WAKEFIELD — Massachusetts Partnerships for Youth (MPY) Executive Director Margie Daniels is pleased to share that the Massachusetts Partnerships for Youth is offering a series of free webinars on mindfulness to all Massachusetts educators.
Mindful Fridays webinars will be offered on the second Friday of each month between now and May.
Mindfulness is a practice which cultivates awareness, helps individuals pay attention to what is occurring in the present moment and fosters nonjudgmental attitudes of kindness and curiosity. Mindful practices are widely used to help reduce feelings of anxiety and stress.
This month’s webinar, “Mindful Self-Compassion for Educators,” to be held on January 14, will be co-facilitated by clinical psychologists and mindfulness experts Christopher Willard, Psy.D., and Matt Hersh, Ph.D., DCEP.
Dr. Willard teaches at Harvard Medical School and works part-time in private practice, with a focus on mindfulness, anxiety and learning issues. He is the author of more than 16 books on topics relating to mental health.
Dr. Hersh is in private practice in the Boston area and incorporates mindfulness and self-compassion into anxiety treatments for teens and adults. He founded The Thriving Therapist, an online resource for mental health practitioners on self-care, support, and burnout prevention.
Registration is required for each MPY webinar. To register for Mindful Self-Compassion for Educators, click here.
“The past two years have been the toughest many educators have likely ever experienced, so we invite Massachusetts educators to join us as we explore practical ways to manage anxiety and integrate self-compassion into our classrooms, schools and personal lives,” said Director Daniels. “Educators who practice self-care and make efforts to maintain their own mental health are better able to be a resource for both their school communities and their students.”
Massachusetts Partnerships for Youth offers a wide variety of webinars to staff, students, and parents from member districts and organizations, on topics including mental and behavioral health; anti-racism, diversity, equity and inclusion; school safety; social and emotional learning; and trauma sensitive classrooms and schools.
The Mindful Series and other selected webinars are being offered free of charge to educators across the Commonwealth through an earmark from the Massachusetts Legislature.
For more information on the full offering of webinars and training sessions available to staff, students and parents from member districts, or for information on becoming a member, visit www.mpyinc.org.
About the Massachusetts Partnerships for Youth, Inc.
Massachusetts Partnerships for Youth, Inc. is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization that provides training, fosters collaboration, and develops programming to increase the health and safety of students. MPY is committed to bringing cutting-edge information and high-quality trainings to constituents and endeavors to provide solution-oriented, community-based, multi-disciplinary approaches to reducing and ideally eliminating risky behaviors for youth.
Massachusetts Partnerships for Youth is governed by a Board of Directors made up of school superintendents, police and fire chiefs, and other community leaders who work closely with MPY staff to deliver this mission.