Comprehensive Health Management
Lifestyle Enhancement Series
Healthy Family Services
Preventitive Medical Care
Picture Quitting

In this Activities Calendar, you will find information about all of the services and classes available to you at no charge in the First Quarter. For additional information concerning eligibility, program offerings, and coverage limitations, call The Wellness Program toll-free at 800-654-WELL (9355).

For Participants who reside outside the Los Angeles area: If you are planning to visit the L.A. area, please take advantage of the wellness services provided. Reserve a space for a seminar, schedule a Comprehensive Physical Exam, or participate in other programs by contacting us at (818) 876-1792.

*Updated 1/12/2010.

Comprehensive Health Management

(New!) Conquering Insomnia Program - Interactive Online Program

Online

Insomnia affects one-third of adults in the U.S. This on-line program uses Cognitive Behavorial Therapy (CBT). CBT has consistently been proven to be the most effective treatment for chronic insomnia. It improves sleep in 75%-80% of insomnia patients and eliminates sleeping pill use in almost half of patients. The Conquering Insomnia program, developed and tested at Harvard Medical School and the University of Massachusetts Center by Dr. Gregg D. Jacobs, is an interactive, PDF (Adobe Reader) based CBT program for insomnia that is designed as if you are a patient going through a five-session CBT treatment program. It is also interactive because you can complete a sleep diary each week of the program, e-mail it, and receive interactive, individualized CBT guidelines based on your sleep diary. The program will be limited to 100 participants.

Diabetes Management: Nutrition and Carbohydrate Counting | Martha Walker

101 Toluca Lake | March 18 & 25 from 7 pm - 9 pm

The purpose of this two-session course is to provide information to patients with diabetes to learn appropriate nutrition management. This class will address carbohydrate counting, meal planning, label reading and managing blood sugar. You will learn specific skills that will help you better manage your diabetes.

Lowering your Cholesterol Program

102 Toluca Lake | February 9, 16 & 23 from 7 pm - 9 pm

103 Woodland Hills | March 9, 16 & 23 from 7 pm - 9 pm

This program will include a cholesterol test at the beginning of the program. You will learn about the risks and problems of cholesterol, and Robyn Goldberg, R.D. will discuss tried and true practices to help you lower your total cholesterol level.

(New!) Weight Management: Head Over Meals | Lee Betchley

104 Toluca Lake | February 17 & 24 from 7 pm - 9 pm

Learn how to be trim, healthy and happy for the rest of your life -- without the gimmicks, hype or struggle. Learn how to transform your thinknig and have the healthy body you deserve! This two-part course will help you discover how to design an achievable weight goal and get it, what's keeping you from losing weight, how to stop negative thinking and behavior and why waiting to be motivated hasn't worked and NEVER will! You will also learn how to train yourself to be disciplined, how other people can possibly be hurting your healthy program and mental exercises that will help you think like only 3% of the healthiest people!

Wellness Program toll free (800) 654-WELL (9355)

Lifestyle Enhancement Series

(New!) Get Fit While You Sit

105 Toluca Lake | March 4 from 7 pm - 9 pm

106 Westside | February 20 from 10 am - 12 noon

If you're like most people, your posture is less than perfect - a little sloughing on the couch, a little hunching over the keyboard, etc. So what's the big deal? Consider this: Perfecting your posture - through a combination of relaxation, strengthening and stretching exercises will make you stand a little taller and help you maintain a youthful and thinner appearance. What's more, you will improve your energy levels, fitness and reduce your injury risk by aligning properly. Poor posture upsets your muscle balance leading to, amoung other things, ankle injuries, lower back pain, bulging and slipped discs, neck and shoulder soreness and headaches. Ready to follow Mom's advice and stand up straight? Attend this seminar and find out simple, but very effective programs that you can use immediately at your desk or at home.

(New!) Anger & the Psychology of Pain: Is Your Mind Making Your Body Sick?

107 Toluca Lake | February 3 & 10 from 7 pm - 9 pm

Join Wendy Wood for a new way to look at the relationship between anger and pain. Discover the ways in which repressed anger can show up in your body. Learn how to decrease your physical pain by recognizing your emotional anger and how to keep daily tabs on your anger and diffuse it before it does bodily damage.

(New!) Stress Management: PROCRASTINATION and How to Beat It | Judie Cotton, MFT

108 Toluca Lake | February 4 & 11 from 7 pm - 9 pm

Procrastination, the habit of putting tasks off to the last possible minute, can be a major problem in both your career and your personal life. Missed opportunities, frenzied work hours, stress, being overwhelmed, resentment, and guilt are just some of the symptoms. This workshop will explore the root causes of procrastination and give you several practical tools to overcome it.

Calming Your Worries, Fear and Anxiety | Candace De Puy, Ph. D.

109 Woodland Hills | March 20 from 9:30 am - 12:30 pm

Worries plague everyone to some degree. There are good reasons to worry about something - we may then take an action to solve a problem (constructive anxiety). But, there are bad reactions to anxiety too - when we replay the past or obsess about something that is out of our control (destructive angst). Learn the difference, and gain hands-on coping techniques to calm your unnecessary worries and fears.

The Craving Conundrum: Stop Being a Slave to Your Cravings!

110 Toluca Lake | March 11 from 7 pm - 9 pm

Struggling with cravings? Using sugar to keep you going throughout the day? Ready to figure out the craving conundrum without deprivation or willpower? Join Jamie Dougherty, Founder of JAMIE/LIVING Health and Lifestyle Counseling, as she gives you the best tips and tricks to conquer your food cravings. Learn why we crave certain things and how to decode your personal cravings. Learn how to find hidden sugar and salt in your food and how to listen to your body when it is shouting for chocolate or chips. Understand what causes those uncontrollable cravings and learn how to reduce them naturally. If you have ever experienced a craving and been confused by how to conquer it, this is the class for you!

SELF-ESTEEM - Boosting Your Emotional and Physical Health

111 Toluca Lake | March 24 from 7 pm - 9 pm

Low self-esteem can negatively affect every part of your life, including your relationships, your job and your health. You can raise your self-esteem even if you're an adult who's been harboring a negative self-image since childhood. Changing the way you think about yourself and your life is essential to boosting self-esteem. Louise-Diana, Ph.D. will provide techniques that are helpful in changing unhealthy thinking and behavior patterns. These techniques are based on the idea that your feelings and behaviors result from how you think about yourself and your life. Learn how to recognize, challenge and ultimately replace negative thoughts or inaccurate beliefs with more positive, realistic ones.

Stress Managment: You Are What You're Thinking... Gain Control of Your Thoughts

112 Toluca Lake | March 24 from 7 pm - 9 pm

What you think most intensely about you have the tendency to experience. It's a difficult time right now and people have fearful thoughts about work, finances and health that are affecting the body. Laurie Seligman M.A. will teach you conscious awareness of the thoughts you are currently choosing so you can make a better choice rather than repeat the same thought patterns over and over. Stop snapping back like a rubber band. When you choose a different thought; you will see, hear, and feel new possibilities.

Clearing Up the Confusion Among Dietary Supplements

113 Bob Hope | February 27 from 10 am - 12 noon

There is a lot of new information in the media about supplements. Do you want to make sure you are taking the right supplements? Don't miss this information workshop by Robyn Goldberg, R.D. on reading the labels of supplements, what to look for, how to understand if they are actually absorbing what the bottle says you are getting, and how to get these vitamin and mineral sources in various foods.

Tools for Stress Management: The Art of Breathing | Colleen Carroll, CYT

114 Toluca Lake | March 3 from 7 pm - 9 pm

Most of us take about 17,000 breaths per day. How many of them are we really conscious of? Simply bringing our attention to the breath is a positive step toward using it as a powerful tool for healing and well-being. Learn to develop effective strategies for using your breath to remain calm during difficult times and dramatically improve your physical and mental health. Join Colleen Carroll, CYT and learn these simple skills that have been found to alleviate headaches, anxiety, asthma, hypertension, and reduce chronic pain.

(Updated!) Bad Habits: Little Nuisance or Big Limitation? | Brannan Smith

115 Toluca Lake | February 2 from 7 pm - 9 pm

116 Woodland Hills | February 23 from 7 pm - 9 pm

The patterns in our lives - our habits - are the building blocks of our character and our quality of life. Have an old habit that's been allowed to hold your happiness hostage for too long? Tired of trash-talking yourself every time you let the old habit win? Ready to do something about it? Come learn why the brain loves patterns and how to change your current habits into ones that actually make you happy. The only requirement to get powerful benefits from this class is that you come having ideas about what kinds of things give you a feeling of joy and fulfillment.

Bones for Life® | Darcia Dexter

118 Toluca Lake | March 2 from 7 pm - 9pm

119 Woodland Hills | March 27 from 10 am - 12 noon

Do you want to improve your bone strength, balance and posture? Through the innovative system of Bones for Life®, your body trains itself for good skeletal alignment with quick and effective moves that make life easier whether it's getting out of the car, going up and down the stairs or standing in line at the grocery store. Bones for Life® was created by Ruth Alon, one of the first students who trained with Dr. Moshe Feldenkrais in the 1960's. Participants of classes have shown increased bone density, higher quality of aging and have discovered some secrets of just plain feeling good! This introductory class is taught by Darcia Dexter who is a certified teacher of Bones for Life® and the Feldenkrais Method®.

Relaxation & Meditation

120 Toluca Lake | March 31 from 7 pm - 9 pm

Learn to release tension and relax your body and mind -- two of the most powerful skills available for decreasing stress. These skills can increase your performance by helping you find greater happiness and balance in your life.

Wellness Program toll free (800) 654-WELL (9355)

Healthy Family Services

Adult CPR Heart Saver Course

121 Toluca Lake | March 8 from 6 pm - 9 pm

122 Woodland Hills | February 18 from 6 pm - 9 pm

This course is designed to teach CPR to those who have a duty to respond to a cardiac emergency because of job responsibilities or regulatory requirements. A two-year certification card is issued to students who complete the skills successfully. The curriculum consists of adult and child CPR, relief of choking and the use of barrier devices. Also included is a discussion about the risk factors leading to heart disease and stroke, prudent heart living, signs and signals for action, and the chain of survival.

CPR for Family and Friends

123 Toluca Lake | February 6 from 9 am - 12:30 pm

This course teaches CPR to parents and members of the community who want to learn CPR, but do not need certification for their job requirement. This program teaches infant/child/adult CPR and how to help a person of any age group who is choking. There is an overview of infant and childhood safety and accident prevention. (Please no children under the age of 12)

Heartsaver First Aid Course

124 Toluca Lake | February 20 from 9 am - 1 pm

This certification program is designed for those who have a responsibility to manage illness while waiting for professional help to arrive. Excellent for parents, coaches, and worksite first aid responders. Course content covers First Aid general principles, medical emergencies, injury emergencies and environmental emergencies.

(New!) Is He/She a Normal Child or Does He/She Have ADHD?

125 Toluca Lake | March 9 & 16 from 7pm - 9pm

If you have a child you think may have ADHD, this is the seminar for you. Three to five percent of children globally are diagnosed with ADHD before the age of 7. Come learn the criteria and symptoms used to diagnose this disorder as well as who can and can't diagnose it. By learning the criteria, you, as a parent, will know whether or not to go to the next step of diagnosis. You will learn about the different types of ADHD and the management of each type including behavior modifications, lifestyle changes, counseling and possibly medication. You will also learn about the education rights of children with ADHD including the Individual Education Plans (IEP) versus 504 plans. Learn about accommodations and modifications that can be made in the home to make the home a happier place for everyone. These can also be made in the classroom to assist the child with their attention and activity levels so that they get the most out of their education.

Wellness Program toll free (800) 654-WELL (9355)

Preventitive Medical Care

Comprehensive Physical Exams

Your health is your most important asset! Through The Wellness Program, you can see a primary care physician for a Comprehensive Physical Examination. The physician will conduct a health history and physical, as well as a series of screening tests. If additional tests or treatments are recommended, you may be covered under your health plan. This valuable benefit is available at MPTF Health Centers only. Simply call one of the Motion Picture & Television Fund Health Centers to schedule an appointment. This service is available to participants and eligible dependents 13 years of age and older (one exam per individual per calendar year). As of August 1, 2009, there will be a $5.00 co-pay at MPTF Health Centers. If you reside outside of Los Angeles County, you may go to the physician of your choice. This benefit will cover annual comprehensive physical examination costs, up to an annual maximum of $300 covered by your health plan.

Health Clubs & Classes Discount Program

Discounts are available at various health clubs, fitness, and yoga studios throughout the greater Los Angeles area for MPIPHP Participants and dependents. To obtain a listing of participating clubs and a discount voucher, please contact The Wellness Program.

Self-care Guides

The Healthy Life Self Care Guide: Take Charge of Your Health has 96 pages of information, self-guided questions, and answers to help you know when to access medical care and how to better manage your health. Healthy Life will save you time and money on health care. In addition, “Mental Fitness” and “Children’s Self-Care” guides are also available. Request your free copy by calling The Wellness Program.

Wellness Program toll free (800) 654-WELL (9355)

Picture Quitting

Picture Quitting offers approximately six weeks of individual, group or telephone counseling, plus follow-up phone calls for up to one year. All counseling sessions are free. The first couple of visits with Picture Quitting prepare you to quit smoking. You and your counselor will choose a "Quit Day," so don't feel that you have to walk in on day one and quit.

Picture Quitting (818) 526-7644 or talk with your MPTF physician.