Life@Home

As technology changes the way children play, create and communicate, our methods for understanding them must also change.

Life@Home is a powerful new child & family evaluation tool created by psychologist Dr. Steve O'Brien for mental health, social work, healthcare, education, child advocacy, and family law professionals.

Designed to obtain a perception of a child's family life, this innovative tool draws from the idea that children often assign thoughts, feelings, and attributes to other people, animals, and objects. Life@Home’s inviting format facilitates rapport and dialogue, as children intuitively create a sketch of their family life complete with sound and movement.

Working in tandem with an adult, children are invited to create their family members, selecting from a wide range of ages and gender attributes. Next, children bring these characters to life by selecting primary and secondary facial expressions.

Children are then invited to choose pets from a panel of animals, also assigning them unique emotional traits. Once their family is complete, children select an iconic home to serve as a stage on which they can place their family members.

By defining each character’s actions, speech and thoughts, children can comfortably share perceptions of their lives and interactions.

Children can further define their environment by adding weather, music and final comments.

Completed home scenarios are stored in a password protected format for providing information to other professionals, parents, and caretakers, assisting with evaluation, treatment planning, and other needs of the child.

For a complete demonstration of Life@Home please view the video tutorial hosted by Dr. Steve O’Brien on https://psychtouch.com

Specific target audiences for Life@Home include:
• Clinical/Counseling Psychologists (especially those with a child/family focus)
• Marriage and Family Therapists
• Clinical Social Workers/Mental Health Counselors who work with Children and Families
• Developmental Psychologists
• Behavior Specialists/Analysts
• Child Psychiatrists
• Pediatricians
• School Psychologists
• School Social Workers
• Guidance Counselors
• Child Educators
• Child Welfare/Case Workers
• Foster Care/Adoption Employees
• Family Lawyers
• Guardians ad Litem
• Daycare Employees
• Mental Health Training Programs (i.e., Undergraduate/Graduate Professors in Child and Family Mental Health)

TESTIMONIALS:
"I was so impressed with how Life@Home helped me gain a better understanding of my very reserved 9 year-old client after her parents separated. This app is essentially an easy to use, kid-friendly clinical tool... and it really engages kids... especially those who are self-conscious about or disinterested in drawing their family in the traditional manner.” -- Elizabeth Magro, Psy.D., psychologist in private practice and associate professor of psychology.

"Life@Home is fast becoming something I use with kids early in the therapy process. This app has really helped kids in my practice open up more readily about their families, and it's a great rapport builder. They just start talking to me very spontaneously and candidly while using it... even during initial sessions. And parents find the home scenarios quite enlightening." -- Mari Broome, Licensed Clinical Social Worker in private practice.

ABOUT DR. O’BRIEN:
Dr. Steve O'Brien has been assisting children and families in his Tampa Bay practice since 1994. He earned his Psy.D. (doctoral degree in clinical psychology) at Nova Southeastern University with an applied developmental focus, and is an associate professor at the Florida School of Professional Psychology. Dr. O'Brien also serves as a consultant for Bay News 9, Tampa Bay's 24 hour news source.