Dr. Roger Gould, the creator of MASTERINGFood, is commonly recognized as a pioneer and expert in the field of adult development.
He started his academic psychiatric career as the head of the outpatient and community psychiatry department at UCLA. It was there that his lifelong work on adult development began. During his residency at UCLA, Dr. Gould began to develop and refine his "Life-Cycle Perspective" of adult development.
In the mid-eighties, when computers were becoming affordable, Dr. Gould saw the opportunity to revolutionize how therapy was delivered. Using his earlier research as a foundation, Dr. Gould developed a unique and effective way to provide therapy via a computer. Initially his programs were only used in conjunction with live therapists, but subsequent studies showed that patients could be helped significantly by the program alone.
The interactive methods Dr. Gould developed have been tested on over 20,000 people in seven different scientific studies. The latest study conducted by UCLA and Kaiser Permanente, the largest non-profit health organization in the country, found that each of Dr. Gould's Guided Sessions are about as effective as traditional in-person therapy.
As the internet began to grow, Dr. Gould saw that it would allow nearly everyone who needed it direct access to affordable therapy. He spent several years updating and optimizing his programs so they could be accessible over the Internet.
During this time, Dr. Gould realized, as more and more of the population struggled with weight problems, a major health crisis was in full swing. He decided to apply his therapeutic approach to the problem at hand and created the MASTERINGFood program.
The MASTERINGFood program is the first and only online weight loss program that explores the reasons why people have not been able to lose weight successfully, and helps them overcome the obstacles they are facing. Since it's introduction, MASTERINGFood has become the premier website on emotional eating and thousands of people have benefited from completing the 12-week program.
Dr. Gould has published many papers and textbook chapters, as well as a book for the general public, "Transformations, Growth and Change in Adult Life." Currently, Dr. Gould is finishing a book on emotional eating. It is scheduled for publication later this year.
