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“What makes Charisma unique is its fusion of live human connection and dynamic virtual environments,” said Aaron Tate, director of emerging technology at Center for BrainHealth.
Charisma offers coach-led, one-click access to social competency training for youth and young adults – particularly those who are neurodivergent, experiencing emotional dysregulation or facing bullying/isolation. Coaches can track progress and tailor sessions to each learner’s needs, facilitated by the platform’s blend of clinical expertise, gamified environments and real-time assessment tools like the center’s proprietary I-ASSER2T™ framework.“Tight integration between our technical and clinical teams enables us to continuously refine our delivery and evolve Charisma in direct response to user needs,” Tate added. “This recognition affirms the power of our platform to meet youths and young adults where they are through individualized, strategy-based coaching at scale."Charisma is built on insights gleaned from over two decades of brain health science. Nearly 90% of users report improved emotion regulation, and 75% show significant gains in interpreting others’ intentions. To date, the platform has served over 800 youths and young adults through the facilitation of more than 10,000 sessions. With growing demand from schools, behavioral health providers and family-facing organizations, the program is achieving greater scale by training and certifying independent providers to become Charisma Coaches.“”
“Charisma is an innovative virtual coaching program that helps people build social confidence and perspective in a safe, guided environment,” said program lead Maria Johnson, MA, CCC-SLP, director of youth and family innovations. “We are grateful for the GIMI recognition and hope it sparks new collaborations, helping more and more families discover the power of Charisma.”
As a finalist for the GIMI Innovation Awards, Charisma and Center for BrainHealth stand alongside global innovators dedicated to advancing inclusive and effective solutions in the social space. Winners will be announced in October in São Paulo, Brazil.About Center for BrainHealthCenter for BrainHealth®, part of The University of Texas at Dallas, is a translational research institute committed to enhancing, preserving, and restoring brain health across the lifespan. Major research areas include the use of functional and structural neuroimaging techniques to better understand the neurobiology supporting the continual growth of cognition, well-being and social connections in health and disease. This leading-edge scientific exploration is translated quickly into practical innovations to improve how people think, work and live, empowering people of all ages to unlock their brain potential. Translational innovations leverage: 1) the BrainHealth Index, a proprietary measure that uniquely charts one’s upward (or downward) holistic brain health trajectory whatever their starting level; and 2) Strategic Memory Advanced Reasoning Tactics (SMART™) brain training, a strategy-based toolkit developed and tested by BrainHealth researchers and other teams over three decades.
