The Mindful Badge class provided me a completely different framework to place my professional life into. Halfway in, I was fat… discouraged… and essentially “done.” After applying some of the lessons when I got home, I find myself a full 60lbs lighter, and with a vastly different perspective on most everything. Recharged and refocused, I’m ready for the next phase.
— Deputy Sheriff, Immersion Participant

Health, Humanity and Human Performance.


Overview

Mindfulness skills practice cultivates and sustains health, humanity and human performance. Mindfulness shifts the conversation and the experience around occupational stress toward a Growth Mindset and greater self efficacy. Our training is both culturally competent and trauma competent.

Training mindfulness is a preventive action that equips first responders to perform through occupational trauma with greater capacity for awareness (self and situational), cognitive performance, and humanity (compassion, empathy, non-judgement). These ingredients are critical as we make our way forward. 


Evidence-Based Approach

Mindfulness skills training gets results. Mindfulness in policing has been studied by academia in the United States for the last decade; with Pacific University, University of Wisconsin, and University of New Mexico leading the way. Research papers can be found here.

In part, we’ve seen improvements in sleep, pain management, compassion, and empathy, and reductions in alcohol use, anger and aggression. We’ve also seen improvements in cortisol regulation and reductions in symptoms of post traumatic stress disorder.

Knowledge is only rumor until it lives in the body.
— Richard Strozzi Heckler


Training Models

We train with cultural and trauma competency. This is critical.  We believe strongly that a warrior-humanitarian ethos grounded in awareness and compassion is necessary for a first responder to navigate the arch of their career with healthy outcomes. Our team of mindfulness trainers has the experience and skill necessary to successfully translate and operationalize the science around health, humanity, and human performance.

Workshops

Combines discussion of the science behind meditation and resiliency and an experiential practice of mindfulness skills. These can be tailored to meet the unique needs of any organization or team and are offered as half-day or full-day workshops.

Operational Mindfulness Training

A remote learning model for operational first responders that trains knowledge and skills to support growth mindset and trauma competency. Mindfulness skills training in awareness and compassion supports opportunities for stronger internal locus of control and action toward recovery and growth, and supports greater health, humanity and performance. Training is done via Zoom with 6 to 8 synchronous training sessions over 8 - 10 weeks and independent learning via the online platform.

Leadership Training

A remote learning model for public safety leadership, to include executive and command staff, both professional and sworn. This trains mindfulness skills to build a capacity for a leadership team to lead change, within themselves and within their organization. This training supports leadership innovation in a challenging leadership climate. Training is done via Zoom with 8 synchronous training sessions over 12 weeks and independent learning via the online platform.

Coaching

Individual and small team mindfulness coaching toward a strong sense of agency, whole health, humanity, and performance. Useful for more intense and tailored skills training, particularly for those in challenging circumstances or those seeking to become coaches or trainers.

Immersion Training

A deep exploration into the science and experience of mindfulness as it relates to resilience, warrior-humanitarian ethos, and the arch of the hero’s journey. With a focus on mindfulness skill building to enhance self-awareness, attunement to others, compassion, wisdom and peak performance, attendees will learn skills that can be translated to their personal and professional life.

This training resources responders to take on the occupational stressors and trauma of their profession and learn to thrive. Combines mindfulness with preventive mental health education, trauma competency education, and body movement education. This training model is 3 to 5 days in residence. More information here.

Advanced Training

Our team is available to tailor mindfulness training for teams with specialized missions and/or unique circumstances where sharpening skills in attention, compassion, and interpersonal communication & connection would be helpful.

Development and Coaching of Mindfulness Trainers  

We work with responders who wish to become mindfulness coaches or certified mindfulness trainers. Individual coaching and mentorship and development of training plans, formal and informal training for trainers in development. 

Trauma Response Framework (Peer Support)

We work with Peer Support Teams to train then integrate Growth Mindset and mindfulness skills into peer support systems, culture, and the delivery of peer support services. Our training provides foundational skills that the individual peer member needs to cultivate and sustain a keen attunement to self, compassion for self, and the capacity to self-regulate amidst the traumatic landscape of peer service to others. We will make the pitch, grounded in interpersonal neurobiology, for the evolution of the brand toward Peer Resilience Team. Our work augments the depth of training available with the CISM models in the U.S. and Canada.

Training for Certified Mindfulness Teachers

Mindful Badge has partnered with the Mindful Health and Resilience Lab at Pacific University in Oregon to offer training for certified mindfulness teachers. We support efforts to train mindfulness in policing and other public safety professions with a workshop focused on culture and trauma competency and teaching methods. This is ideal for already certified mindfulness trainers who seek to work with public safety organizations.


Community Sustainability

We work together to build a sustainable and locally resourced training model within an organization and with trusted community partners. We help guide the planning and development of this model and provide ongoing professional development/planning for officers and staff seeking to become certified mindfulness trainers.