Dr. Andrea Grabovac will give a 60 minute interactive presentation on mindfulness, beginning with a definition of mindfulness and a brief guided mindfulness practice.  She will then summarize medical research literature on mindfulness, and the research on the effects of mindfulness practice in the school setting on learning and educational development. The last half of the talk will focus on practical mindfulness exercises that can be done with children at home and a review of print and web-based resources.

Dr. Andrea Grabovac is a Clinical Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of British Columbia.  She works as a consultant psychiatrist in the Brief Intervention Unit at Vancouver Hospital. and uses mindfulness-based clinical interventions in her work with cancer patients at the BC Cancer Agency. She teaches Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy at the Vancouver Hospital psychiatry outpatient department, and leads Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) groups at the BC Cancer Agency. She is currently involved in a multicenter study comparing the impact of two interventions, MBSR and supportive expressive group therapy, on stress reduction and cortisol levels in breast cancer patients.