StopPulling.com

StopPulling.com is an easy to use, on-line behavioral program designed to help individuals manage their trichotillomania (hair pulling disorder).

StopPulling.com is not therapy and is not intended to replace individual behavior therapy. It is an interactive behavioral program that will help you to identify situations associated with your pulling behavior, and will recommend strategies to help you to change those behaviors.

Who Should Subscribe to StopPulling.com?

StopPulling.com is intended for people 12 years and older. The program can be used in conjunction with behavior therapy for people who are already in treatment with a therapist who is familiar with treating trichotillomania. StopPulling.com can be a nice complement to therapy, however, if you are currently in therapy, let your therapist know you are considering subscribing to StopPulling.com so that they can integrate the program successfully into your treatment.

StopPulling.com can also be used by people who do not have access to appropriately trained professionals in their area, e.g., someone who knows how to treat trichotillomania. Because so few professionals are trained specifically to treat trichotillomania, it is oftentimes difficult to find either someone in your area or someone on your insurance panel who is well trained. While StopPulling.com is not therapy, it can provide a useful alternative to a self-help book or to treatment with a professional who is not appropriately trained to treat trichotillomania.

Advantages of an On-Line Program:

• Privacy:
  StopPulling.com allows users the ability to participate in an interactive program to reduce hair pulling, without anyone else having to know that they have trichotillomania.
• Economy:
  StopPulling.com is significantly less expensive than individual therapy and offers a great deal more than a self-help book.
• Expertise:
  StopPulling.com provides individualized feedback designed by several of the top trichotillomania experts in the world.
• Ease of Use:
  StopPulling.com is user friendly and can be accessed many times per day so that a person can benefit from the program each day, instead of having to wait for weekly or bi-weekly appointments.

How is StopPulling.com Used?

StopPulling.com is easy and fun to use, with graphics and icons that will guide you easily through the program. StopPulling.com is designed to take very little time each day (less than 15 minutes), but requires a commitment on a regular basis. As with any worthwhile lifestyle change such as starting to exercise or quitting smoking, you will have to work hard to see results. Working hard means paying attention to your pulling habits and being willing to journal about your pulling behaviors. However, your reward will be feeling in control of your life, increased confidence, and living a healthier life.

StopPulling.com is an interactive self-help approach program for combating trichotillomania that is based upon the expert clinical experience of its developers. The program is broken into 3 modules:

1. Assessment
2. Intervention
3. Maintenance

Time Commitment

StopPulling.com requires about a 7-10 week commitment to complete the first 2 modules. During this time, you will log in and report every urge and episode you have (less than 15 minutes per day on average).

Once you have reached the Maintenance module, you can remain there indefinitely, monitoring your urges and learning about relapse prevention.

The Program

Assessment Module I
The first module will be the largest and most time-consuming portion of the package, guiding you through extensive self-evaluation of your behavior. You will be asked to journal or monitor your hair pulling behavior daily, with increasing amounts of detail each week for up to 3 weeks. Further, you will be asked to journal how many hairs you pull to help you track your progress.

Intervention Module II
During the Intervention module, the program will analyze your unique information from the Assessment Module and suggest helpful interventions or coping strategies for behavior change. You will continue to monitor your behavior on a daily basis, but you will be prompted to use a variety of coping strategies and skills to help you decrease your hair pulling. StopPulling.com will keep track of your progress over time and provide feedback to you about how you are doing with visual graphs and charts. You will set weekly goals and reward yourself for achieving your goals.

Maintenance Module III
The final module is designed to help you avoid relapses and to “maintain” your progress over time. It is intended to be ongoing, depending on how focused you are on maintaining change. You will enter the Maintenance Module when you have reached your hair pulling goals for four consecutive weeks. You will continue to monitor your behavior and set goals for continued maintenance. If relapse does occur, you will be encouraged to return to an earlier portion of the program to revisit these skills.