Mindfulness training available for EVMS staff

Mon, 20 Mar 2023 13:08:00 EDT

Richard Handel, PhD, EVMS’ Institutional Wellness Officer and Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, will lead a small cohort of 12 EVMS non-faculty staff members through a mindfulness-focused training series.   

 The four-week course will take place via Zoom, with each session lasting 75 minutes. Dr. Handel is a certified teacher of Koru Mindfulness by the  Center for Koru Mindfulness, which promotes an evidence-based curriculum developed over the course of a decade by psychiatrists Holly Rogers, MD, and Margaret Maytan, MD. The Center also provides resources and support to teachers and students looking to begin or deepen their mindfulness practice. This course was originally developed for college-aged students, but the curriculum can be used for all age groups.  

“Through the course, participants will be introduced to a variety of mindfulness and meditation techniques that can be incorporated into busy lifestyles,” says Dr. Handel.  “My hope is they walk away from the experience with new tools to reduce stress and improve their overall well-being.”

The course enrollment will be restricted to 12 people and is being offered exclusively to EVMS staff members in an online format from 6:30 p.m. to 7:45 p.m. every Tuesday from April 11 through May 2. The required text for the course is “The Mindful Twenty-Something” by Dr. Rogers. The course also requires the Koru app. Both the book and the app will be provided for free to everyone who registers for the course.

This course is for non-faculty staff only. Please do not register if you are an EVMS faculty member, student, resident, fellow, or you are not a full-time employee of EVMS.