Today, Glimmer announced its guided therapy platform to connect patients with a higher standard of mental health care. After 10 years taking a gaming startup to IPO, founder Menashe Kestenbaum is applying similar gamification principles to the management of mental health care using technology, data, and a holistic treatment approach in order to improve the experience and quality of therapy in a measurable way.
TORONTO, Aug. 15, 2023 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Today, Glimmer announced its guided therapy platform to connect patients with a higher standard of mental health care. After 10 years taking a gaming startup to IPO, founder Menashe Kestenbaum is applying similar gamification principles to the management of mental health care using technology, data, and a holistic treatment approach in order to improve the experience and quality of therapy in a measurable way.
"In my time working in the video game industry, I didn't have to look far to see that mental health challenges were being battled all around me," says Menashe Kestenbaum, founder and CEO of Glimmer. "Having seen people dealing silently with their mental health challenges throughout my career, I knew it was a problem, but the true catalyst for what created Glimmer hit me in 2020 during the COVID pandemic. Lying in a hospital bed, connected to a breathing apparatus, after my COVID had developed into severe pneumonia, I made a decision that if I was to survive my battle on that hospital bed, I was going to dedicate my time to a new venture, something bigger than gaming and certainly bigger than me."
Glimmer holds therapy to a higher standard by using data to accurately match therapists with clients based on compatibility and trust. So rather than being a process of trial and error, Glimmer provides personalised and effective treatment from the outset by:
- Smartly matching patients with therapists rather than leaving it to chance.
- Ensuring that each step of the healing journey was measured and progress was meticulously tracked.
- Providing quality assurance for patients and empowering them to make informed decisions about their recovery.
Glimmer's advisors consists of psychologists, therapists and social workers across Canada and the U.S, including:
- Dr. Arjun Nanda, advisor at Glimmer, is a psychiatrist, double board-certified in General and Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. He specializes in working with marginalized individuals and families, and works in settings that serve as a safety net for the community. He is also deeply passionate about spirituality, psychedelics, and leveraging technology to improve quality of life. He attended medical school at St. George's University, completed residency training in General Psychiatry at Case Western Reserve University (Metrohealth Medical Center), and completed a fellowship in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at the University of Southern California, where he served as chief fellow. He has peer-reviewed publications in the domain of perinatal psychiatry, and he has presented at numerous international conferences, focusing on the intersections of mental health and virtual reality, yoga, mindfulness, and consultation-liaison.
- Dr. Aviva Biberfeld, advisor at Glimmer, is a clinical psychologist in practice for over 30 years treating children, adolescents and adults. She has specialties in the areas of developmental trauma and parenting. She has been supervising students and licensed clinicians and educators for over 20 years in a variety of settings and modalities. She is an adjunct professor at Wurzweiler school of Social Work - Sara Shneirer program. Dr. Biberfeld lectures widely to professional and lay audiences on a variety of clinical subjects as well as giving lectures on subjects related to Judaism. Dr. Biberfeld is a columnist for the Yated, writing for their mental health column, "The Couch". Additionally, Dr. Biberfeld is a supervisor for Torah Umesora's mental health training program for teachers and principals.
- Eliza Fernandes, advisor at Glimmer, has been practicing psychotherapy for over 21 years. Her clinical focus has been on trauma. She has had the incredible opportunity to work with diverse populations: adults with criminal charges, children and adolescents impacted by complex trauma (physical, sexual, exposure to domestic violence, neglect, medical trauma etc), and couples with extensive trauma experiences. She is highly trained in Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) as a certified EMDR Therapist, an Approved EMDRIA Consultant and EMDR continuing education provider. Eliza is also trained in Sensorimotor Psychotherapy, Clinical Hypnosis, Ego State Therapy, Deep Brain Reorienting, Alexander Technique, Neuroptimal (neurofeedback), AlphaStim and is a Certified Safe and Sound Protocol Therapist (a Dr. Stephen Porges intervention to regulate the autonomic system).
- Naomi Levine, MSW, Senior Psychotherapist and Clinical Supervisor at Glimmer, has been practicing as a Toronto-based social worker for over 15 years. She uses the safety of the therapeutic relationship to explore inner conflicts and unhelpful patterns that keep one stuck in distressing cycles of dysregulated mood, behaviour, and relationships. She is trained in trauma-informed approaches, including EMDR. Naomi has practiced in a variety of not-for-profit clinics and in private practice. She also supervises graduate students completing their clinical internships and has been an intersession lecturer at MacMaster University.
For more information, visit https://www.glim.mr/therapeutic-team.
About Glimmer
Glimmer is more than just a company; it's a movement, a revolution in the way we approach mental health care. We stand by the conviction that every individual deserves the chance to seek help, to be supported, and to heal. Together, we can create a world where mental health is a priority, where the stigma dissipates, and where hope and healing reign supreme.
Media Contact
Amy Jackson, TaleSplash for Glimmer, 1 4156092435, [email protected], https://www.glim.mr/
SOURCE Glimmer
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