ALL-DAY WORKSHOP 1

Ways and Means of Teaching Mindfulness in Schools: Lessons Learned From the .b Program, Katherine Weare, Emeritus Professor, Universities of Exeter and Southampton

The workshop will share the learning that has come from developing, evaluating and disseminating the UK .b mindfulness in school project which is a series of 9 lessons designed to introduce young people to mindfulness.  It will be a very practical workshop, with .b used as an example to trigger the group’s discussion of general issues that arise with any attempt at developing mindfulness in schools. The group should take away from it useful learning from it for their own contexts. Some issues to be covered include:

• Developing a mindfulness in schools course: origins, writing process, building a core team, working with practising teachers to improve the course. 
• Developing appropriate course content for an introduction to mindfulness: examples of lessons.
• Teaching methodologies that make mindfulness courses effective and appealing to young people e.g. simplicity, practicality, ‘staying in your bubble’, ‘strong silence’, immediacy, ‘edginess’, surprise, pace.
• Building the evidence base for mindfulness in schools: learning from the three attempts at evaluation, including a recent trial with 550 young people e.g. design, measures, analysis, conclusions. 
• Building the human relationships and loyalties that make mindfulness in schools work e.g. communication, goodwill, voluntarism, feedback, warmth, engagement etc.
• Key balances e.g. maintaining the integrity and ethos of classic mindfulness teaching while working in the turbulent world of the schools and classrooms with sometimes reluctant young people; programme fidelity v tailoring to particular circumstances.

3-HOUR WORKSHOP 2

The Expressive Mind: An Introduction to Mindfulness Based Art Therapy, Margaret Jones Callahan, MA, RCC, BCATR

OPENING KEYNOTE

Mindful Awareness and Education in the 21st Century, Tish Jennings

RESEARCH SYMPOSIUM 1

Applications of Mindfulness for School Settings, Chair: Amy Garrett, PhD

R1A: Measuring the Efficacy and Sustainability of the Mindful Schools In-Class Intervention, Randima Fernando

R1B: School-Based Mindfulness and Yoga for Urban Youth: A Randomized Trial, Tamar Mendelson, PhD

R1C: Mindfulness in Early Education to Promote Self-Regulation, Lisa Flook, PhD

R1D: Intrapersonal, Psychosocial, and School Community Benefits of Mindfulness Meditation for Alternative High School Students, Betsy Wisner, LMSW

RESEARCH SYMPOSIUM 2

Clinical Applications of Mindfulness , Chair: Randye Semple, PhD

R2A: The Effects of Trait Mindfulness and a Brief Mindful-Attention Intervention on Pain Among Youth, Mark Petter

R2B: Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction for HIV-Infected Urban Youth: A Randomized, Controlled Trial, Erica Sibinga, MD

R2C: Examining the Effectiveness of Mindfulness for Treating Children with ASD and ADHD, Bernadette Evans-Smith, PhD

R2D: The Effectiveness of MBCT for Adolescents with ADHD: A Mixed Methods Approach for Evaluating Symptom Reduction, Jillian Haydicky, MA and Carly Shecter, MA

SPECIAL LECTURE

Befriending Your Mind, Befriending Your Life:  Mindfulness and the Endless Adventure of Growing into Yourself, Jon Kabat-Zinn

Benefit for UC San Diego Center for Mindfulness Youth & Family Programs.
CME credit is NOT offered for this lecture.

KEYNOTE

Whack-A-Mole vs. Inner Peace: Turning Toward the Difficult as a Hallmark of Mindfulness-Based Interventions, Margaret Cullen

CONCURRENT BREAKOUT SESSIONS

B1: Mindful Engagement & Laughter with iBme, Patrick Cook-Deegan

B2: Clinical Applications

Mindfulness and ADHD:  A Practical Model Supporting Parents, Teachers and Children, Mark Bertin, MD

Mindful Awareness and Resilience Skills for Adolescents (MARS-A): A Hospital-Based Program for Adolescents with Depressive Symptoms, Chronic Illness or Chronic Pain, Dzung Vo, MD

Cultivating Presence with Autistic Children, Rochelle Voth, PhD, BCBA

B3: Mindfulness-based Education in K-12 Public Schools, "Educating from the Heart", Marilyn Webb Neagley, Ferris Buck Urbanowski, MA and Sheri Rand

B4: Mindfulness and Youth Programs

Consciousness for Children: Tools for Living - Tools for Life, Mark Collin and Chuck Fisher, PhD

Kiwi Mindfulness in Early Childhood Education, Anna Whitehead

Mindful Parenting: Nurturing our Children, Growing Ourselves, Jon and Myla Kabat-Zinn

This workshop is designed for parents, grandparents, and parents-to-be, as well as anyone working with or caring for children. Parenting with mindfulness can enhance the wellbeing of children and parents alike, and bring greater empathy, acceptance and respect for each child's unique being into family life. In difficult moments, we can sometimes find ourselves reacting automatically, in the grip of deeply ingrained and often destructive patterns of thinking and feeling that may stem in part from our own experiences as children. Through the intentional cultivation of mindfulness, which can be thought of as an open-hearted non-judgmental awareness, it is possible to navigate the inner landscape of our own fears, anxieties and judgments, and choose more appropriate and positive ways of responding effectively in challenging situations with our children. Using guided meditations and simple practices, Myla and Jon will explore how the cultivation of mindfulness in daily life can help us to work with the struggles and difficulties we may face with children at different ages, as well as to be more present for the joys and simple pleasures that are inherent in parenting and family life.

BREAKOUT SESSION:

B5: Mindfulness-Based Interventions with High-Risk Adolescents, Sam Himelstein, PhD

KEYNOTE

Cultivating the Inner Lives of Students and Teachers, Linda Lantieri

CONCURRENT BREAKOUT SESSIONS

B6: Mindfulness for Urban and High-Risk Youth, Ali and Atman Smith

B7: Perspectives, Innovations and Practical Insights on Building Mindful Cultures In Schools

Mindfulness Based Transformation of a Whole School – Reflections and Outcomes of a 10 Years Long Mindfulness Based Intervention, Nimrod Sheinman, ND

Pause, Connect, Share: Cultivating Mindfulness Practices and SEL in Adolescents, Theo Koffler and Itamar Stern

B8: Teen Panel, Lorraine Hobbs, MA, CHOM

Amidst all the discussion of the power and promise of bringing mindfulness to kids and teens, perhaps we could pause a moment and consider a different viewpoint: that of the people we hope to reach. We have assembled this panel of teens who have received mindfulness training (via various means) to engage in a dialogue around the impact, potentials and pitfalls of this work. Intended to be an open and freewheeling discussion with ample time for audience participation, the facilitators will begin with some important questions for the panelists to discuss and then open up the floor for input from the audience.

B9: Teaching Mindfulness to Teachers: Insights from Research and Practice, Robert Roeser, PhD and Margaret Cullen

BONUS BREAKOUT SESSION (no additional charge)

B10: Embodying Mindfulness in Our Work

Embodying Heart-Mind: Transforming Attitude Fatigue with Empathic Goodwill, Elizabeth Hamilton

Mindfulness in the Classroom: Creating an Optimal Learning Environment, Shamini Jain, PhD, VikasSrivastava and Kraig Kidd

POST-CONFERENCE WORKSHOP 3

Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction for Teens (MBSR-T): Foundation, Inquiry and Practice, Gina Biegel, MFT, LMFT

This workshop provides an introduction to the foundation of the Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction for Teens (MBSR-T) Program, started in 2004. After an overview of the MBSR-T program has been provided, inquiry and practice around key interventions and content will be offered experientially and intellectually to maximize understanding and utility for use with and for adolescents. This program was developed, and has been shown to be effective among adolescents in mental health, school and community settings and demonstrated to reduce adolescent stress and the physical and psychological problems that result. Learning the foundation and core aspects of the MBSR-T curriculum will be provided, however, time in this workshop will be focused on immersion in teen-based practices to fully maximize the efficacy of using this program with this population. The intention is for those who want to fully engage experientially in the key practices that compose the MBSR-T program. Ms. Biegel, the developer of the program, has been utilizing it for 9 years with adolescents in a variety of settings with a multitude of clinical and non-clinical populations.

Learning Objectives:

• Description of MBSR-T will be provided through discussing it’s foundation, structure and basic elements.
• To explore MBSR-T via experiential activities and an overview of the curriculum skills, exercises and tools to utilize with teens.
• To explain the purpose and necessity of introducing and using mindfulness with teens in today’s society and how to implement these skills with adolescents.

POST-CONFERENCE WORKSHOP 4

Healing Heart, Mind and Body, Lynea Gillen, MS, RYT and Jim Gillen

“Help me! Can anyone please help me!” The child, curled under the classroom table, concerned longtime school teacher and counselor Lynea Gillen. Over the years she had seen a steady increase in students with behavioral issues, including ADHD, anxiety and autism, and observed how hard it was for them to sit in a group and share or participate in simple classroom activities. These experiences inspired her to find new tools to help children manage and direct their strong feelings and impulses, to find peace in their bodies, and to discover and share their unique gifts. Today, activities from her award-winning book, Yoga Calm for Children, are used by thousands of educators, counselors and therapists, including Amplatz Children’s Hospital and the Mayo Clinic, and her Integrated Approach to Wellness courses are now taught to teachers, counselors and therapists at six colleges and universities.

Learn her unique approach to teaching mindfulness to children, including

• Simple movement, breathing and mindfulness exercises, social/emotional skill development activities, relaxation/storytelling processes and emotional guidance techniques.
• Yoga Calm’s five principles – Stillness, Listening, Grounding, Strength and Community – and how to teach lifelong wellness skills to classrooms of SPED and regular education students.
• How student leading, compliment and gratitude processes develop group safety and pro-social behavior – prerequisites for teaching mindfulness.
• The importance of developing strength for children with trauma and/or behavior management needs before practicing stillness activities.
• Emotional first aid; recognizing and working with the emotions that come up during yoga and mindfulness activities. Providing children with these tools allows them to experience the inner and outer world; to experience rest and beauty, and begin to believe in the world as a peaceful and loving place.

POST-CONFERENCE WORKSHOP 5

Childs Mind: Integrating Mindfulness into Clinical Work with Young People, Christopher Willard, PsyD

POST-CONFERENCE WORKSHOP 6

Sharing Mindfulness with Young People, Amy Saltzman, MD

This workshop will offer an overview of the 8-week, age-adapted mindfulness-based Still Quiet Place curriculum. During the session you will participate in practices that you can bring home to your family, or use in your work and play with children and adolescents. These practices will allow you, and the young people in your life, to experience the Still Quiet Place within. You will gain an understanding of how observing thoughts and feelings from this place of stillness and quietness, improves attention, decreases anxiety, supports healthy choices, and enhances compassion for oneself and others. The workshop will include adaptations for family, school, community, and therapeutic settings. Additionally, we will review the research regarding benefits of offering mindfulness to children, parents, families, therapists, teachers, and schools. We will discuss what is required for those who wish to do this intimate and important work. There will also be time for questions and answers. The session will be facilitated by Amy Saltzman M.D. creator of the Still Quiet Place curriculum, Rosemary Coleman a teacher using the curriculum in her third grade classroom at St. Christopher School in San Jose, CA, and Caren McDonald a social worker, and high school teacher working at East Palo Alto Academy, a charter school serving low-income, high risk youth, and overseen by Stanford University's School of Education.