Social & Emotional Learning For Schools

This course provides training and instruction for teachers and staff to recognize, identify, and cope with stress and trauma in others and in self. Topics covered include: physiology of stress and trauma, resiliency, emotional intelligence, effective communication, empathy and compassion, empowerment and mindfulness. Discussions on mindfulness provide techniques for effective communication, self-care and how to establish a personal mindfulness practice. The program will aid faculty and staff in acquiring skills for their personal lives as well as working with children/students.

Educational settings, including public schools, private schools, elementary, secondary and institutions of higher education are working to address the issue of a history of trauma impacting students and their ability to learn. Most school districts and institutions require that their community of faculty and staff become “trauma-informed”, learning the key issues of cultivating resilience, creating sanctuary and providing a space for transformation, and social and emotional skills for development and growth. It is recognized that even one teacher can change the arc of a student’s life, either creating trauma, or providing space for recovery from trauma and empowering the emergence of resilience.

Schools want to know the evidence-based best-practices for embracing a trauma-informed organizational mission, culture and community, and for providing professional development to school staff to provide trauma-informed interventions.

The Mindfulness Center’s Science of Mindful Awareness – Trauma-Informed Social and Emotional Learning for Academic Resilience provides professional development and needed Mindfulness-Based Training Resources for educators to learn trauma-informed interventions. 

Creating a trauma-informed culture begins with education, and grows with practice. Healing from trauma is nurtured in a sanctuary of safe-space and a community of compassion and understanding. Rather than getting lost in volumes of psychological theories or pathological concepts, The Mindfulness Center’s program goes directly to the heart of the science, educating people about the psychobiological effects of stress and trauma, and how to transform these processes through mindfulness-based skills and practices.

Development of this program is informed by research, practice and education in neuroscience, psychology, resiliency, stress, management, and personal experience.

The goals of this course are to teach the skills for creating a community and culture based on principles of mindfulness to enhance social, emotional, physical and intellectual growth and well-being of students, while maintaining the resilience and endurance of the entire school community. This course works with educators to help them to envision a future where every child thrives. 

The Mindfulness Center’s program is designed to be easy and enjoyable to use, inviting busy educators to use this training for self-improvement, and rejuvenation while learning to release stress and personal trauma. In knowing what works for oneself, and how to create a sanctuary space within oneself, one is better prepared to contribute to a culture of safety, transformation and growth.

The program includes a live orientation and overview online as well as three live Question and Answer sessions online in order to process new material and to discuss topics of personal concern and real-life situations with which one may be dealing. These live sessions, which span the eight-week program, also provide an opportunity to connect with colleagues and enhance community, an essential part of a trauma-informed culture. The dates and times for the live sessions will be scheduled and shared with all participants at the start of the program. Registration for these live programs can be done in advance so as to avoid delays in signing in at the time of the event. (Requiring advance registration can be an added security procedure to protect privacy.)

In this program, there are also four pre-recorded sessions on Trauma-Informed Social and Emotional Learning for Academic Resilience. These sessions are presented by Deborah Norris, Ph.D., an expert in the fields of trauma-care, stress relief, mindfulness and education. These sessions can be viewed on-demand at your convenience. 

If some are not able to attend on the date of a live session, participants may view the recorded session afterwards. All live sessions will be recorded and uploaded to the Resource section of this training program.

This training program also includes access to a separate eight-week optional module for learning to meditate, a key practice for developing social and emotional skills and resiliency. This online module is called “Introduction to Mindfulness Meditation.” Each week, you can use the materials provided to learn to meditate, or to deepen your practice if you already have one. The training material addresses many questions that beginning meditators may have such as how to establish a meditation practice; how often to practice; how to address challenging times; and much more. Enjoy at your leisure and experience the stress relieving practice of mindfulness meditation.

The concepts of trauma-care, social and emotional learning, resilience and mindfulness are important inter-related topics. There has been considerable research on the causes, effects and treatment of trauma, the practice and the benefits of social and emotional learning, the neuropsychological, and sociological characteristics of resilience, as well as the science of mindfulness meditation. The Reference Section provides information on published research relevant to the academic setting. You can find links to original published articles on the role of mindfulness in enhancing resilience for teachers and students; the neurobiological effects of trauma on children; the role of teachers in providing social and emotional support to students; and much more.

All training program participants are invited as well to attend live online classes at The Mindfulness Center, including yoga, meditation and Tai Chi. Check out the schedule for classes that fit your schedule and learn from experts in these practices.

Step 1 – Take the Entry Survey before beginning the program. (estimated time: 4 minutes)

Step 2 – Review the Course Documents. (estimated time: 20 minutes)

• Welcome to Trauma-Informed Social and Emotional Learning for Academic Resilience
• Course Overview
• Course Syllabus

Step 3 – Register for and attend upcoming live events, and mark these events on your calendar. 

• Live Orientation: 60 minutes
• On-Demand Webinars: 90 minutes each
• Live Question and Answer discussions: 60 minutes each

At your convenience and optional:

• Register for and attend live classes online at The Mindfulness Center.
• Enjoy “Introduction to Mindfulness Meditation” an online learning module within this program, including Instructional Materials and Guided Meditations.

1. Participate in live sessions with Deborah Norris, Ph.D., Founder of The Mindfulness Center, including an event survey following each live session.
2. View recorded sessions if unable to attend the live sessions with your group.
3. Practice guided meditations (varies from 8 – 41 minutes per exercise)
4. Journal about your meditation practice (estimated 5 – 8 minutes per journal entry)
5. Attend live classes online at The Mindfulness Center, including meditation, yoga, tai chi for free (class lengths range from 15 – 90 minutes).
6. Develop the personal and group skills to build a “Resilient Community” and share these skills and experiences with students and others in the school community. Community support is an essential ingredient of a trauma-informed culture and a resilient community.