Dr. Michael Mrazek - Finding Focus

Betsy and Nicole have a conversation with Dr. Michael Mrazek. Dr. Mrazek is a research scientist at UC Santa Barbara where he serves as the Director of Research at the Center for Mindfulness & Human Potential. This two-part interview is centered around "Finding Focus".

Finding Focus is a digital course for teens created by UC Santa Barbara & UT Austin. The 22-day course teaches students how to train their attention and also how to use attention to relate more effectively to their thoughts and emotions. There are weekly 12-minute lessons and daily 4-minute exercises, for a total time commitment of 2.5 hours. Scientific research shows that the course leads to increased classroom focus, better stress management, and improved emotional regulation.

Thanks to funding from the U.S. Dept. of Education, high school teachers and their students get free access. A teacher interface makes it simple to enroll students and track their progress.

Welcome to season 3 of Arkansas A.W.A.R.E.!

Join Betsy Kindall, Nicole Fairchild, and Stacy Moore as they discuss issues related to mental health in education. Their conversations are witty and relate-able, simultaneously shedding light on issues that can sometimes be hard to confront or understand. These episodes are chunked into small bites and packed with information that would be helpful to educators, parents, children.....anyone! We want to help make everyone more A.W.A.R.E.!

Project A.W.A.R.E. is a grant program funded by S.A.M.H.S.A. (the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration). The Sandy Hook school shooting happened in December of 2012. In 2013 the White House initiative "NOW IS THE TIME" came out with 2 key goals:

1. Make schools safer and more nurturing.

2. Increase access to mental health services.

The "NOW IS THE TIME" initiative laid the foundation for federal grants like A.W.A.R.E. Arkansas applied for and received the second round of funding for A.W.A.R.E. in October of 2018. Our project is dedicated to Advancing Wellness and Resiliency in Education.

Arkansas A.W.A.R.E. website:
https://dese.ade.arkansas.gov/Offices/learning-services/school-health-services/arkansas-aware

Transcript:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1sU-saEtylrHr4y59jLQjcTcS86D-3lsV/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=104750952408493783016&rtpof=true&sd=true

Resources:

Finding Focus:
http://www.findingfocus.app

Course Intro & Overview:
https://mrazek.wistia.com/medias/k4ff5b8px8

Your Mind is Bigger Than Your Emotions:
https://youtu.be/m1aNVk6fJas

The scientific research Mindfulness-Based Attention Training:
https://www.mdpi.com/2227-7102/9/3/230

Produced by Donnie Lee
Music: https://www.purple-planet.com
More information: https://dese.ade.arkansas.gov/Offices/communications/dese-podcasts