Mindfulness Interventions for Stress and Trauma
MIST classes are…
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Personalized
Intake surveys help us personalize the content to your industry and maintain relevance to the participants showing up for the course.
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Targeted
Everyone has pain points when it comes to achieving wellness. We'll work closely with participants to identify and overcome stressors and triggers.
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Standardized
The method we've built over the past five years has a strong track record. We stay with the framework that works while individualizing it to your team.
Why MIST Training?
“The nonprofit sector has been roasted on the outside.” That was the grim observation in late May 2023 of Tim Delaney, CEO of the National Council of Nonprofits, likening the state of things to a hard pretzel rod on the verge of snapping in half. “That’s how fragile things are right now within nonprofits.”
In May 2024, the Center for Effective Philanthropy published a report titled State of Nonprofits 2024: What Funders Need to Know. The findings are notable because “burnout” moves front and center this year. This time, it is in first place: “Burnout — for both nonprofit staff and leadership — remains a top concern for most nonprofit leaders, with half of nonprofit leaders feeling more concerned about their own burnout than this time last year.”
While burnout from job stress and trauma is a constant issue in nonprofit organizations, nonprofit leaders’ alarm over the issue is not abating but rising. Half of those surveyed are more concerned about their own burnout now than they were in 2023. From one leader, ‘I have been a nonprofit leader for 20 years and I’ve not experienced a reality like the one I am in currently. There are no trailblazers that have faced this path before us, to guide and provide wisdom. It is a wild world right now.’
At The Mindful Project, we work intensively with teams to provide relief from work stress and trauma. We cannot unsee and unhear the data, and the data is painting an alarming picture. Because the folks working in public safety, in public schools, and in nonprofits serving women and children are seeing and hearing about the worst of society, their mental health is struggling. The health of this group of helpers receives very little attention. We need them healthy, supported, resilient, and resourced. The health of our communities directly depends on them.
To ensure they’re not burning out from job-related trauma and quitting, and to ensure they’re able to continue to provide quality basic needs like safety, education, and mental health services, we need to take a more active role in helping these people heal from their job. They are doing the hard work, and they deserve to feel good and whole.
What they’re saying…
“ As someone who struggles with anxiety, I found the tools and techniques to be very helpful. I continue to practice them and will work hard on making them part of my daily routine. It has made a huge difference in helping me to manage my anxiety and be more mindful of my thoughts, feelings, and actions. I have been at this agency for ten and a half years, and this was honestly one of the best and most helpful self-care things we have ever done in my opinion. I hope we get to take more classes with you in the future! Thank you again for working with us and the work you are doing in the community.”
What to expect
What is the set up like?
Whether you choose a half day block training or a twelve-week series, all classes mix lecture with experiential mindfulness practices to help participants stay engaged. While the lesson plan is the same each time to ensure consistent delivery, details are refined to be relevant to your industry.
Choose from:
One-hour webinar : SEE WEBINAR TOPICS HERE
Two-hour workshop : Choose from webinar topics
Four-hour workshop or retreat-style
Eight-week series : Full Mindfulness for Stress Curriculum
Twelve-week series : Extended Mindfulness for Stress Curriculum
We meet in a classroom style set up with everyone in chairs at a table or desk. This is not yoga so no yoga mats are needed.
Pre and post-surveys are conducted to report back efficacy of the training.
What is included in the workshop fees?
In-person or virtual live training.
One (optional) private session per participant with instructor.
One year unlimited access for each participant to The Daily Well app providing extensive mindfulness and movement classes. ($200 value per person). Because stress and trauma are physical and body-based, yoga or any kind of movement is encouraged on the healing journey.
Complete custom workbook for each participant, branded with your logo.
A recorded version of each class for participants who have to miss (for 8 & 12 week series classes only).
A final report summarizing participant feedback.
When can you come teach?
The course can begin anytime, and may be offered Monday - Friday during normal work hours.
Do we have access to our instructor during the series?
Yes! All participants have email access to the instructor for the duration of the series, or before and after the workshop if a one-time session.
How is the training customized for my business?
During an intake session, we learn about your people, your business culture, and unique struggles. Together, we decide on a name for the training. Options include:
Mindfulness for Mental Health
Mindfulness for Stress
Introduction to Mindfulness
Mental Wellness in the Workplace
Stress Relief Series
Then, on day one of training we ask all participants to fill out an anonymous survey where they share details of work and home stressors. The instructor threads those real life examples through the training.
What can we expect in the workshop?
Each training is front-loaded with the “why:” the neuroscience of stress and trauma and a concept called “widening the window of tolerance.” Knowing how the body and brain relate to stress helps participants anchor into why this work matters, and helps to normalize their personal experience.
Learning key definitions is followed by broader conversations of how stress and mindfulness relate to work, relationships, and physical and mental wellness.
What will we learn?
Regardless of length of training chosen, all participants leave with at least three trauma-informed stress reduction techniques and three breathing techniques. Longer trainings cover more topics and offer more techniques.
Overall, participants will learn how to:
Reduce stress
Increase resilience and well-being
Lower anxiety and depression
Improve sleep
Lower inflammation
Work with challenging thought patterns and emotions
Increase their sense of purpose at work and at home
Each participant leaves with training materials as their toolbox of research-backed techniques to help them take back control of their health.
The goal is to provide simple yet powerful techniques to be easily used on a daily basis to mitigate the effects of job-related stress. Of course, the techniques also apply to all areas of life.
Who is this for?
MIST is for anyone in a high stress career, including but not limited to: public school employees, healthcare workers, fire departments, lawyers, non-profits, and military.
See here Mindfulness Interventions for Law Enforcement.
Why should I do this for my team?
Working with The Mindful Project provides an increase in health and quality of life by targeting the ways in which chronic stress is managed in the body and mind. Ultimately, each participant learns ways to better cope with traumatic and stressful events as an ongoing life skill, so these events no longer take such a toll on overall health and wellness.
Stress is not inherently bad, and in fact, healthy levels of stress are required for high performance. However, the American Medical Association now says 75-90% of human disease is due to untreated chronic stress. Combined with work related traumas that certain industries face, intervention is required to continue to care for each individual and their quality of life. In addition to the personal health and wellness component, neuroscience shows that the healing of each person contributes to a more effective team environment, as well as higher on-the-job performance.