Groups and Workshops

Get an in-depth introduction to Art & Mindfulness in this fun, engaging, and age-appropriate workshop.

Our Art & Mindfulness classes are designed to engage children so fully, that they let go of worries and stresses, focusing on the present moment. Studies show that both creating and observing art can reduce cortisol, the stress hormone in both children and adults.

This calming class incorporates music, art, and mindfulness techniques to allow children to focus and have fun while creating their art. This non-competitive class is an opportunity for your child to let go and be themselves without any fear of judgment.

Participants will learn the process of systematic desensitization to internal cues or a deprogramming of established reactive habits in the central nervous system to develop an internal locus of control while purposefully inhibiting habitual, learned reactions. You will develop an increasing ability to accept whatever arises from moment to moment while remaining as non-reactive as possible. Since mindfulness addresses the very core of reinforcement, it has the ability to correct maladaptive behavior and foster mastery of the mind.

New research in the field of neuroscience provides evidence that mindfulness produces neuroplasticity, which is the ability of the brain to rewire itself according to the task it is required to perform. As the pathways to self-awareness and acceptance in frontal and other regions of the brain become more connected, self-control in the face of problems such as anxiety, depression and traumatic symptoms is made easier. Similarly, people with these conditions can resist the craving for self-medicating substances more easily. Thus, mindfulness can help people with numerous conditions where addiction is a complicating factor in treatment. You will learn and practice practical tools and techniques that will develop self-awareness, self-acceptance, and a sense of control over emotional reactivity in a safe and supportive environment.

Here at the South Shore Stress Management Collaborative, we are passionate about offering mindful art and creative self-care activities to foster healthy stress management and resilience building skills. Open Arts Studio is an opportunity for adults and kids to express themselves in a safe and noncompetitive environment. Turn off your busy mind, get messy, and create without expectation. Tell perfectionism and the “inner critic” to take a hike. These fun techniques help you express yourself and play, even if you have no art “talent” at all. Experience the freedom of cathartic, inventive art making. You’ll be amazed at what emerges when you release expectations and just let go.

Through simple, fun, and inspirational exercises and creative activities, you will be empowered to embrace your Inner Critic and find freedom through self-awareness, self-compassion, and self-expression.

Come sample and play with an array of mixed media including silk painting, collage, art journaling, clay and Zentangle.

De-stress and self-express through the art of coloring! We will provide a variety of coloring implements and decorative templates that will appeal to all age groups. In addition, you will learn how coloring and mindfulness work together to provide a wonderful outlet, as well as support for managing stress and overwhelm.

Untangle your mind with Zentangle, a new meditative art style that takes doodling to another level by creating beautiful, intricate, hand drawn images while using structured patterns. This relaxing art form is simple to understand and easy to enjoy. You will also learn how doodling accesses the creative area of the brain based on ‘Tinker Dabble Doodle Try: Unlock the Power of the Unfocused Mind” by Dr. Srini Pillay.

Smart Brain Wise Heart™ is a social and emotional learning program from the HeartMath Institute. Students learn at their own pace while the instructor reinforces key self-regulation skills. It draws on the best of young peoples’ brains and hearts to help empower them to make smarter decisions, gain greater self-control and navigate the academic and social dimensions of life with greater success.

At the heart of SBWH are short and engaging whiteboard animation videos that present key ideas and practices in important social and emotional learning competencies. With abundant support from a variety of enrichment activities.

SBWH is a blended learning program for students, ages 9-16, that combines professional instruction along with a fully developed online learning program. Different strands of instruction deepen the learning experience, including review and discussion, activity worksheets, illustrated articles, practice opportunities, project-based action assignments, learning-based scenario videos and assessments.

In addition, the HeartMath biofeedback system, EmWave Pro, will be introduced and utilized within the program. The emWave® educational self-regulation technology and the tools and techniques of the HeartMath System incorporate over 23 years of scientific research on the psychophysiology of stress, emotions and heart-brain interactions.

Benefits:

• Focus and attention

• Emotional resilience

• Impulse control

• Anger management

• Motivation to succeed

• Comprehension

• Problem-solving

• Test scores

Features:

• Real-time heart rate variability monitor.

• Four challenge levels to help students raise their baseline coherence levels.

• Coherence Coach®tutorial for learning and applying the Quick Coherence®.

• Interactive games that make if fun for students to build focus and emotional resilience.

• Emotion Visualizer®, which provides stunning colorful images that vary according to a student’s emotional state and coherence level.

• Secure data storage showing coherence levels for session and history review.

The purpose of this 8 week immersion in developing intuition is to help you know, trust, and guide yourself with clarity and confidence in all areas of your life using the most valuable tool you already have: your intuition.

Developing your Intuition is the process of perceiving or knowing things to a high degree of certainty without conscious reasoning. Researchers with the HeartMath Institute have conducted numerous controlled and scientifically validated studies over more than half a century and have expanded the definition of intuition to include not only conscious perception by the mind alone, but also by the body’s entire psychophysiological system.

What we know today about what the heart knows is truly exciting and the implications are great. The HeartMath Institute’s findings point to the human heart as playing a key role in the intuitive process, and recent studies conclude that the heart actually receives intuitive information faster than the brain – by a second or slightly more. This would seem to attribute some independent intelligence to the heart: In fact, the concept of a “heart brain” and the science of Neurocardiology is widely accepted today.

It has been established that the heart has a powerful electromagnetic field and its own complex nervous system and circuitry that generates up to an estimated 60 times the electrical amplitude of the brain. The electromagnetic signal our heart rhythms produce actually can be measured in the brain waves of people around us. It is no wonder that the findings by researchers at HeartMath and elsewhere conclude that the heart has its own organized intelligence network enabling it to act independently, learn, remember and produce feelings – all attributes which, until recently, were nearly universally held to be solely in the brain’s dominion.

Perhaps the knowledge that the heart possesses this intuitive intelligence doesn’t mean much to you because your experience has been that although some people seem capable of tapping into their intuition, you haven’t been able to do it. As far as you know, you’ve never experienced intuition, or it is such a rarity that you readily dismiss all such instances as mere coincidence or sheer luck. What would it mean if you could fine-tune this intuitive ability? Is it even possible? The HeartMath Institute’s extensive scientific studies indicate you can develop and enhance your intuition. In this intensive workshop you will learn how to develop your heart’s intuitive intelligence and use it advantageously.

The purpose of the this group is to meet and connect with an intimate group of like-minded women to talk about real topics related to personal growth, self love, self acceptance, relationships, health, mindfulness and wellness. It is a safe space to be yourself, be vulnerable, speak your truth, share ideas and connect with others on a deep level.  You will learn how to develop your own Self Care Plan for Daily and Weekly Self Care.

This is a safe therapeutic environment where each woman will learn mindfulness-based coping, self-compassion and interpersonal skills toward increased self-empowerment.

Learn to better manage your challenging emotions, increase your self-compassion, improve your assertiveness: expressing needs and getting them met, improve your ability to stay present in the moment, enhance your stress resilience and improve communication with others.

The Group runs in 8 week segments with different topics. There is time for learning new skills as well as for weekly check in for social support and growth.

Do you feel overwhelmed and stressed? Do you want a simple, fun, and quick self-care practices to explore your creativity and relax?

Join in on a fun, engaging, experiential workshop where you will learn practical tools and techniques that you can integrate into your daily lives that will provide the necessary support to reduce stress, anxiety, depression and maladaptive coping mechanisms.

We’ll demystify mindfulness and meditation and teach you how you can access inner calm and stability “on demand!” You will learn exactly how you can make time for yourself no matter HOW busy you are!

You’ll explore and practice simple but powerful tools and techniques that reduce reactivity and foster resilience and overall well being.

De-stress with intuitive Mandala art exercises, journaling, and mindful breathing techniques you can do daily (in as little as 5 minutes)! We’ll explore ways to create joyfully, relax with ease, and an empowering affirmation writing exercise inspired by your Mandala Cards. No art experience needed – Come as you are! Give the gift of PLAY and REST to your Inner Creative Muse.

For Support in coping with narcissism in intimate relationships such as parent/child, sibling or spouse.

It seems inconceivable, like your entire world and what you thought it should look like has been turned upside down. Your beliefs about humanity, and how people should treat other people has been disrupted. The feelings of despair, confusion and utter disbelief are commonly shared by those who have been narcissistically abused.

Getting unstuck from the hook that keeps you in the torment of narcissistic abuse is vital to healing, feeling safe, and having a fulfilling life. Understanding the narcissist is far less important than you coming to peace and acceptance, creating meaning in your experience, and avoiding being stuck trying to reconcile what happened for years.

We do have a real hope of recovery by healing and understanding ourselves. This intent of this meetup is to provide us with support, resources, and information to reclaim our real life and a healthy sense of self.

This group is intended for women and men who consider themselves to have been, are, or are in the process of ending a relationship with a narcissist and who are interested in learning coping strategies for recovery. These coping strategies apply whether the narcissist was a spouse, friend, partner, boss, co-worker parent or other family member. This group is intended to provide support in recovering from narcissistic abuse and learning and incorporating tools and strategies to move on and not only recover but also thrive after narcissistic abuse.