NORTH GEORGIA MINDFULNESS PROJECT INSTRUCTORS
Dr. Place
Jess graduated from Rhodes College in 2000 with a BA in English Literature. She began teaching high school English and coaching volleyball and basketball just after college. in 2004, she received a MA in Secondary English Education from Georgia State University. Then, in 2012, she successfully completed her PhD in Curriculum and Instruction from Capella University. The 2017 - 2018 school year marks Jess' 18th year teaching in the secondary ELA classroom. Jess is married and has two young daughters who keep her extremely busy. She came to Mindfulness through her good friend Patrick Delaney; he introduced her to the practice and helped her to see how Mindfulness is a powerful tool which can be used to alleviate stress and anxiety in her life. After taking an 8 week course in Jon Kabat Zinn's MBSR, Jess and Patrick offered a Mindfulness to fellow teachers at their school. Jess enjoys yoga, walking, reading, meditating, and of course, spending time with her family.
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Contact: Dr. Place
Jesscplace@gmail.com 678-641-3333
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Dr. Place's Smartbrief Article
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Dr. Delaney
Patrick has been a Special Education teacher for the past 18 years. While conducting research for his doctoral degree in 2008 on the development of the human brain, and suffering from social anxiety disorder himself, he stumbled across research conducted on Mindfulness and the benefits that it offered. Simply put, Mindfulness improved all aspects of his life but most importantly in the areas of anxiety and stress. Watching his students experience the day-to-day hardships of Stress and Anxiety in their lives, he wondered if Mindfulness could benefit them the same way, so he approached the administration with the idea of teaching a Mindfulness to students with extreme anxiety and stress. Three years later, after collecting data and publishing the results, he now teaches 3 Mindfulness classes along with teaching Mindfulness to the football team, basketball teams, golf and lacrosse. Patrick has been married for 26 years and has two sons heading to college this year.
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Contact: Dr. Delaney
Mindfultool@gmail.com 678-629-7155
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Dr. Delaney's Smartbrief Article
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