Mind Matters

A skills-based program that helps teens and adults overcome adversity, cope with stress, and build resilience.

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3 in 4

U.S. high school students have experienced one or more adverse childhood experiences (ACEs)

1 in 5

children ages 3–17 have been diagnosed with a mental, emotional, or behavioral health condition

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Overview

Mind Matters: Overcoming Adversity and Building Resilience is a skills-based program that helps people understand how stress and difficult life experiences affect the brain, body, and behavior, and practice simple ways to respond. Grounded in research on adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), neuroscience, and resilience, Mind Matters shares a hopeful message: what happened to us is not our fault, trauma is common, and with practice, we can change.

Participants learn and practice short self-soothing and brain-building skills such as focused breathing, grounding, body scanning, tapping, and loving kindness, along with lessons on emotions, sleep, movement, support systems, and goal setting. The program is offered as 12 one-hour lessons for groups or 21 short sessions of 15 to 20 minutes for one-on-one settings such as home visits, mentoring, and case management. Participant workbooks are available in English and Spanish. Mind Matters can be taught by trained non-clinicians and is not a replacement for counseling or therapy.

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Whom We Serve

Youth (ages 12+) and adults building skills to cope with life’s stressors

Home visitors, case managers, mentors and educators looking for resilience skills to share with the people they serve, in group or one-on-one settings

Organizations and programs such as health classes, home visiting, career and technical education, parenting classes, residential group homes, corrections and staff development