​Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction – Teens

As our in person classes are on hold, we are offering a new Teen Drop In Group online starting 5/7/20

Please join our new online Teen Drop In Mindfulness group.  The group is open to all teens ages 13- 19, and our first meeting will be on Thursday, May 7th at 3p and will last about 30-45 minutes.  This teacher lead group will help teens learn mindfulness practices for managing stress, improving quality of life, and finding stillness and resiliency within for when life feels overwhelming. 

We will meet every other Thursday at 3p in a safe and supportive environment.  This group is freely offered, but if you would like to make a financial contribution to help support its continuance and availability for all teens, we would much appreciate it.
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To sign up for an initial session or for more information, please contact either Julie VonderHaar, MA, LPC at 978-595-7551, or Tony Lombardino at [email protected].  Come and learn about mindfulness meditation from experienced teachers and by actually doing it!

What:  Online Teen Mindfulness Drop In Group
When:  1st and 3rd Thursdays beginning 5/7 at 3p
Where:  Private Zoom classroom (pre-registration required for link)
Cost:  Freely offered, but donations to support this group are appreciated.

Teachers:  Julie Vonderhaar, mindfulness teacher and practicing licensed therapist, and Tony Lombardino, former high school teacher with strong background both in mindfulness and working with teens.

More info, please contact: Julie VonderHaar, MA, LPC at 979-595-7551, or Tony Lombardino, [email protected]. 

Teen MBSR class will start again when in person classes are possible.

Would you like to improve your concentration and focus to benefit your wellbeing?
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The Mindfulness-Based Reduction program for teens (MBSR-T) is an 8-week course designed to teach teens mindfulness practices for managing stress, improving quality of life, and finding stillness and resiliency within for when life feels overwhelming. Research has shown that completing this program can lead to reduced stress for adolescents and decreases in stress-related physical and emotional problems. The skills learned in MBSR-T are beneficial to teens dealing with stressors such as:

• School demands
• Challenges with relationships
• Difficulty with attention and concentration
• Anxiety
• Depression

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MBSR-T is appropriate for teens with or without previous meditation experience.

​​Benefits

The MBSR-T, modeled after Jon Kabat-Zinn’s MBSR and adapted for teens by Gina Beigel, is an evidence-based program shown to be an effective intervention in alleviating stress in teens. Students will learn alternate ways of responding to life’s stressors and feel empowered to improve their ability to manage stress- at school, at home, and in relationships. At the end of this 8-week program, many teens report:

• Improved concentration and focus
• Improved ability to manage stress in healthy and effective ways
• Decreased impulsivity
• Feeling less judgmental
• Increased happiness
• Improved functioning and quality of life

​Class Format

• 8 weekly classes (1 hour each for Middle School classes, 1.5 hours each for High School classes)

Students will obtain in-depth instruction and practice in mindfulness through:

• Guided mindfulness practices
• Yoga and mindful movement practices
• Education about stress and its effects
• Support and encouragement from peers
• A workbook with practices to take home life

​​Cost

We believe strongly in making our MBSR-T classes available to anyone who believes that it might be helpful in their life and is willing to commit themselves to do the work. Therefore, we offer this class on an honor-system based sliding scale, and the generosity of those who are able and choose to pay more directly supports those who cannot.

Our suggested scale rate for the Middle/High School Program is:

• High Income $325
• Medium Income $250
• Low Income $175

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If the low-income amount is difficult for you, please consider the class anyway. We ask that you decide what amount you can contribute as a commitment and investment in your own process as well as helping to support financial health of the class and our ability to offer this kind of sliding scale.

No one is ever turned away for financial reasons. For more information on the sliding scale and/or a payment plan option, please contact the teacher.

The registration fee for the course is $15. The $15 may be applied to your class cost. If the $15 fee is an obstacle for you, please email us directly.