GROWING UP MINDFUL
A 10-week, 20+ hour hybrid live and pre-recorded course created by Harvard psychologist Dr. Christopher Willard
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While the need for mindfulness in children has never been greater, the available resources lack adaptability, creativity, and relevance, making it challenging for parents, educators, and therapists to effectively impart this vital skill.
You are in the right place if you...
have experienced moments where you wished you had a more adaptable, creative approach to instill calmness, resilience, and presence in kids, whether it's in a noisy classroom, a hectic home, or a therapeutic setting
have felt frustrated by the general mindfulness resources available, sensing that they don't address the unique challenges and intricacies of today's young minds
believe in the transformative power of mindfulness but find it challenging to translate its age-old wisdom into a language and method that resonates with kids and teens
have seen children and teens close to you grappling with modern-day stressors - be it social media pressures, academic challenges, or personal traumas - and feel compelled to offer them a lifeline that anchors them to their core
INTRODUCING
"Growing Up Mindful"
A Comprehensive Mindfulness Training
for parents, educators, and professionals like you
Join author, psychologist, and father Dr. Christopher Willard in this online training for anyone interested in creative new ways to share mindfulness with kids and teens.
The Growing Up Mindful program is a 10-week, 20+ hour hybrid live and pre-recorded course created by Harvard psychologist Dr. Christopher Willard.
Over the course of our 10 weeks together, we will discover proven practices that can be used by teachers, therapists, parents, and others looking for creative ways to share mindfulness with young people. We will explore mindfulness through awareness, movement, games, play, and creative activities for all ages.
Learning differences, cultural differences, developmental differences, and more all affect how children and teens learn best, and this course explores ways to adopt mindfulness, rather than approach with a one-size-fits-all approach.
We will discuss tailoring techniques to a range of issues, including depression, anxiety, executive function challenges, trauma, and stress. Different practices will engage different learning styles through arts, sports, games, music, technology, and more, for attention spans ranging from 30 seconds to 30 minutes!
COURSE STRUCTURE
Each week will cover a different topic, with 4-5 short videos adding up to about an hour each week. You can watch these videos on your own time or with your accountability partner. We will explore weekly reflection questions and practice on our own and with accountability partners during the week.
2-3 times a month, we will gather live online in a group of about 25 students with Dr. Willard to discuss themes of the week and explore questions to deepen our practice and teaching skills.
Participants will gain a certificate from Dr. Willard by the end of the course attesting to their knowledge and attendance.
JOIN THE WAITLISTWEEKLY THEMES
1. Introduction to each other and mindful awareness
- An introduction to child and teen mindfulness
- Setting community guidelines and intentions
2. Defining
- Mindfulness and the neuroscience of healthy brain development
- Playful and practical exercises to explore the mind-body connection
- How to use the breath as a “remote control” for our minds, bodies, and emotions
3. The power of your own practice
- Why mindfulness will make you a better and happier therapist, teacher, parent, and person
- Presence, countertransference, and decision-making techniques to sharpen your intuition
- Self-compassion, appreciation, and relaxation exercises to avoid burnout
4. Adapting mindfulness for all minds
- Developmentally appropriate adaptation ideas
- The simple science of how mindfulness keeps depression, PTSD, anxiety, and aggression at bay
5. The neurobiology and research on mindfulness
- Simplifying neuroscience to empower brain and behavior change
- Mindfulness, mental health, and learning. The state of the research
6. Mindful eating in the real world
- The state of the research on mindful eating
- Kid-friendly formal and informal mindful eating practice
- Integrating informal mindfulness
7. Mindful walking and movement in the real world
- Research-based mindful movements
- Developmental adaptations of mindful walking and movement
8. Buy-in and Teaching Tips
- Practical and effective ideas that will generate buy-in from kids
- How to make mindfulness fun and accessible even to stressed, anxious, depressed and distracted kids
- Dealing with doubt: whether it’s your own, your colleagues, or the kids’
9. Mental Health, Trauma and Equity Perspectives and Considerations
- Accessible analogies to explain what mindfulness is and isn’t
- How to help kids and families slow down, sit still, and single-task
10. Creating our own practices, visualizations, and adaptations
- Comfortably adapt mindfulness to all kinds of minds, bodies, and backgrounds
- Tips and tricks to build your confidence when teaching mindfulness
11. Creating mindful community in schools, hospitals, clinics and beyond
- Systemic approaches to culture change in schools, clinics, and families
- Inspiring and time-tested ideas for creating a mindful and compassionate workplace, school, or family
12. Integrity and equity-mindful "business"
- Research-backed compassion practices
Teaching with integrity - A roadmap for creating a mindfulness consulting business
Join the Waitlist
- Lifetime access to the program materials
- 8 LIVE Group meet-ups (recorded and uploaded to the course library) hosted by Dr. Chris Willard
- Over 40 insightful videos
- Supportive Community
- Q&As within the portal
- All group calls are recorded and uploaded to the course library!