Gheorg's 2022 Reflection: Year in Review & 6,000+ Downloads!
Another big year for Gheorg. But we’ve got even bigger goals to achieve in 2023!
Just like we talk about on the Hope Ninja Parents Podcast, we try to have gratitude for everything we’ve been able to achieve, and we cultivate hope for an even better future.
Here at Gheorg, we’ve taken time to look back on all the things we achieved in 2022 and since Gheorg launched on the app stores in Sept 2020.
Right now, we know a lot of people are really exhausted. Since 2020, we’ve had severe bushfires, a global pandemic and war to cope with on top of our everyday challenges.
We encourage you all to pause, celebrate yourself then look back on and appreciate all the things that have brought you here.
We also hope you have a great holiday season and enjoy yourselves!
A huge thank you to all the Gheorg advisors, supporters, community members, dedicated families, passionate parents, psychologists, health professionals, school teachers and other educators working with us to support kids to build mental wellbeing.
Below we’ve included a summary of everything Gheorg has been up to in 2022 including:
Launching our WA Pilot Connect Psychologists & Families to Support Kids
Launching Season One Gheorg Hope Ninja Parents Podcast
TV, Podcasts & Speaking Spots
Info Series about Six Common Types of Anxiety in Kids
Calming Calendar Countdown
Gheorg hit a major milestone in 2022! We’re excited to share more in 2023 about how Gheorg has supported thousands of families around the world.
Gheorg has been downloaded +6,000 times!
A note from Gheorg Founder & Psychologist Dr Louise Metcalf
"It's been another phenomenal year for Gheorg, now looking after almost 7000 families around the world!
The Christmas period won't be a slow one for us either as we are running a seven clinic pilot in Western Australia helping families and psychologists connect better together to speed up therapy progress for kids and give psychologists more time to see more kids too!
Gheorg is driving very real positive change in how children access and grow in mental health around the world.
We have even bigger plans for 2023!
Thank you deeply to everyone who has supported us this year, you are making a big difference for kids around the world."
Launching our WA Pilot Connect Psychologists & Families to Support Kids
Ever since Dr Louise created Gheorg, she wanted to support kids with anxiety and she wanted to empower the kids’ support network. In 2022, we kicked off a pilot with psychologists, pediatricians and families in Western Australia.
Gheorg was awarded $50,000 in funding from the WA Government to help improve mental health outcomes for kids in remote areas. This new funding has helped our team work towards bridging the gap between anxious kids who need help and their mental health professionals allowing them to connect. Gheorg will also be translated into new languages.
The pilot is currently underway and we’re learning insights into how we can provide better support to kids at home - and how to better support their loved ones. Families, educators and mental health professionals all play a role in supporting children and we’re looking forward to sharing more insights on how Gheorg is going to help them.
In the lead up to the pilot, the Gheorg team were so excited to co-hosted a continuing professional development (CDP) event alongside the the APPI
The event: Engaging Families: A Better Journey to Anxiety Diagnosis for Children with Gheorg featured leading health professionals Rachel Tomlinson (psychologist) and Andrew Leech (GP) who took us through their professional perspectives on how to Engage Parents better in this journey, so we can all support children with anxiety.
Learn more about the WA Government funding project here.
Support the project by completing either the Mental Health Treaters Survey or the Family Survey.
Launching Season One Gheorg Hope Ninja Parents Podcast
We published 6 episodes of the Gheorg’s Hope Ninja Parents podcast which you can watch on Youtube.
Gheorg’s Hope Ninja Parents podcast aims to break down common mental health issues like anxiety, overwhelm, mindfulness, and wellbeing. The conversation answers important mental health questions from a psychological, parental and mindset perspective with the goal of helping parents and kids deal with the ups and downs of life.
All Gheorg Hope Ninja Parents Podcast
Gheorg Hope Ninja Parents Podcast Episodes:
Episode 1: Intro to Mental Health & Anxiety in Kids (published 2021)
Episode 2: Transitioning out of Lockdown (published in Nov 2021 with useful parenting tips for when going through major changes.
TV, Podcasts & Speaking Spots
Startup Daily & WA Government Funding
Our founder Dr Louise Metcalf had her first TV appearance! Dr Louise appeared on Startup Daily TV where she spoke with host Simon Thomsen. Dr Louise shared insights on how school kids in WA are experiencing anxiety and the Government funding Gheorg received to help better connect kids with their psychologists.
Child & Adolescent Conference 2023
We’ve looking forward to March 2023 where Dr Louise is presenting at the Child & Adolescent Conference on the Gold Coast showcasing how Gheorg has supported kids through technology. The presentation is titled: Return of the Friendly, Neighbourhood Psychologist: Community Connected, Family Centred Mental Health Care Using GHEORG. Read the presentation abstract here.
Talking HealthTech Episode 203: Advice for Introverted Tech Founders
Dr Louise was featured on the Talking HealthTech podcast twice - once over the 21-22 summer where Dr Louise shared more about her career journey and advice for introverted founders. Michelle from Talking HealthTech interviews Dr Louise about her progression of doing psychology, then entering the technology space and becoming a tech founder. Additionally, Louise shares an interesting story about how the name Gheorg came to be and what it has to do with a robot vacuum cleaner.
Listen to the Talking HealthTech podcast
Talking HealthTech Episode 313: Technology Helping Kids Deal with Anxiety
In this episode, Talking HealthTech founder Pete Birch and Dr Louise talk about cyber security and digital health, regulation and digital therapeutics, rising mental health issues in kids and so much more.
Listen to the Talking HealthTech podcast
Info Series about Common Types of Anxiety in Kids
At Gheorg, we aim to create content that supports parents, educators and psychologists who support kids with anxiety. This year, we published a six part series showcasing the six most common types of anxiety, their symptoms, how the disorders are triggered, how to get a diagnosis and possible treatments for each type of anxiety.
Learn more about the six most common types of anxiety here:
Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD) - worry excessively about everyday events such as school, family, friends, and health issues.
Social Anxiety Disorder - fear of being in social situations, making new friends, interacting with others or being judged
Selective Mutism - being unable to talk in specific social situations
Separation Anxiety Disorder - severe worries and anxiety about being away from home or family.
Specific Phobias - a persistent and overpowering fear of one or more specific things or situations.
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) - is a mental disorder characterised by persistent thoughts, urges, or behaviours that cause distress or interfere with normal functioning
We also put together a guide for how to recognise signs of anxiety in kids. Our founder put together a list of signs to lookout for including physical signs of anxiety, routine disruptions, mood changes, certain behaviours, fidgeting and other signs around schooling.
Calming Countdown Calendar
In honour of the holidays, we created a Calming Christmas Countdown Calendar
Use Gheorg's daily tips to build confidence, create calm and feel good during the festive season.
You can complete the tasks on any day and the first Task for Dec 1st:
👃 Take 5 deep breaths!
If you can, stop what you're doing right now and encourage your kids to take five deep breaths with you.
You'll be surprised by how much deep breathing can help you feel calm!
Know a child with anxiety?
We know there are many kids and families around the world experiencing anxiety now. We hope Gheorg can be a resource to help alleviate that stress, to learn how to manage emotions, and how to build resilience and hope for the future.