MINDFULNESS AS A CATALYST FOR EQUITY AND COLLECTIVE HEALING
Watch for new dates in 2025!
Mindfulness as a Catalyst for Equity and Collective Healing strives to inspire individuals to become agents for social change by using trauma-informed relational mindfulness practices infused by frameworks of psychosocial and cultural competency. The foundational pillars of this program are grounded in fostering trust, acceptance, and compassion to facilitate a transformational journey with life-long personal, interpersonal, social, and global impact.
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This program is ideal for individuals who appreciate the layers of conditioning in our current societal dynamics, and who are willing to explore the role they play in such dynamics and the possibilities for growth, choice, and change. This process requires a commitment to self-reflection and a willingness to be vulnerable while being held in a non-judgmental, safe, and compassionate environment. Psychologists, Licensed Mental Healthcare Workers, Social Workers, and Educators can earn 32.5 CEUs upon completion of the training.
Walk Away With
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How to use mindfulness in your every day life
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Practice in nurturing your relationship with yourself
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The role you play living in a racialized system
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How to approach your social conditioning with compassion
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Skills to move towards cultural proficiency
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Deep listening skills, mindful communication, and authentic relationships
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The role you play in creating positive change in this world​
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4 mindfulness audio files for long-term practice
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Training workbook to keep for continued reference
Scholarships:
Scholarships are available--many residents of the City of Worcester can take these programs for free, thanks to a grant from ARPA and the City of Worcester. Other scholarships are available, an affordable sliding scale, or full price for those who are able to support scholarships for those in financial need. Please email info@heartwellinstitute.com for more information.
We are committed to breaking down barriers of access to health and wellness for BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, and those underrepresented in our society. Grant funding from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) and the City of Worcester and corporate support from UniBank help us to keep this education affordable for all members of our community.
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*This program offers 32.5 CEU credits. For more information, please visit here or contact us.
Course Dates:
New dates coming soon!
Program Type
Experiential program for small or large groups, with systematic training on mindfulness and meditation practices, interactive exercises, and didactic psycho-educational components in cultural and racial literacy as well as social-emotional learning, stress reduction and resilience. This program includes a silent retreat experience halfway into the program to deepen the practices.
About the Instructors
Zayda Vallejo, MLitt is Co-founder of The HeartWell Institute in Worcester, MA. A Certified MBSR instructor, for more than 20 years Zayda has been teaching classes, mentoring professionals, and conducting trainings in MBSR at the UMass Center for Mindfulness, the Mindfulness Center at Brown University, Cambridge Health Alliance Center for Mindfulness and Compassion at Harvard University Medical School, the Center for Mindfulness at UCSD, and Mindfulness Kids Miami. She teaches 5- and 7- day MBSR guided silent retreats. She also holds a 200-hour Yoga Teacher Certification from the Kripalu School of Yoga. Zayda is a co-author of Treating Co-Occurring Adolescent PTSD and Addiction: Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for Adolescents with Trauma and Substance-Abuse Disorders, and Moment-to-Moment in Women’s Recovery: A Mindfulness-Based Relapse Prevention Program. Zayda designed the “Mindfulness Immersion” training program, which she has taught to educators, psychologists, and social workers. She is co-author of the “Mindfulness as a Catalyst for Equity and Collective Healing” training program with Dr. Bertha-Elena Rojas.
Coqui Negrón is a health educator, mindfulness teacher and changemaker with over three decades of experience in public health. Coqui has received training in different healing modalities such as Reiki, Polarity Therapy, Laughter Yoga and mindfulness and is committed to making those accessible to individuals and communities. Her work is inspired by her belief in the power of people and communities to heal themselves. She is a member of different collectives and community organizations in Worcester, Massachusetts that fight for economic, racial and language justice and brings to them her passion for creating welcoming, accessible, and inclusive environments for people of all ages, genders, and racial backgrounds. Coqui holds a Master of Education, with a concentration in Health, from Worcester State University and completed the Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Teacher training at Brown University. Coqui is fluent in English and Spanish.
CE Credit Guidelines
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APA: The HeartWell Institute is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education credits for psychologists. The HeartWell Institute maintains responsibility for this program and content.
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NBCC ACEP: The HeartWell Institute has been approved by NBCC as an Approved Continuing Education Provider ACEP No. 7058. Programs that do not qualify for CE credit are clearly identified. The HeartWell Institute is solely responsible for all aspects of the program.
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NASW - MA Chapter: Application for social work continuing education credits has been submitted. Please contact us at info@heartwellinstitute.org for the status of social work CE accreditation.
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MA-DESE: The HeartWell Institute is an approved provider for Professional Development Points (PDPs) for educators. PDPs are awarded after a minimum of 10 hours of programming has been completed. Programs can be combined for this purpose.
