Since the tragic mass shooting in 2018 at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, CMBM has collaborated with Broward County Public Schools (BCPS) and the Children’s Services Council (CSC) to implement the Comprehensive Wellness Program for students, family, teachers, and staff. This groundbreaking partnership, funded by our collaborators and the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, has brought trauma-healing and resilience-building practices to over 50,000 people in the BCPS community.
Along with our partners and trainees, we’ve regularly held workshops, trainings, and counseling programs to share mind-body medicine techniques and improve group resilience. Students and faculty present during the February 14th shooting have reported feeling calmer and more in-control thanks to this newfound support system, and many have expressed an increased sense of well-being, agency, and purpose.
Our partners’ commitment to mentorship and sustainability has been critical to the success and growth of the Comprehensive Wellness Program. A local leadership team of 42 BCPS employees and community members provides both formal and informal mentorship and guidance to the Broward County cohort of trainees, while continuing to enhance their own expertise in CMBM’s comprehensive trauma relief model.
As part of this ongoing support, we recently held a Leadership Training from October 20-22, 2022. Our Executive Director, Rosemary Lombard (Ed.M, MBA), Clinical Director, Lynda Richtsmeier Cyr (PhD), and Faculty, Toni Bankston (LCSW, BACS), Rosa Rauseo-Mazzocca (MS, LMHC), Diane Wolk Rogers (MSEd), and Staff Anna Arias (Project Manager), led workshops and sessions on integrating mind-body approaches in a multitude of settings, and facilitated discussions about the way ahead. We are grateful for the dedication of the Broward community, CMBM Faculty, Staff, and partners whose work made the recent onsite activities and leadership training both informative and inspiring. We thank CSC for hosting us; we were delighted to connect in person with our Broward County partners!
Our collaboration with BCPS has already contributed to systemic change. Community members have told us of meditations held before staff meetings and classes, they’ve reflected on techniques they have used to respond to high-alert incidents, such as classroom lockdown drills, and they’ve been able to better process grief during the pandemic.
With sessions like the October 2022 leadership training, we are working to further support and strengthen the BCPS community by growing our sustainable and robust Comprehensive Wellness Program, bringing our model to the entire school district (270,000 children, and 30,000 employees). We are grateful for our partners and are proud to promote sustainable transformation through life-long self-care skills and trauma resilience for everyone in BCPS.
