Photo by Paul S. Amundsen

The Founders of the Treatment Named as Two of Time Magazine’s 50 Most Influential people in Health Care

On Friday, October 12th, the Houston OCD Program and the Peace of Mind Foundation co-hosted an event featuring Drs. Gerd Kvale and Bjarne Hansen. 

Today, October 18, TIME Magazine published the 50 Most Influential People in Health Care for 2018. This list is curated by TIME’s health reporters and editors and recognizes 50 people who changed the state of health care this year, and bear watching for what they do next.  Drs. Gerd Kvale and Bjarne Hansen were elected as two of the 50 people to watch and are likely to transform health care, and the USA journey will begin in Houston in June of 2019.

Since the Bergen 4-day treatment (B4DT) was awarded “Innovation of the Year” by the Norwegian Psychological Science Association in 2015 more than one thousand patients have benefited from the approach, with minimal drop-out from treatment. More than 90% of the patients can expect relevant and significant clinical changes, and long-term follow-up show that 70% are recovered and an additional 10% have clinical gains four years later. Increasingly, patients, families and therapists alike are all requesting access to the B4DT. Now, plans are in place to bring this novel treatment approach to the USA with The Bergen Group partnering with the Houston OCD Program. 

Drs. Kvale and Hansen shared the wealth of impressive findings from their research and how this new model is reinventing how we approach OCD treatment. While Kathrine Mydland-Aas provided a moving personal testimony of her journey through recovery and now living an OCD free life. 

“We both think Houston is a perfect place to launch the B4DT since the infrastructure is there and also a highly competent, caring and dedicated community of therapists who wants to ensure that the patients will have access to treatments that work. The openness and readiness combined with scientific rigor is a perfect starting point. At the moment the international demand is substantial: Results from Iceland are ready, Sweden has started, Finland will start, Brazil has asked for it – so has Germany. Houston is at the moment at the top of our list.” – Dr. Gerd Kvale, Co-Founder B4DT 

The B4DT founders were received with enthusiasm in the Houston community and we are looking forward to continued collaboration to bring this innovative approach to Houston in 2019! 

The Houston OCD Program is dedicated to providing high-quality, evidence-­based treatment for individuals with OCD and other anxiety related disorders. The treatment team specializes in delivering Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy, particularly Exposure and Response Prevention. Our continuum of services includes a residential support program, intensive outpatient program, and individual cognitive-behavioral therapy. 

The Peace of Mind Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization whose mission is to help improve the quality of life of OCD sufferers and caregivers through education, research, support, and advocacy.

For more information about Drs. Gerd Kvale and Bjarne Hansen click here.

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