Want to stop smoking for good? UB’s QUIT Program can help

BUFFALO, N.Y. – The University at Buffalo’s QUIT Program offers smokers – especially heavy smokers – a proven way to kick the habit and stay off cigarettes permanently.

Using three-week treatment programs that involve a combination of group therapy and nicotine replacement treatment, the QUIT Program, which is affiliated with UB’s Psychology Department, is based on the most up-to-date research.

“Our combination of group therapy and medication has been proven to result in the highest likelihood of staying quit,” says Lisa Germeroth, the creator and primary clinician of the QUIT Program, who has treated smokers through the program for two semesters.

Germeroth and all other QUIT Program clinicians are advanced clinical psychology students who have earned their master’s degrees and are working toward earning their PhDs.

The group therapy sessions take place from 6 to 7:30 p.m. on Mondays and Wednesdays, and the Friday of Week Two.

Sessions will run in October, November and December and begin the first full week of each month. The October session begins on Monday, Oct. 7 and the registration deadline is Sept. 30.

For registration and information, call the UB Psychological Services Center at 716-645-3697. The program fee is $65.

The program is open to anyone 18 years or older. While it is geared toward heavier smokers (10 or more cigarettes smoked per day), the program also has been successful in helping lighter smokers quit.

 “If you are interested in quitting smoking and would like to see if you are eligible for our program, please call the Psychological Services Center,” says Germeroth. “Remember, it is never too early or too late to quit smoking.”