Tulsa Psychiatric Hospital Prepares Launch Of New Program To Help Children Process Emotions

A psychiatric hospital in Tulsa has launched a new program designed to assist children in understanding their own emotions, health officials say.

Parkside Psychiatric Hospital and Clinic says the new program, called Mighty Makers, is free and is designed to support children's mental health.

The 4-week program is designed for children 5 to 12 years old, and includes family therapy sessions, a technique called "biofeedback technology," as well as the app "Mightier," which helps children learn how to regulate their emotions. 

Parkside therapist Denise Gogolin said the biofeedback technology and app's games help children see when they are becoming stressed, so they can learn to control their feelings before there is a verbal or physical. 

"We've been confronted with unique challenges with children, and because of the biofeedback portion of the program, it's very effective," Gogolin said. "This program serves children with ADHD, Autism, anxiety, aggressiveness, impulsivity."

Gogolin says the biofeedback program was developed at Harvard Medical School and Boston Children's Hospital, and Parkside is glad to be able to offer it to their patients.

The Mighty Makers program will officially launch on Aug. 1, and will be hosted weekly.