo and information. Versions available:
All four forms are available for both, but questions vary slightly between both versions so that they are more tailored to the scope of the practices. What Information Does These Forms Gather: These patient narrative forms allow for detailed responses on themes such as:
Benefits of Using These Forms in Therapy Practices:
Benefits of Using These Forms in Allergy Practices:
Suggestions/Tips For Use:
Narrative Versus Validated Patient Forms? It's like comparing apples and oranges - both are fruit, but different kinds. Both narrative and validated forms gather valuable patient information, but in different manners. Validated assessments, such as the Survey of Food Allergy Anxiety (SOFAA), typically assess functioning and impacts that helps drive diagnosis and treatment decisions. Patient narrative forms, such as these Food Allergy Psychosocial Information Forms, primarily gather information to aid in understanding the whole patient. While they may also be used to help determine treatment decisions, their primary purpose is gathering information that helps to facilitate conversations and problem-solve with patients. [The images above show the Parent/Caregiver - Therapy Practice version] Visit the "Worksheets" page to check out and learn more about these Food Allergy Psychosocial Information Forms, and don't hesitate to reach out with questions! Special introductory pricing is available through March 31, 2022, and there will always be a discount for purchasing the package, which includes all 4 forms. Direct URL to the Worksheets page: www.FoodAllergyAnxiety.com Have you subscribed to FAC's monthly e-newsletter yet? If not, here's what you're missing out on - and what to expect (and NOT expect) from this monthly newsletter! In addition to the newsletter section listed below, this monthly newsletter will share any important news related to navigating the social and emotional aspects of life with allergies, including new upcoming projects by creator and licensed therapist, Tamara Hubbard, LCPC. So be sure you're subscribed so you don't miss anything! First, here's what NOT to expect from the monthly FAC e-newsletter!
Now, here's what you CAN expect from the monthly FAC e-newsletter.... Allergy-Related Social or Emotional TipsEach month, the FAC newsletter will include guidance and tips to help navigate various aspects of life with food allergies.
Exploring Food Allergy Families Podcast NewsIn case you've missed any episodes, this monthly newsletter will share recent Exploring Food Allergy Families podcast episodes, or information about future episodes or past ones. On that note, stay tuned for a series of brief episodes focused on specific therapeutic tips to help navigate allergy life, and hopefully a surprise guest or two! [Don't forget to subscribe via your favorite podcast app, such as Apple Podcasts, iHeartRadio, or Spotify!] Food Allergy Counselor Directory UpdatesStay aware of new allergy-informed behavioral healthcare provider listings in case new ones are listed in your state! Additionally, FAC Directory listings are growing in other countries, such as Canada, Australia and hopefully European countries soon, too! Food Allergy Therapeutic Worksheet UpdatesAs new allergy-specific therapeutic worksheets are created, they'll be spotlighted here. Lots of new ideas planned to help the allergy community and allergists process various aspects of life with allergies, so check back frequently! Non-FAC Resources To Check OutListed here each month are non-Food Allergy Counselor resources that may be helpful. These will primarily be resources focused on helping with social and emotional aspects of allergy life, but may also include amazing general allergy resources to know about. Podcast, books, apps, articles, webinars....there will be a little of everything! Food Allery Psychosocial ResearchThis section of the newsletter will keep you updated on the latest research and studies focused on the psychological, social and emotional aspects of life with food allergies. And these research studies WILL lead to changes in patient care! Helpful Info For Clinical Behavioral Health ProvidersThe Food Allergy Counselor Directory & website isn't just helpful for the allergy community and allergists, but it's also helpful for other allied healthcare providers such as licensed therapists, psychologists, social workers and family therapists. This section highlights helpful information or resources for those supporting the allergy community! As always, I welcome feedback from the allergy community and website visitors! Don't hesitate to reach out via the contact form to make suggestions or let me know what you think of the FAC website (or how it's helped you or your patients). Thank you for the continued support!  |
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