Pictured from left are Elizabeth Leighton, Cognitive Enhancement Therapy coach; Wendy Maayan, Cognitive Enhancement Therapy trainer; Lynn Graziano-Shaffer, Cognitive Enhancement Therapy coordinator and coach; and Kolnae Jones, Cognitive Enhancement Therapy coach.

A graduation ceremony was held at Infinity Visual and Performing Arts in Jamestown recently to celebrate the first class to complete cognitive enhancement therapy.

Cognitive enhancement therapy is a practice designed to help people with schizophrenia and related cognitive disorders improve brain and cognitive development, social cognition, and increase vocational capabilities. Cognitive enhancement therapy is often called physical therapy for the brain.

Each cognitive enhancement therapy participant made a commitment to a year-long course and required weekly attendance at a 60-minute computer class, a 90-minute social cognition class, and a 30-minute one on one individual coaching session with their CET coach. Graduates learned about their disabilities on a psychological and social level while completing homework and reviewing their answers in class every week. Each participant was also required to take a turn at being chairperson in the ongoing classes, which strengthened their concentration, focus, and memory.

“CET educates participants on Neuroplasticity, the brain’s ability to reorganize itself by forming new connections throughout life,” said Lynn Graziano-Shaffer, clinical coordinator and cognitive enhancement therapy coach. “With education, training and practice, individuals can increase and improve things like reaction time, working memory, problem solving, and interpersonal and social effectiveness. As we have seen over the course of the last year with our graduates, the brain absolutely has the ability to change in ways that can enrich people’s lives, instilling motivation and hope.”

Staff members from the Chautauqua County Department of Mental Hygiene are now certified to provide cognitive enhancement therapy to the community. Lynn Graziano-Shaffer, clinical coordinator, is the new cognitive enhancement therapy coordinator and a cognitive enhancement therapy coach. Liz Leighton and Kolnae Jones, both senior case workers, were also certified as cognitive enhancement therapy coaches.

Those certified to teach cognitive enhancement therapy are called coaches rather than teachers because they function like coaches on a team. Coaches are trained to motivate cognitive enhancement therapy participants and give assistance in meeting goals participants have set in the program. The goals are set using cognitive enhancement therapy concepts and skills, and the goals are accomplished in everyday life with family and friends and in employment and education environments.

“It is challenging to take on such an intensive program when your plates are already full,” said Wendy Maayan, cognitive enhancement therapy trainer and associate director of the Center for Cognition and Recovery LLC. “CET takes a lot of outside preparation, weekly lectures, agendas, homework review, individual coaching and computer training. Each of these hard working clinicians put in about 500 hours of training in the implementation of CET. You took on the challenge with a smile and a ‘can do’ attitude that will make CET a successful program for years to come in Chautauqua County.”

For more information, visit cetcleveland.org or contact Lynn Graziano-Shaffer, clinical coordinator, at the Chautauqua County Department of Mental Hygiene at 661-8330.