Heart-Centered Connections™ Immersion Program & Retreat
For educators, child-serving professionals, and caregivers
Imagine you and your peers tapping into your full potential
so you each can feel grounded, open your hearts, and have the vision to see the genius in every child and colleague you encounter.
Learn to cultivate inclusive learning environments.
Enrich students’ felt-safety, agency, and resilience through the application of educational neurobiology, culturally responsive teaching, and mind-body awareness practices.
In the HCC Program, you will experience the transformative power of equity-based social-emotional learning. The program’s content draws on a foundation of polyvagal theory, interpersonal neurobiology, educational neuroscience, and trauma-informed mindfulness practices.
Research shows that deep learning requires connection before content. From a nervous system perspective, you will learn to address the unconscious biases that often hinder our ability to connect with youth. As you learn to address your own unconscious biases, you will be able to cultivate environments that support children’s social-emotional well-being, thus improving their opportunities for deep learning. The HCC program is unique in that it teaches you how to create optimal conditions for learning by connecting with youth on a brain, nervous system, and cultural level.
Riverside County Office of Education
The HCC program is a 25-hour certificate training* with an 8-week commitment from child-serving professionals.
The program begins with a two-day immersion retreat introducing core foundational knowledge and mind-body practices. The immersion retreat is a day of in-person connection that sets the stage for the remainder of the training.
Topics include:
- Setting group agreements to establish a culture of safety and trust
- Learning the foundations of interpersonal neurobiology
- Building a model brain and nervous system
- Exploring polyvagal theory and the science of felt-safety
- Understanding the impact of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) on long-term life outcomes
- Practicing trauma-informed mindfulness, breathwork and other mind-body practices to increase personal well-being and professional capacity
The immersion retreat is followed by seven live virtual learning sessions.
*CEU Credits available through the University of San Diego for child-serving professionals.
Our Heart-Centered Connections™ Curriculum delivers transformational experiences in 7 Pillars:
Pillar #1: Establishing Capacity for Healthy Co-Regulation
In this pillar, you will:
- learn the foundational elements of the autonomic nervous system
- dive into the science of your nervous system’s survival responses
- explore the healing power of your vagus nerve
- discover ways to enhance your nervous system’s resilience through breathwork practices
- uncover the ways in which your nervous system uniquely responds to cues of perceived threat and consider which practices support you in resetting your nervous system for social engagement
Pillar #2: Taking a Mindful Approach to Behavior Support
In this pillar, you will:
- learn how to access the ventral vagal state, a nervous system state that is key for social engagement
- gain knowledge of how different nervous system states produce different behavior responses and consider how and when these behaviors appear in those you serve
- learn strategies to support those you serve in returning to a settled nervous system state
Pillar #3: Embodying Equity and Social Justice
In this pillar, you will:
- understand the impact of trauma and racial stress on learning and development
- acquire skills in identifying how nonverbal interactions act as embodied microaggressions
- learn how to uncover where bias lives in the body
- attain a mindset shift in how you view issues of equity and social justice from a nervous system perspective
Pillar #4: Connecting with Mindful Communication Skills
In this pillar, you will:
- learn strategies for creating felt-safety in interactions with others
- explore the power of storytelling and narrative empathy to enhance social connections with the youth you serve
Pillar #5: Elevating Agency and Choice
In this pillar, you will:
- familiarize yourself with the components of culturally responsive teaching
- learn effective ways to empower youth through a cultural lens
- create learning environments that embrace diverse identities
Pillar #6: Teaching with the Brain in Mind
In this pillar, you will:
- explore how trauma or learning differences impact how the brain learns
- understand the power of mnemonic instruction, and learn the different types
- discover why mnemonics are successful in enhancing memory and deep learning for students with learning disabilities
Pillar #7: Designing Energetically Nourishing Environments
In this pillar, you will:
- learn how culturally relevant elements of environmental design, sensory stimulation, group rituals, and connections create physical and psychological safety
- explore how to become more mindful of systemic trauma caused by environmental injustice within communities of color
- discuss how connections to familiar places, colors, sounds, nature, etc., impact learning and healing
Berryessa Union School District
Organizations & Schools that have trusted HCC & MLP
San Bernardino City Unified School District
Pasadena Unified School District
Riverside County Office of Education