Free Webinars: Fall 2018 – Mindfulness Intervention

 20-Minute Mindful Compassion Webinars
Hosted by San Diego State University
(Updated September 13, 2018) 

  • All webinars are offered free of charge through SDSU Zoom – https://SDSU.zoom.us/j/781586558
  • Each Webinar will begin promptly at 12 noon (pacific time) on each date indicated.
  • Each webinar will be recorded and shared for future reference at https://rushingtoyoga.org/?page_id=286, where the free book with additional resources can be obtained.
  • Each webinar will be no more than 20 minutes in length with 10 additional minutes for live questions and comments.

 Webinar 1: Can a 4 week mindfulness-based intervention change a student’s outlook
October, 18, 2018 – Joseph Croskey

Students come to higher education with a variety of goals, motivations and resources to succeed. Many students from less affluent families have fewer resources and previous experiences to successfully navigate higher education. Students face stress from a variety of sources, including roommates, classes, family and more. A four-week mindfulness and meditation workshop designed for students in a public institution of higher education may help students from low socio-economic status manage stress effectively and achieve optimal outcomes.

What will it take to garner student participation in a free workshop that requires a weekly time commitment of 1.5 hours, daily 10-minute meditation requirement, and brief daily journaling? Will a mindfulness-based intervention teach students skills that they will utilize to help them face stressful challenges and thrive?

Joseph Croskey has dedicated his professional career to public service and currently serves as a professor at Clarion University of PA. He has been involved with contemplative practices from various traditions for over 20 years. He continues to explore the art of leadership and works to inspire others to share their unique gifts with the world. He also works with businesses and individuals to apply leadership, mindfulness and emotional intelligence practices to improve workplace efficiency, culture, morale and well-being. He is a certified trainer for the Search Inside Yourself Leadership Institute, the mindfulness program developed at Google. He is a graduate of West Point, the US Military Academy and The George Washington University. He is currently completing his doctoral research, investigating students’ experiences with a mindfulness-based intervention.

Joseph is a skilled facilitator of business workshops, blending his knowledge of leadership, diversity and mindfulness practice to help organizations (profit and non-profit) transform. He wholeheartedly supports the SIYLI mission to help develop wise and compassionate leaders in order to create the conditions for world peace.

He is married to his sunshine, Kathleen Ellwood and they have three adult children, Ken, Jen and Beth; three grandchildren and a four legged member – Carson.

Mindful Compassion Webinar Oct. 18, 2018
Presenters: Joseph Croskey Kathleen Ellwood
Audio file
SDSU Mindful Compassion Webinar

 



Webinar 2: Introduction to Mindful Self-Compassion
November,8, 2018 – Megan Leuchars Prager 

How do you typically react to difficulties in life? Do you instinctively fight uncomfortable experiences or find fault in yourself when things go wrong? What if, instead, you took a moment to comfort yourself when you felt bad—as you would do for others?
In this 20 minute webinar, Megan Prager will discuss self-compassion as a skill that can be learned by anyone. Research has shown that it boosts happiness, reduces anxiety and depression, and can even help you stick to your diet and exercise routine. In this webinar participants will learn:

  • What Self-Compassion Is
  • What gets in the way of being Self-Compassionate (fears and misgivings)
  • Self-Compassion Research
  • Suggested practices and tips for being more Self-Compassionate

This webinar is based on the research of Dr. Kristin Neff, and the Mindful Self-Compassion program developed by Drs. Neff and Germer. For more information about program, visit: https://centerformsc.org/.

Megan Prager is a Certified Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction Instructor, a Certified Mindful Self-Compassion Instructor, a Certified Yoga Instructor, Director of Outreach at UC San Diego Center for Mindfulness, and Adjunct Faculty at San Diego State University. In addition to teaching Mindfulness-based programs, Megan specializes in developing and delivering mindfulness trainings for Fortune 500 companies as well as for educational, healthcare, and academic settings. Megan is one of the founders of the UCSD Center’s Work-Life Integration Program and co-founder and teacher trainer for the UCSD Professional Training Institute’s 9-Day MBSR Teacher Training Practicum.  In all her ventures, Megan’s passion and mission are the same: to empower individuals with an understanding of the important role they play in shaping their lives and well being. Megan believes through compassionate awareness individuals are able to utilize the best resource they have: themselves.

Mindful Self-Compassion Video (youtube)   

Dr. Kristin Neff:  Self-Compassion Exercises


Webinar 3: A Multidimensional Approach to Compassion – Scale Development and Application
December 7, 2018 – Hooria Jazaieri, Ph.D

Compassion is considered to be a multidimensional state with four key components: 1) an awareness of suffering (cognitive/empathetic); 2) sympathetic concern related to being emotionally moved by suffering (affective); 3) a wish to see the relief of that suffering (intentional), and 4) a responsiveness or readiness to help relieve that suffering (motivational) (Jinpa, 2010). The objective of the present research was to construct and validate the Multidimensional Compassion Scale (MCS), a general measure of compassion with four components: cognitive, affective, intentional, and motivational. In our research with over 10,000 adults from 144 different countries, we have found evidence for the validity and reliability of the MCS. The MCS has demonstrated excellent internal consistency in all samples. In terms of convergent validity, results demonstrated that the MCS is related to positive outcomes such as empathy, common humanity, happiness, psychological well-being, and positive affect. When examining discriminate validity of the MCS, we have found inverse relationships with fear of compassion, loneliness, and negative affect. We have also examined the MCS’s relationship to the Big Five personality factors (openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, neuroticism). The MCS has also demonstrated predictive validity within the context of a 21-day dairy study.

HooriaJazaieri, Ph.D., is a research fellow at the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. She studies the role of social cognitive constructs (e.g., reputation, team chemistry) and positive affect (e.g., compassion, joy, gratitude) on individual and team performance. Her research has been funded by the National Science Foundation, UC Berkeley’s Greater Good Science Center, and Stanford University’s Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education. Hooria’s research has been published in leading academic journals in the fields of psychology, psychiatry, and neuroscience. She holds a PhD in Social Psychology from the University of California, Berkeley, an MA (LMFT) in Counseling Psychology from Santa Clara University, and a BS in Psychology from the University of Washington. Outside of academia, she has professional experience in a variety of industries including tech, consulting, and mental health.

A Multidimensional Approach to Compassion – Scale Development and Application  

Video & Audio will be available at a later date.