{"id":7275,"date":"2018-04-05T09:00:52","date_gmt":"2018-04-05T09:00:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/laverne.edu\/news\/?p=7275"},"modified":"2022-01-12T12:49:25","modified_gmt":"2022-01-12T20:49:25","slug":"niki-elliott-offer-keynote-address-pasadena-mayors-prayer-breakfast","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/laverne.edu\/news\/2018\/04\/05\/niki-elliott-offer-keynote-address-pasadena-mayors-prayer-breakfast\/","title":{"rendered":"每日大赛 Professor Niki Elliott to Offer Keynote Address at Pasadena Mayor\u2019s Prayer Breakfast"},"content":{"rendered":"

More students are arriving at college with mental health challenges that can hinder learning and even lead to dropping out.<\/p>\n

But Dr. Niki Elliott teaches an evidenced-based practice that may help reverse the problem: mindfulness.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s what she plans to share as keynote speaker for the 45th<\/sup>\u00a0Annual Pasadena Mayor\u2019s Interfaith Prayer Breakfast on May 3.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe should wrap our hearts around all youth, not just the ones we raise in our own family, but around other people\u2019s children, too,\u201d Elliott said. \u201cWe have to raise these children as a community.\u201d<\/p>\n

Elliott, the co-director of the University of La\u00a0Verne\u2019s Center for Neurodiversity, Learning, and Wellness, trains classroom teachers, school psychologists, and other education professionals to make mindfulness practices the first line of treatment and positive behavior support for all students. Mindfulness is a psychological process of focusing on the present moment through practices such as meditation.<\/p>\n

The Center for Neurodiversity, along with other academic centers and initiatives, serves the mission of the University of La\u00a0Verne\u2019s LaFetra College of Education by seeking social justice through community engagement.<\/p>\n

Elliott says she is proud to live in a city like Pasadena, where the mayor is committed to establishing a model of care for youth and families that takes into consideration each child\u2019s past or current mental health issues.<\/p>\n

The American College Health Association\u2019s\u00a02015 National College Health Assessment Survey\u00a0showed that 20.8 percent of students surveyed experienced overwhelming anxiety within a year of college. That is a jump from 18.2 percent in the\u00a02008 survey.<\/p>\n

Psychology Today<\/em>\u00a0wrote that five to eight times as many high school and college students meet the criteria for diagnosis of major depression or anxiety disorder than at least a half century ago.<\/p>\n

Elliott said ACEs (Adverse Childhood Experiences), such as exposure to domestic violence, divorce, sexual abuse, persistent racism, and bullying can lead to \u201ctoxic stress,\u201d which can carry through childhood into college years and beyond.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe brain cannot learn optimally when it is experiencing toxic stress,\u201d she said. \u201cAt the University of La\u00a0Verne and other universities, professionals in higher education are noticing an explosion of students arriving at college with mental health issues such depression and anxiety disorder. It\u2019s causing them to miss class and fail exams. Some students are dropping out because of this.\u201d<\/p>\n

Elliott said two approaches she suggests would be incorporating mindfulness practices such as secular forms of meditation beginning in grade school and educating teachers and parents how the brain and nervous system respond to stress and trauma.\u00a0Studies<\/a>\u00a0have shown that mindfulness can help heal the adverse effects of childhood trauma.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople from all walks of life\u2014whether or not they have children\u2014should take a direct interest in supporting youth and families. It will take a committed coalition of citizens from all faiths and all walks of life to help reverse this trend. We must all work together to mend the hearts and minds of our youth,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Event Details<\/h2>\n