The Cupertino Courier

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Soothing solutions offered at Kaiser's wellness center

By MICHELLE MAGHRIBI

Got stress? Kaiser Permanente's new Mind-Body Wellness Center in Cupertino may be the solution for those residents and patients seeking to balance emotional and mental well-being.

The center is the first of its kind in Northern California, offering approximately 13 classes and resources on topics that include couples communication, aging, anger and stress management, anxiety and mind-body fertility.

The wellness center, located at Tantau and Homestead roads, also brings Kaiser Permanente back to the town that provided the name Permanente--from Permanente Creek in Monta Vista.

"All of the classes are based upon cognitive restructuring, which includes relaxation components and self-care," said Mimi Weiss, a behavioral health education manager for the center. "People have an opportunity to educate themselves on the way the mind works and how they think about things."

Jackie Talia, who has been an instructor with Kaiser for more than three years, teaches classes that include assertiveness, sleep, relationship skills, anger management and communication for couples.

Talia, taught assertiveness for a major corporation for more than 20 years. She said she has witnessed first-hand the impact her classes can have on her students.

"I was teaching a 'Sleep Better' class, and a woman came to me and said that the skills she had learned changed her entire life," Talia said. "It wasn't that she slept that much better, but that her attitude shift toward life was so significant."

Linda Espanol, a Kaiser patient and Talia's student, recently completed a six-week assertiveness class, and said she initially took the class to help her in both her professional and personal life.

"The techniques you learn through this class resonate," Espanol said. "There are tools you can apply in every walk of life, and it is empowering."

Another class, the Mind-Body Fertility Program, boasts a 41 percent success ratio, with participants reporting pregnancies within six months of completing the program.

According to the program's brochure, 70 percent of those who attended the program have reported sharp reductions in overall psychological distress, including anxiety, depression and hostility.

Part of the center's uniqueness is that non-Kaiser members can purchase materials from a wellness shop and participate in the classes for a non-member fee.

"Some of the classes are covered benefits for Kaiser subscribers," Weiss said. "But even with the additional fee for non-subscribers, it still works out to a very reasonable fee for these types of classes, which can run as low as $95 for an eight-week class."

Weiss said she designed the center with the idea of getting away from a clinical atmosphere.

She created a relaxing environment for reading and previewing videos--complete with overstuffed chairs, a water fountain and soft music playing in the background. There is also a library of more than 700 related titles ranging from behavioral healing to financial wellness. The library is available free to Kaiser subscribers.

Several of the programs are based upon concepts taught by the Mind and Body Institute at Harvard University.

The center is on the first floor of Kaiser's psychiatric facility and is geared toward treating those with mild to moderate symptoms.

While the facility's official grand opening was April 1, classes have been conducted at the center since last October and are offered at four locations in the South Bay: Cupertino, Fremont, Mountain View and Campbell.

For more information, contact the Mind-Body Wellness Center at 408.366.4284 or visit www.kaisersantaclara.org/members/mbw.html.