2008 - A Year in Review

How Your TLC Membership Gives back to our Community

If you are a member of TLC, you may know that the membership fees you send in each year contribute to the largest part of TLC's budget, supporting the work TLC does in areas of education and outreach, treatment and recovery, and research. Or, if you are considering joining TLC, you may wonder, what does that mean exactly? Read on to learn what TLC members gave to others, through their annual dues, in 2008:

Education and Outreach:

420,000 website visitors discovered they are not alone, and help is available. Next year, thanks to a generous gift of $75,000 from Mr. and Mrs. Phil and Ginny Schwarz to support better outreach, a half-million more new visitors will find a redesigned website featuring more services, better information, and eventually host a number of interactive message boards and community chat rooms.
2600 people received an emailed response to their email requesting more information, resources or answers to specific questions.
1820 people phoned TLC's office requesting help: for themselves, for their child, or for someone they care about.
Of those who phoned or emailed, 1,200 received free packets of information that included: a list of professional resources near them, an overview of treatment approaches, self-help information specific to their unique situation, and information on TLC.
356 people attended the TLC Conference in Chicago, where they received valuable information, learned new coping skills, and networked with others in their area. (A new Chicago Support Group is a direct result, click here for Support group listings across the country). The experience mobilized parents to get active in their own communities, recruited Professionals to our referral lists, and brought a new level of activity to Chicago.
95 people experienced a TLC retreat. They participated in a unique healing opportunity in the beautiful Santa Cruz Mountains. (And, just like in Chicago, the new DC Area Trich Support Group was launched as a result of the Retreat experience.)
256 people attended a One-Day Workshop in Seattle, Long Beach or Nashville. Of those, we have gained new lifetime members, donors, and volunteers. Networking connections were made, support was found, and the tiny seeds of change were planted.
322 brochures were mailed to schools and cosmetologists across the country by member volunteers during Trichotillomania Awareness Week... Resulting in the addition of 9 trich-friendly salons to our referral lists.
Adding to the total of 30 new Personal Care Provider Members (which includes cosmetologists, estheticians, and retail product suppliers) added to TLC's referral lists in 2008.
TLC provided advice, support services and mailing of announcements for 10 new support groups since the start of this year. Want to start a group? Call us!

Treatment and Recovery

15 Treatment Providers received practical training in current cognitive-behavioral treatment approaches for TTM and Skin Picking at the Professional Training Institute in Chicago.
38 Treatment Providers have joined our ever-growing list of Professional Members. Their information is now available on our website.
Development has begun of an Interactive Training Module, designed to train treatment providers in appropriate and effective Cognitive Behavior Therapy in a virtual environment.
TLC staff and volunteers attended the annual conferences of:
- Association for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (introducing these behaviors to 3,000 Child Psychiatrists)
- Association for Cognitive and Behavioral Therapies (reaching 3,800 Behavior Therapists)
- American School Counselors Association (with over 2,000 school counselors in attendance)
- American Mental Health Counselors Association (distributing literature to 500 attendees)
- Association of School Nurses (educating 2,000 School Nurses about TTM)
At these events, TLC distributed the following brochures:
- 8,000 of About Trichotillomania
- 6,000 of Compulsive Skin Picking: Answers to Frequently Asked Questions
- 3,000 of Clinician's Guide for Treatment in Adults
- 3,000 of Clinician's Guide for Treatment in Adolescents
- 2,500 of A Guide for Educators

Research

TLC's Executive Director attended 2 Alliance for Research meetings in Washington, DC. TLC sat at a table with 25 other esteemed national nonprofit directors and representatives and top staff of the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) to advocate and learn about current research, treatment, and future developments. This means that hair pulling and skin picking are gaining a voice in the national mental health arena.
With the support of the TLC Community, our Scientific Advisory Board (SAB) continues to be enthusiastic and highly productive. This year, the data from the Trichotillomania Impact Project - Child version was selected for journal publication in the near future, and the DSM-V Work Group is receiving input from our experts on updating classification, criteria and nomenclature issues.
The initial phase of Trichotillomania Impact Project (TIP) Validation/Genetic Database Project, piloted by Dr. Nancy Keuthen, Chair of TLC's Scientific Advisory Board, is complete. 2009 will bring the activation of other research sites. Please call 831-457-1004 or email info@trich.org for more information!

Seed Research Grants

TLC has funded 3 Seed Research Grants (Seed in the hopes that these small projects will evolve into much larger programs):

Ívar Snorrason, Masters Student in Psychology
2 Icelandic Studies of Pathological Skin Picking
Dr. Anna Shusterman
The Comprehensive Survey on Trichotillomania
Analysis of a large data set from 1,154 hair pullers
Dr. Matthew White
Proposed Functional MRI Study in Trichotillomania

Dr. Martin Franklin, an esteemed member of TLC's Scientific Advisory Board, received the largest TTM grant to date from NIMH, to study pediatric TTM behavioral treatment outcomes. If you have a child or adolescent with TTM, live within a one-hour drive from Philadelphia, and would be interested in participating, contact Sophia Talbott: talbott@mail.med.upenn.edu, 215-746-3327.

Thank You

The TLC Board of Directors, Scientific Advisory Board and staff are all very proud of the forward momentum that has been maintained throughout the year...and continues to propel us into the future. We cannot thank you enough for your continued support!

Trichotillomania Learning Center

Bringing hope and healing.