Loma Linda University Behavioral Medicine
Center news
January 29, 1998
- Behavioral Medicine Center offers four-legged friends for therapy
- Recovering gambler helps others and himself at Behavioral Medicine Center
Behavioral Medicine Center offers four-legged friends for therapy
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| Lovable and cuddly "therapist" Batty, poses with his owner and director of the pet therapy program at BMC, Elaine Coyazo, CTRS, adjunctive therapy manager. |
Is this unusual and out of the ordinary? Not at the Loma Linda University Behavioral Medicine Center (BMC). For three years now, the BMC has been running a successful pet therapy program. This is not a program for depressed critters, but rather a chance for patients who are otherwise unresponsive to their caregivers and other treatments to benefit from the therapeutic and healing power of animals.
According to Elaine Coyazo, CTRS, adjunctive therapy manager at the BMC and the owner of Batty, this particular dog is "so trusting, that patients immediately respond to that, favorably."
Ms. Coyazo recalls a patient on the adolescent unit who was previously unresponsive to anyone. She was very isolated and angry and wouldn't talk or bond with her caregivers or anyone else. Her therapist and Ms. Coyazo got together and brought Batty in to see her for a little one-on-one therapy.
The girl immediately got on the floor and started playing with Batty and as she was doing so, began to talk about her own pets at home. It was enough to get her to open to her therapist which previously had been almost impossible.
Prior to joining the staff at the BMC, Ms. Coyazo used to work at Patton State Hospital where a similar pet therapy program was run. After coming to the BMC she worked tirelessly to get the program started here. Batty was just one year old when she brought him in to the hospital as a therapeutic albeit furry, care-giver.
The response to this program has been very positive. Some of the benefits of pet therapy include improved patient and staff morale, improved tactile and environmental stimulation, encouragement of relaxation and de-emphasis of pain. Pet therapy provides positive interactions with animals as patients receive unconditional love and learn nurturing skills.
Pet therapy promises to become a more prominent program at the BMC. There are hopes that in-house animals will soon be acquired so that patients can have the opportunity to interact with them more frequently. There are currently two dogs in the program; a lovable black labrador belonging to Christina Bivona-Tellez, RNC, MPH, director of nursing and psychiatric services, and of course, Batty.
If you have a pet who has a favorable personality and you think he or she would work really well in this type of program, consider getting involved. According to Ms. Coyazo, there are applications available at the BMC. From there the animal will be cleared medically and put on a trial run with staff and patients to make sure the animal responds well to the hospital environment.
Recovering gambler helps others and himself at Behavioral Medicine Center
Kevin Colgen is a recovering overeater, alcoholic, and compulsive gambler. As a patient of the Behavioral Medicine Center (BMC), one would think that he spends all his time in treatment. He does spend a significant amount of his time there, but he also devotes the rest of it to helping recovering addicts like himself.
Mr. Colgen leads out in the Gambler's Anonymous meetings that meet every Tuesday night from 7:30 to 9:00 p.m. The group has been meeting at the BMC for two weeks. Previous to that the meetings were held at Loma Linda University Community Medical Center.
Gambler's Anonymous began in 1957, the result of a chance meeting of two addicts who decided that the only way to beat their problem was to change their lives. The first organized Gambler's Anonymous meeting took place on September 13, 1957, in Los Angeles. Since then, the group expanded nationally and is a vital component of treatment for compulsive gamblers who want to put an end to their addictions.
Mr. Colgen has been a compulsive gambler for 23 years. He graduated from high school and at the age of 18 went to work on a fishing boat. In time, he made friends with those on his boat and then became a part of their social activities, which included gambling.
At first, he watched from the sidelines as his new friends played poker. He watched with keen interest the way those who were scoring big seemed to garner praise and adoration for their apparent "skills." He loved the way attention was showered on those who knew how to play the game and make it pay off for them. As these people got to know him better, they invited him to play also. Soon, he felt like "Mr. Bigshot," with people giving him attention and cheering him on for his apparent finesse at playing the game.
It was also during that time that he became addicted to alcohol. With new friends and a new crowd to hang out with, a new lifestyle was also part of the package. From there it was one job after the other, always accompanied by bouts of gambling. He lived "paycheck to paycheck" gambling most or all of it away.
As a resident of Hemet, the casinos of local Indian Reservations beckoned and his habit found a new feeding ground. As Mr. Colgen puts it, "I lied, cheated and stole (from family and friends) to support my habit."
Finally after years of living a life which was self-destructive, he hit rock bottom and sought help. His experience with Gambler's Anonymous was difficult to say the least. Mr. Colgen recalls feeling uncomfortable talking to complete strangers about his problems. "I just didn't fit in. It took me six or seven sessions before it felt right" he says.
At the time this article was written, Mr. Colgen had not gambled for 242 days! He credits the warm, accepting atmosphere of his Gambler's Anonymous group with being central to his success. He says that the group just welcomed him in and even when he had a small relapse, they didn't judge him or criticize him, but instead took him back with open arms, no questions asked.
He became involved with leading out the Gambler's Anonymous group meetings at the BMC as a result of attending the meetings at the Community Medical Center. "I talked to Art Earll [BMC chaplain] about getting one started at the BMC, and we worked at making the request official and then submitted it." Now the meetings are located at the BMC which makes it very convenient for members already in treatment at the BMC to be able to participate.
Mr. Colgen continues to help out the BMC community through his tireless work with the Gambler's Anonymous group as it not only helps others working to overcome their destructive addictions but also helps himself.
For those who may have problems with gambling or any other addiction, Mr. Colgen strongly encourages them to seek treatment and give groups such as Gambler's Anonymous a try. For further information, contact the BMC at (909) 793-9333.
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