September 22, 2021 | Vol. 28 |
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Embracing Change and Hope |
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The change of season from summer to fall brings us back to the familiar structured routine that comes with school days. Routines can help decrease stress and anxiety, and help us cope with our everyday lives. As we begin another new school year, I hope that scheduling or attending a Minding Your Mind presentation has by now become part of your routine. We are so excited to return to in-person programming and look forward to seeing you somewhere other than on a computer or laptop screen. If you prefer, we can still see you there as we now provide both in-person and virtual programming. You have our promise that we will continue to provide effective, timely, and impactful mental health education programs in all of our communities by whatever delivery system works best for you. Please reach out and schedule early because we anticipate another very dynamic and busy year. We want to hear from you regarding issues and concerns that are directly affecting your communities — you can email me directly with thoughts and ideas. As always, our goal is to spark meaningful conversations that provide support and education to students and all of the adults in their lives. We are here to help!
Thank you,
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Trish Larsen
Executive Director
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Mindfulness Uncovers Our Strengths
Minding Your Mind Provides Custom
Mindfulness Programs for all Settings
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By Brandon R. Everett, RN, BSN, CMT
Minding Your Mind Mindfulness Facilitator
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How can you find balance, connection, and even creativity in these times of uncertainty and change? You meet the moment with mindfulness. Mindfulness practice both enables people to recognize when they are feeling stressed and anxious, and enables them to relieve that stress by redirecting their attention.
Mindfulness can be an important tool to help you, your colleagues, your students, or your peers manage everyday stressors as well as any increased pressure that comes with the pandemic and the return and reentry to the world's new normal.
Minding Your Mind offers mindfulness programs for a variety of audiences, including workplace wellness for employees, educators and students, and community groups. We are committed to creating programs unique to each organization; our expert mindfulness facilitators are proactive and collaborative to ensure that the focus, content, and messaging meets the needs and interests of your audience. With Minding Your Mind programs, you not only learn about mindfulness but you begin to experience the benefits of the practice, too!
Here's what organizations have said about our mindfulness programs and facilitators:
"Deb helped me understand mindfulness in a way that I can now embrace it and use it in the classroom. The presentation completely changed my mind about mindfulness. I feel I have the tools to begin some practices of my own."
“All of our Minding Your Mind sessions have been top-notch. Our staff is grateful for the opportunity to learn mindfulness strategies that will have lasting positive impact on ourselves and our students.”
“Linda was wonderful. We held mindfulness session at work that she facilitated and we all really enjoyed it. We have been using the techniques she showed us and they are working!”
“Absolutely amazing presentation! I learned so much and have taken many mindfulness classes. Brandon is professional, resourceful, and insightful. Thank you!”
Mindfulness programs are available to be presented in person or virtually. Learn more, sample some of our videos, or book a program now.
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Put It In Your Phone!
Join Minding Your Mind's
Suicide Prevention Campaign
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In conjunction with National Suicide Prevention Month, Minding Your Mind is launching a new campaign to inspire students from middle school through college to have access to help at their fingertips.
Put It In Your Phone! #10for10 to Save a Life highlights how easy it is to add the numbers for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline and the Crisis Text Line to a cell phone: it takes 10 seconds to add 10 digits in your phone to be ready to save a life. Both services are staffed by trained volunteers and professionals with someone available 24 hours a day. Follow our social media accounts to participate, LIKE, and SHARE our posts. Tag us @mindingyourmind and use #10for10 — and put it in your phone!
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NEW PROGRAM!
Positive Education for Mental Health & Well-Being
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Now more than ever schools acknowledge their roles span beyond delivering academic programs. Equipping staff with research-based approaches for supporting mental health and well-being is becoming essential. Developed and presented by Patricia Ehret, M.Ed., this one-hour workshop provides participants an overview of the comprehensive science of Positive Education. Additional one-hour workshops focusing on Mindset and Strength can be added to create a series or a single, longer program appropriate for an in-service day.
Patty's passion for the mental health of her students led her to incorporate Positive Education into her curriculum throughout her 30-year education career and develop this program to help more educators do the same.
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Community Conversations Returns to Tackle Re-entry |
After taking a break this summer, the highly successful Community Conversations panels return on Wednesday, 10/6, facilitated by MYM's clinical director Sheila Gillin. October's topic couldn't be more timely for parents and caregivers of students spanning all ages.
Return to "Normal" — But How? Supporting our Kids in a Time of Uncertainty will be a conversation about the challenges faced by students "re-entering" school in a time of ongoing uncertainty. We know the pandemic created a sense of loneliness and isolation for kids and now they are returning to school with both hope and fear. Sheila will provide parents and caregivers with strategies to promote resilience in their kids and help them develop the tools to manage disappointment and ongoing uncertainty. This program is virtual, free, and open to the public.
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MHA of Palm Beach County (FL) Hosts Just Talk About It |
Minding Your Mind Florida is thrilled to be partnering with Mental Health America (MHA) of Palm Beach County to introduce our Just Talk About It program to the region.
On Tuesday, October 19, Minding Your Mind clinician Melissa Harrison will provide parents, caregivers, and interested adults an introduction to the signs and symptoms of the mental health issues most prevalent in adolescents through young adulthood, and how to know the difference from typical teenage behavior. Young adult speaker Andrew Onimus will share his personal story, transforming the clinical information into relatable experiences.
The program is being held virtually and is open to the public. We hope that you will join us. Please share with your friends, family, and colleagues in Palm Beach county.
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Meet Minding Your Mind's Newest Clinician |
Alona Leviner-Sommer, MA, MS, LMFT, is a Florida Licensed Marriage and Family psychotherapist. Originally from Israel, Alona brings a rich and culturally diverse experience that impacts the work she is doing at Minding your Mind. Although her work includes individuals and families, she has focused mainly on working with groups in a variety of settings. Alona’s passion in all her undertakings is the focus on children's and teens' well-being. |
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Web's World 2.0 at
Flanigan's Boathouse
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For National Suicide Prevention Month, Wissahickon Brewing Company partnered with Flanigan’s Boathouse in Conshohocken, PA, for the 2nd year in a row to brew a beer that, with every purchase, donates money to help raise awareness for suicide prevention.
Web's World is a very special beer in honor of Jake Weber, the son of Flanigan's Boathouse owners Jamie and Bill Weber. $1 of every draft and $5 of every four-pack sold will be donated to The Jake Weber Fund at Minding Your Mind. This fund was established by the Weber Family with the goal of helping to prevent other families from experiencing the devastation that comes from losing a loved one by suicide. |
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Become a Minding Your Mind Young Adult Speaker |
Minding Your Mind is actively recruiting new speakers. If you are, or know or know someone who is, a young adult who has come through a mental health crisis, are in a productive recovery process, and are interested in sharing your story to inspire others, please contact us. |
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"...Still, if Austin had suffered from cancer or diabetes, or died in an accident, we wouldn’t have said he committed cancer, he committed diabetes, or he committed an accidental death. We don’t say that our elders commit old age or commit death in their sleep. They die, of old age or heart failure. They die, by whatever cause. We don’t blame the one who suffers the disease..."
It's a challenge any time society tries to adjust words or phrases that have been in common use for decades. But we know we, as a society, are capable of making those adjustments. We've done it before, we can do it here with suicide. Let's all work together to bend toward compassion and understanding and away from shame and stigma.
👇 For more content like this, follow our socials. |
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