Mindfulness Approach for School Counselors

Practitioner Track Series: Mindfulness

Mindfulness practices enhances social emotional, development and improvement self-regulation, health and wellness, and academic performance of K-12 students. Loyola University Maryland School Counseling Program's practitioner track on Mindfulness includes  3, three- credit classes on a related topic, technique or treatment. With the increased focus on the mental health needs of K-12 students, school counselors need to be prepared to have the knowledge and skills to think strategically about their counseling interventions and treatment planning in order to help students with mental health concerns meet academic expectations.We have prepared a practitioner track series on mindfulness, introducing yoga as a mindfulness practice and strategic intervention to aid in the social emotional development of children and adolescents. There is growing research that mindfulness practices can enhance social emotional development and improve self-regulation, health and wellness, and academic performance (Butzer, Bury, Telles & Khalsa, 2016). These series of courses are focused on promoting wellness practices within school counselors, mindfulness classroom instruction, and creative mindfulness interventions for counseling.

Spring 2020

GC823.601 Mindfulness-Based Wellness for School Counselors (3 credits)

This course focuses on helping graduate students develop a deeper understanding of the term "self-care" take a closer look at their own wellness practices through the lens of mindfulness.  We "try on" a variety of mindfulness-based wellness strategies, including various styles of meditation, mindful movement, mindful eating, and other restorative practices, all while journaling about and reflecting on our experiences to create a personal wellness plan that meets the unique needs of each individual's lifestyle.  This course is only offered in the summer, with the hope being that our graduate students will implement their wellness plans when they are in the throes of what can be a stressful career as a school counselor, graduate student, or intern.

Meeting Dates:
July 31, August 1, 7, 8, 14, 15, 2020

Cost: TBA

GC825.601 Mindfulness-Based Treatment Techniques (3 credits)

This course examines how mindfulness can be seamlessly integrated into the comprehensive school counseling program. We begin with a deeper look at the science of mindfulness and research that supports the use of mindfulness-based techniques with a variety of student populations. We then learn about and practice techniques that can be delivered in individual counseling, group counseling, and classroom guidance formats.  The course is still very hands-on and experiential in nature.  We don't just talk about the techniques; we try them on for ourselves and create materials that can be taken back to schools and used with children the very next day. Because these courses can be taken in any order, self-care and establishing your own mindful wellness practice is emphasized in this course as well, but the focus is mainly on interventions to be used with students in the school setting.

Meeting Dates:
In person: Fridays, January 17- February 28, 2020
5:00 p.m. - 9:45 p.m. 

Location: Loyola Timonium Graduate Center

Cost: $1,875 ($625 per credit) plus $25 registration fee. 

Questions?

Please direct all questions to education@loyola.edu