MBSR INSTRUCTORS IN UTAH
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INSTRUCTORS
VICKI OVERFELT, Founder of Mindfulness Utah, has an MA in Education from Columbia University and is fully certified in MBSR through the Center for Mindfulness at UMASS Medical School. A practitioner of mind-body disciplines for more than 30 years, Vicki is dedicated to sharing the practice of mindfulness with others and guiding them in ways to consciously and systematically work with stress, pain, illness, and the challenges of everyday life. Vicki currently focuses her instruction specifically on the study of stress reduction through the practice of mindfulness and specializes in the delivery of Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR). To read Vicki's full bio, click here.
ANNA SMYTH, Managing Director of Mindfulness Utah and Founder of Thrive Utah LLC, holds a Masters degree in Health Promotion and Education, which included formal study of mindfulness, stress physiology, and behavior change theory. She is a Qualified MBSR Instructor trained through the Center for Mindfulness at University of Massachusetts Medical School. Anna is also a Registered Yoga Teacher as well as Adjunct Faculty at Salt Lake Community College teaching undergraduate courses in Stress Management and Mindfulness. She has loved sharing the evidence-based neurobiological benefits of mindfulness practice with others over the years through leading mindfulness trainings, classes and presentations for companies, schools, and nonprofits such as Huntsman Cancer Institute, the Utah Courts, the Weigand Center for the Homeless, Zions Bank, Granite School District and the Utah School for the Deaf. Anna can be reached at: anna@mindfulnessutah.com. To read Anna’s full bio, click here.
If you are interested in joining our community, please contact Vicki Overfelt or Anna Smyth. You may find out more about the MBSR teacher training path here.
SALT LAKE COUNTY MBSR INSTRUCTORS
TRINH MAI, LCSW is a social worker and a mindfulness teacher for the Office of Wellness & Integrative Health and the Resiliency Center, University of Utah Health. A qualified MBSR teacher through the UMASS Center for Mindfulness in Medicine, Healthcare, and Society, Trinh conducts classes and presentations on mindfulness and wellbeing for university employees, patients and community and corporate partners. Prior to this position, Trinh served as faculty in the College of Social Work at the University of Utah for 13 years, specializing in field education, reflexive practice and global social work. Trinh an be reached at: trinh.mai@socwk.utah.edu.
AMY ARMSTRONG, BA is Program Coordinator in the Graduate Medical Education Wellness Program at the University of Utah. In addition to these responsibilities, Amy is training to become a qualified MBSR Instructor and partners with Rob Davis in hosting MBSR courses through the GME center for U of U residents, faculty, and staff. Amy can be reached at: http://medicine.utah.edu/gme/wellness/ and amy.arstrong@hsc.utah.edu.
ROB DAVIES, LCSW earned his doctorate in clinical psychology in 2004 and is a licensed psychologist practicing in Utah. As the Graduate Medical Education Wellness Director, he guides wellness initiatives, teaches wellness and mindfulness strategies, provides mental health treatment, and consults about wellness issues that trainees face. He holds adjunct faculty positions in Psychiatry and Educational Psychology Departments. Rob is training to become a qualified MBSR instructor and hosting MBSR courses through the GME center for University of Utah medical residents, faculty, and staff. Rob can be reached at: http://medicine.utah.edu/gme/wellness/ and rob.davies@hsc.utah.edu.
HEIDI O'DONOGHUE is a certified MBSR instructor trained through the Mindfulness Center at Brown University in the School of Public Health. She is a Registered Yoga Teacher through Yoga Alliance since 2002, a Certified Relax and Renew Restorative yoga teacher and a certified Yoga Nidra iRest instructor. Heidi has been teaching yoga and mindfulness since 2002 and has had a dedicated personal practice for over 20 years. Heidi teaches at local studios around the Salt Lake valley, her teaching focuses on mindfulness, stress-reduction, yoga and students over-all health and well-being. She is also an adjunct faculty at Salt Lake Community College where she offers mindfulness courses. For more info visit her website www.heidiodonoghue.com
BARBARA LESTER is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and a qualified MBSR instructor trained through UC San Diego's Center for Mindfulness. She is an EAP Counselor at Intermountain Healthcare. She can be reached at barbaralesterlcsw@gmail.com.
WEBER COUNTY MBSR INSTRUCTORS
SARAH RICHARDS is a qualified MBSR Instructor trained through the Center for Mindfulness at University of Massachusetts Medical School. As a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist, Sarah has always been interested in pathways to health and well-being. She discovered the healing power of mindfulness while taking her first MBSR class. Because practicing mindfulness enabled her to live life more fully by reducing stress, strengthening her relationships, improving her health, and helping her to lose weight, she passionately wanted to share it with others. Sarah can be reached at srichards@mvmindfulness.com or www.mvmindfulness.com.
VALERIE BENTLEY is a licensed psychologist and qualified MBSR Instructor trained through the Center for Mindfulness at University of Massachusetts Medical School. She has worked as a counselor at the McKay-Dee Hospital Behavioral Institute for over 20 years. Valerie can be reached at valerie.bentley@imail.org.
DAVIS COUNTY MBSR INSTRUCTORS
DEBI TODD, MS is a licensed school counselor and is a Qualified Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction instructor, trained through the Center for Mindfulness at the University of Massachusetts Medical School. Debi is the Prevention Coordinator at Davis Behavioral Health and is responsible for the execution of several community programs offered through DBH, including MBSR, Learning to Breathe, and Mindful Schools. She and her team are responsible for the implementation of mindfulness education in the Davis School District. Debi can be reached at: debit@dbhutah.com
JACOB HESS, PhD is a qualified MBSR Instructor trained through the Center for Mindfulness at University of Massachusetts Medical School. Jacob is co-creator of Mindweather.org, an online mindfulness-based class for those facing mental/emotional distress or illness and has also contributed to the mindfulness content in JoinFortify.com, an online platform for those seeking more lasting freedom from compulsive pornography use. Jacob is on the board of the National Coalition of Dialogue & Deliberation and has studied “mindful listening” across socio-political disagreements for a decade. His upcoming book, Mindfully Mormon, considers ways in which Latter-day Saint faith practices can open up (built-in) opportunities for regular stopping, stillness and silence. Jacob can be reached at jzhess@gmail.com.
RACHEL REIST, LCSW is a qualified MBSR Instructor through the Center for Mindfulness at UMASS Medical School. Rachel can be reached at rachelr@dbhutah.org.
UTAH COUNTY MBSR INSTRUCTORS
DALLIN BRUUN is a qualified MBSR Instructor trained through the Center for Mindfulness at University of Massachusetts Medical School. Dallin can be reached at dallinbruun@gmail.com.
WASATCH COUNTY MBSR INSTRUCTORS
TANJI WOLFERT is a qualified MBSR Instructor trained through the Center for Mindfulness at University of Massachusetts Medical School. Tanji has also trained in MBSR for teens through the Stressed Teens and Learning to Breaths programs. She is a licensed Addictions Counselor with a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology. Her passions include physical, emotional, and spiritual wellness and maintaining a personal self-study and practice of meditation, yoga, nutrition, as well as transcendent wellness. You can reach Tanji at mbsrwasatch@gmail.com.
WASHINGTON COUNTY MBSR INSTRUCTORS
DAVID TATE, PhD, is a psychologist in private practice in St. George. He has taught over 50 groups and 800 people since beginning training in 1990 with his mentor and the originator of MBSR, Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn. Dr. Tate was one of the early researchers of MBSR, contributing to the now large body of research supporting the significant substantial emotion and physical health benefits usually realized by MBSR group participants. He has taught mindfulness principles and practices to thousands of people over the last 30 years in business, hospital, health and wellness resort, religious and government settings; as well as in his own private practice. Dr. Tate can be reached at davidtatephd@gmail.com.