Introducing Cognific
Throughout middle school and high school, I suffered from a severe anxiety disorder. Panic attacks, OCD- you name it. Over the course of a five year period, I saw four different therapists. At the end of the therapy sessions, each of them would hand me my mental health homework for the week on a post-it note or on the back of a dusty old OCD book from 1984. I thought to myself, a young and tech-savvy teen, “Well, this isn’t very fun.” In fact, these were very difficult exercises, made even more so by the fact that there was no structure in place for me to actually complete the homework. I felt like I was going into their offices week after week, yet there were so many lost opportunities for improvement throughout the week when we were not together. While I would offer an answer when asked how my week had gone, I always felt that there was still so much left unsaid. Whether I was unable to articulate my thoughts and feelings at the time, or maybe I just was too ashamed to reveal them out loud, I knew there must have been a better way. I wanted to create a way to increase compliance among my peers and really bring mental health to the 21st century. That’s when I created the concept of Cognific.
Cognific offers mental health homework for patients in a format that fits their needs, with added gamification* and rewards to make the path to mental wellness much easier. Providers have the ability to review trends and analytics of the homework, which allows Cognific to close the communication gap between providers and patients.
I am pleased to announce Cognific’s beta test launch at PrairieCare Medical group, where patients in the partial hospitalization program will use the system with their therapists. The study will take place over the course of a year at PrairieCare’s Edina and Maple Grove locations.
*According to Gamification.org: “Gamification is the process of using game mechanics and game thinking to engage users and to solve problems.” Much like Frequent Flyer or Loyalty Programs, gamification makes things more fun for users.
About Solome Tibebu: Solome is the Founder of Cognific, an innovative SaaS-based mental health technology to improve mental health outcomes in patients, manage costs, and increase clinical throughput. She is also the founder of Anxiety In Teens, a mental health resource site for teens she started when she was 16 years old. She is a SAMHSA National Federation of Families for Children’s Mental Health Youth MOVE National Dare to Dream Award Recipient, MACMH Outstanding Service Award recipient, and a NAMI In Our Own Voice Speaker.