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Frequently Asked Questions
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For common questions regarding the Shanthi Project, check out our Frequently Asked Questions below.
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What curriculum is used in your programs?
What training and certifications do Shanthi Project instructors hold?
To foster and model trauma-informed best practices when teaching, Shanthi Project requires all of its mindfulness instructors to complete 14 hours of trauma-informed training led by a senior instructor and clinical psychologist; they are also required to complete two eight-week online learning programs in mindfulness education via Mindful Schools before they can implement our programs. As an organization, Shanthi Project is committed to recognizing behaviors often associated with exposure to trauma, helping students regulate their emotions, and using preventive trauma-informed best practices to avoid re-traumatization of students.
What is mindfulness?
"Mindfulness is the awareness that arises through paying attention, on purpose,
in the present moment, non-judgmentally." - Jon Kabat-Zinn
Studies show us that mindfulness decreases stress and anxiety, improves attention and brain functioning, improves mood and emotional regulation, and increases overall health and body awareness.
Mindfulness is now a common tool used in the positive psychology offered by nearly all of our public education, health, and human services organizations.
What curriculum is used in your programs?
Our Calm+Kind+Focused curriculum is based on the Mindful Schools and Mind-UP curricula. Both programs have extensive outcome research that shows consistent increases in self-awareness and attentional capacity, self-regulation, and social skills.
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Mindfulness lessons include techniques to cope with change, respond to strong emotions, show kindness through actions, feel grateful, practice tolerance, and much more. Shanthi Project is committed to delivering an inclusive, secular curriculum to all the students and community members we work with.
How do I get Shanthi Project in my school?
The first step in partnering with Shanthi Project is to make sure that your principal, school counselors, and teachers are as committed to bringing mindfulness to your school as you are. Once the commitment is there, please reach out to us at info@shanthiproject.org.
If my child participates in a "Trauma-Informed" program, does that mean he/she/they is being treated for trauma?
No. In a trauma-informed school, the adults in that school community are prepared to recognize and respond to students who have been impacted by traumatic stress. These adults simply have an extra level of highly-effective training to treat the symptoms of trauma. Mindfulness and therapeutic yoga are clinically-backed treatments to manage the long-term effects of these symptoms.
I keep hearing about mindfulness to treat ACES. What are ACES?
“ACEs” is an acronym for Adverse Childhood Experiences. The term originated in a 1995 study conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and the Kaiser Permanente health care organization in California. Not only did the study show that ACEs are quite common, but according to a recap from Harvard University, “there is a powerful, persistent correlation between the more ACEs experienced and the greater the chance of poor outcomes later in life, including dramatically increased risk of heart disease, diabetes, obesity, depression, substance abuse, smoking, poor academic achievement, time out of work, and early death.”
ACEs can be treated in children and adults by reducing stress, building healthy relationships, and strengthening self-awareness. Mindfulness and therapeutic yoga are the exercises in which these treatments are administered. According to the CDC, ACEs are potentially traumatic events that occur in childhood between 0-17 years.
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A few examples of ACEs include:
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Experiencing violence, abuse, or neglect
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Witnessing violence
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Substance abuse in the home
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Mental illness in the home
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Parental separation or incarceration
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Divorce
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Food insecurity
Does Shanthi Project teach adults too?
Yes! We work with school personnel, social workers, counselors, families, businesses, and community organizations. If you are interested in learning more about trauma-informed mindfulness, please email us at info@shanthiproject.org.