Sharon L. Stager, D.N.P.
Sharon L. Stager, D.N.P.
Associate Professor | Nursing
Dr. Sharon Stager is the Program Director of the Graduate Nursing Program, and a practicing Family Nurse Practitioner at Wellcare, Inc. providing primary care and women’s health. Dr. Stager has been a nurse for 29 years, and began her career as a nurse at Duke University in medical oncology. She received her Master's in Nursing from Duke University in 1996 and began practicing as a Family Nurse Practitioner immediately. Her Doctor of Nursing Practice was achieved in 2013 from University of Colorado Colorado Springs. Dr. Stager provides lifestyle coaching and encourages prevention management utilizing motivational interviewing and neutraceutical management as an entrepreneur with her business, In Search for Health, providing outreach to many beyond her management of care.
Featured Fall 2021
Mindful BALANCE (Breathe Act Learn About 'Now' Care Everyday)
A pilot project for depressed female adolescents
Sharon L. Stager
Problem: Major depressive episodes in adolescent females have increased during the past decade, placing them at risk to engage in unhealthy lifestyle behaviors, unsafe thoughts, suicidal ideation, and lethal actions. Mindfulness, a tool for stress management, is underutilized.
Methods: Mindful BALANCE (Breathe Act Learn About ‘Now’ Care Everyday), a group therapy pilot program introduced a variety of mindfulness activities. The extended mindfulness followed the Creating Opportunities for Personal Empowerment (COPE), a Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Skills Building (CBSB) Healthy Lifestyle program. The pilot program was offered in an outpatient mental health department for 7 weeks.
Findings: Mindful BALANCE is a feasible program as an adjunct to individualized psychotherapy. Six subjects engaged without absence with a completion rate of 83%. Six subjects had pre‐ and post‐scores for depression and anxiety decrease. Mindfulness practice was reported to decrease the perception of stress.
Conclusion: Mindful BALANCE decreased perceived depression and anxiety symptoms while positively impacting healthy activities in adolescent females. Further research is necessary to readdress feasibility and extended mindfulness components in improving global well‐being and diminishing suicide risk.
Citation
Waldman Rich, B. & Stager, S. (2021). Mindful BALANCE (breathe act learn about ‘now’ care everyday): A pilot project for depressed female adolescents. Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Nursing, 34(2), 125-132.
Access
Abstract Only: DOI 10.1111/jcap.12308
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