OUR HEALTH Best Bedside Manner Awards

Congratulations to all health care providers who have been recognized in the annual OUR HEALTH Magazine, Bedside Manner Awards!! Over 33,000 votes were tabulated in determining this years award winners.

For the third consecutive year, Psychological Health’s J. Steve Strosnider, LPC is the winner for the Roanoke Valley in the area of Psychology.

Emily DeFrance,Ph.D. of the PHR Child Unit was recognized with a second place award. Receiving Honorable Mention are Psychological Health Roanoke Clinicians, Alison Allsbrook, LCSW, Lola Byrd Psy.D., John Heil ,DA. Sam Rogers, PhD, and Cathy Taylor, Psy.D .

OUR HEALTH Magazine- www.ourhealthvirginia.com

Obsessive Compulsive Support Group

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (often referred to as OCD) is a condition in which an intrusive thought causes anxiety. In response, the individual is compelled to think some other thought or take some action that neutralizes the anxiety caused by the intrusive thought. The OCD sufferer often feels trapped in a vicious cycle that ends up making them even more anxious. The classic example of OCD is an obsession with germs and dirt, or the compulsion to wash. Other forms include Checking, Counting, Repeating, Neatness and Hoarding.
On the second Thursday of each month from 600pm to 730pm, Dr. Sam Rogers meets with the Support Group at Psychological Health Roanoke, at 2727 Electric Road, Roanoke (La Premier Office building) -- talking about what OCD is, how it affects your life, and what you can do about it. This group is open at no charge to any one who thinks they may have OCD. Friends and family members are also welcome.

For more information about the Support Group call: 540-772-5140.

To learn more about OCD you can visit the following the web sites: Obsessive Compulsive Foundation (http://www.ocfoundation.org/) or the Anxiety Disorders Foundation of America (http://www.adaa.org/).

Remembering Michael Jackson

Following the untimiely death of Michael Jackson, Sam Rogers spoke with Joy Sutton of WDBJ-7. He offers insighs on the out-pouring of grief across the world at the passing of this iconic musicical artist.
People connect with artists because they express ideas and emotions that we all experience and struggle with. That is the essence of art. That is the reason art is important. This may be especially true for musicians and singers. The music that Michael Jackson produced helped millions of fans to experience and, at some level understand their own emotions. Most of us, if we hear the music of our adolescence, will remember with nostalgia or pain the emotions of that period of our lives. When an artist dies, especially if it is sudden and unexpected, it will touch us, and we will experience a sense of grief and loss. Without the tension of day to day associations, we place our idols on a pedestal. They seem greater than they are. Although we only knew that artist through his or her medium (music in this case), we are moved. The more that artist touched us, the more that artist expressed our own emotions, the stronger that loss will be. Although Michael Jackson had a somewhat uneven life, his music touched the hearts of many, and they grieve his passing..
The interview appears on the WDBJ-7 web site. (www.wdbj7.com) in the "Local Health" section under the title, "Why do the death of celebrities move us to tears?"