Upcoming Events
Chris Walsh Center ADHD Panel:
Insights, Lived Experience, and Practical Tools for Support
The Chris Walsh Center is hosting an ADHD panel designed to improve our understanding of the various ways ADHD presents. Likewise, we aim to illuminate the reasons ADHD is often missed in young people as well as adults. Finally, we will discuss practical solutions for improving the lives of people with ADHD young and old. This is a unique opportunity to learn from people who are both experts on ADHD and have lived experience navigating life as an ADHDer. This is because many of our panelists are both a professional in the filed of mental health, as well as an adult diagnosed with ADHD. Our panelists will answer common questions related to ADHD before we open the floor for audience Q&A. This is a must attend event for caregivers, educators, and mental health professionals alike. Thanks to a generous grant from the Framingham State University Alumni Association and Foundation to the Chris Walsh Center, this ADHD Panel is free to attend. Register today!
Bolstering Students' Resilience
with Dr. Sara Whitcomb
In this session, participants will build an understanding of the current state of children’s mental health and what teachers can do each day on the front lines of the mental health crisis to support children’s healthy social and emotional development. Participants will have the opportunity to reflect upon the many buzz words that pop up in education (e.g., social-emotional learning, trauma-informed care, restorative practices, positive behavioral interventions and supports) and distill practices into those that build consistency, connection, and compassion in classrooms.
Who is Dr. Sara Whitcomb?
Dr. Sara Whitcomb is a licensed psychologist, associate director of research and evaluation with Boston Children's Hospital's Neighborhood Partnerships Program, and member of the faculty at Harvard Medical School. She is also co-director of the BIRCh Center at UMass Boston. Prior to her current role, she was a professor in the UMass Amherst school psychology program and a teacher in general and special education settings in Oregon, Massachusetts, and Connecticut. Dr. Whitcomb's research and practice interests are in behavioral assessment, social-emotional learning, and organizational consultation in schools. She has authored a number of texts and journal articles on these topics and has consulted with over 100 school districts in Massachusetts to build capacity to meet all students' behavioral health needs.
Fostering Family Resiliency Through Art with ARTrelief
Making art together with your child can be a way to practice joint attention, create memories and get a glimpse into their inner world. Making art also has many wellness benefits: it can be meditative or stimulating, regulating, grounding, a source of self esteem, a way to connect to the self and others, and a way to express who we are. Where do you start?
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For some children, displaying art material on a table without directive will be enough to spike their imagination and engage, for others the psychological safety of an image to copy from will motivate them to try. In between those 2 examples, there is a continuum of possible scenarios. In this presentation we will provide 2 examples of creative processes that parents can try with their children, and explore ways for parents to connect and co-regulate with their child through the making of art, as well as ways to adapt the process to help their child stay engaged and how to decide when it is time to take a break.
Hosted Online Wednesday, April 10th at 7:00 PM
Promoting Students' Resilience in PK-12 Schools
with Dr. Simone Kotraba
Improving students' Mental Health and Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) by empowering them with resilience-building tools to enhance their self-awareness, self-regulation, social skills, relationships, and decision-making. This 3-session experiential workshop offers practical tools and strategies for educators to easily integrate into their classroom routines to help students regulate their emotions, reduce anxiety, and increase resilience. Interactive sessions will connect you with peers, allowing you to learn and practice facilitating heart and brain coherence techniques, mindfulness, and embodiment practices.
While we think you'll receive the greatest benefit by attending all three sessions, you are welcome to register for any number of sessions which fit into your busy schedule.
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Session 1: Thursday, March 6th, 2025 at 4:00 PM (Online). Building Students' Resilience in the Classrooms, In this session, you will experience the building resilience transformation process developed by HeartMath Institute. These simple, on-the-go techniques will empower educators to transform their classrooms from chaos to calm. Educators will learn to help students connect with the power of their heart’s intelligence, supporting behavior changes and social-emotional learning and well-being.
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Session 2: Thursday, April 10th, 2025 at 4:00 PM (Online). Cultivating Mindful Resilient Schools, In this session, educators will gain a general understanding of mindfulness and learn how to implement it throughout the school day to build students' resilience and decrease anxiety. They will also understand how negative thoughts and emotions impact the developing brain and learn how to support students in self-regulation and co-regulation practices.
Session 3: Thursday, May 8th, 2025 at 4:00 PM (Online). Resilience and the Embodied Classroom, In this session, educators will learn how to support their students in getting “Unstuck” from negative self-talk and emotions by empowering them with tools to transform stuck emotions and thoughts into resilience using Social Presencing Theater (SPT). SPT explores the creative potential of social systems such as schools and serves individual and collective resilience and well-being. This session will explore how to support students using mindful exercises that combine body, heart, mind, reflection, and stillness. SPT is an embodiment practice developed by Arawana Hayashi and Otto Scharmer at the Presencing Institute at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
Who is Dr. Simone Kotraba?
Dr. Simone Kotraba is the founder of HeartMind Solutions. She is a transformational coach and wellness facilitator who guides individuals and teams on a journey of growth and expansion, helping them unite their hearts and minds. With her light-hearted wisdom and vibrant energy, Simone creates a welcoming and supportive environment for participants to tap into their highest potential. Simone has worked with families, taught and led in PK- higher education, and holds multiple licenses and certifications. She is passionate about the integration of SEL and well-being practices in schools.