WELCOME Mindfulness in Schools Improving Well Being and Reducing Stress for Students and Teachers By Sheila Lamb, LCSW Agenda • • • • • • • • Stress and Its Impact on Students and Teachers. What is Mindfulness? Research on Mindfulness. Research on Mindfulness in Schools. Teaching Mindfulness in LAUSD Schools. Mindful Schools Training Program. Mindful Practices. Audience Questions. Mindfulness Exercise Stress Stress Definition –”Internal or external conditions that push the state of an individual away from equilibrium or balance.” Dr. Daniel Siegel Stress Impacts • • • • Stress Markers • • • Physical Emotional Mental Teachers Students Popular Stress Reduction Strategies Well Being Mindfulness Definition: Paying attention to the present moment, on purpose, without judgement. Jon Kabat-Zinn 1994 Mindfulness History • • • • • • • Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction Chronic Pain Medicine/Mental Health Community Programs Corporations Schools How Does Mindfulness Impact Stress and Well Being? What Does the Research Tell Us? Research on Mindfulness Stress Reduction Attentional Stability Emotion Regulation Empathy Development Mindfulness Exercise Research – Programs in Schools • • • • • Improved Classroom Behavior Enhanced Ability to Pay Attention Effective in Reducing Depressive Symptoms/Enhanced Emotional Coping Improved School Climate Improved School Functioning Teaching Mindfulness at Avalon Continuation High School Student-Community Demographics Starting the Program What We Teach Becoming a Mindful School What Students and Teachers Say About Mindfulness Mindful Schools Training Program Modeled after Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction Courses: Mindfulness Fundamentals and Curriculum Training Online or In Person Workshops Highlights Mindful Schools has Taught Over 14,000 Students and 2,500 Adults Research on the Mindful Schools Program Suggests Improvement in Executive Attention and Emotional Regulation References Davidson, R. investigatinghealthyminds.org Greater Good Science Center, greatergood.berkeley.edu Kabat-Zinn, J. (1990). Full Catastrophe Living. New York:Dell Siegel, Dan J. (2007). The Mindful Brain. New York: W.W. Norton and Company Thank You