Tag Archives: teachers

Happiness, Personal Reflections, Research

That Time When I Found A Parallel Universe Where People Like Statistics

12 Comments

Earlier this week I found a parallel universe wherein I was able to convince three people that it would be terribly fun to sit with me in a classroom for 2+ hours and work through the post-course data from our most recent “Happiness for Educators” class. This involved me figuring out how to screencast my computer onto a big screen where I went through the process of accessing our Qualtrics file and exporting the data to SPSS. Then, while experiencing intermittent fits of joy, we cleaned the data, used the “recode” function to reverse score all the items requiring reverse scoring and then calculated our 16 different outcome variables.

In this parallel universe, the three people who joined me (you know who you are), asked great questions and acted interested the WHOLE time. Of course, one of the “people” is a well-established Missoula actor, so there’s the possibility that I was fooled by some excellent acting or feigning or pretending. That said, finding a parallel universe where people act interested in stats remains a feat to brag about.

We made it through all the post-test data. To maximize the fun and bring us all to a place of breathless excitement, I ran a quick descriptive analysis. At first glance, the data looked okay, but not great. Of course, we didn’t have the pretest outcome variables analyzed, and so we were forced to leave with bated breath.

Today, access to the parallel universe was briefly adversely affected by a slight temporal shift; nevertheless, I found one of the “people” and she enthusiastically embraced another 2 hours of stats. . . . At the end, she shouted from her office, “That was fun!”

I know at this point, I am, as Freud might say, “straining your credulity” but I speak the whole truth and nothing but the truth.

And the rest of the truth gets even better. Tammy (my new best stats friend) and I found the following statistical results.

  1. 89 of 100 students completed the pre-post questionnaires.
  2. We had statistical significance on ALL 16 outcomes—at the p < .01 level (or better).
  3. The effect sizes (Cohen’s d with Hedges adjustments) were among our best ever, with top outcomes being:
  4. Improved positive affect (feeling more cheerful, etc): d = .900 (a LARGE effect size)
  5. Reduced negative affect (feeling fewer negative emotional states) d = 885. (a LARGE effect size)
  6. Improved total self-reported physical health (a compilation of better sleep, reduced headaches, reduced gastrointestinal symptoms, fewer respiratory symptoms) d = .821 (a LARGE effect size)
  7. Reduced depression (as measured by the CES-D): d = .732 (an almost LARGE effect size)

If you’re reading this, I hope you’re skeptical. Because if you’re skeptical, then I’m sure you’ll want to know whether this is the first, second, third, or fourth time we’ve found this pattern of results. Nope. It’s the FIFTH consecutive time we’ve had all significant outcomes or nearly all significant outcomes that appear to be happening as a function of our happiness for educators course.

Although I am in constant fear that, next time, the results will be less impressive, I’m getting to the point where I’m thinking: These results are not random error, because we now have data across five cohorts and 267 teachers.

If you’re reading this, I also hope you’re thinking what I’m thinking. That is: You should take this course (if you’re a Montana educator) or you should tell your Montana educator friends to take this course. If you happen to be thinking what I’m thinking, here’s the link to sign up for our summer sections.

https://www.campusce.net/umextended/course/course.aspx?C=712&pc=13&mc=&sc=

It’s a pretty good deal. Only $95 to experience more positive emotions, fewer negative emotions, better physical health, reduced depression, and more!

Happiness

The Happiness for Teachers Course Starts Again the Week of January 20

2 Comments

If you’re an educator, you can sign up for the “Spring” version (starting in January) of our Happiness for Teachers course. This course has been very popular among teachers who have taken it. Here’s what one Montana educator emailed me first thing on January 1:

John, your course is fantastic!  It absolutely exceeded my high expectations, and I find myself reflecting on and applying things I’ve learned all the time.  There’s likely some recency bias, but I’m trying to think of another college course I have taken that is as meaningful and applicable for me. It has helped my overall happiness and well-being both personally and professionally, and it has given me the ideas and language to share with and support others (wife, children, students, coworkers, etc.).  Thank you! 

If you’re an educator or you want to share this information with an educator, read on for the details.

To Register

This semester, we have a reduced price for Rural Montana Educators: $95. We also have our usual extremely reduced price for Montana Educators for the Big Seven School Districts: $195. Either way, thanks to a grant from the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation, the price is a bargain for 3 Grad Credits from the University of Montana.

Here are the links:

Big Seven Educators Open-Enrollment Section: https://www.campusce.net/umextended/course/course.aspx?C=712&pc=13&mc=&sc=

Rural Educators Section: https://www.campusce.net/umextended/course/course.aspx?C=732

Grading Options

Because we want to support teachers, our approach to grading is flexible. Teachers can select from one of three grading options.

  1. Teachers can receive 3 graduate credits from the University of Montana – graded using a Credit/No Credit system. That means you need to complete enough course assignments to obtain 70% (you can do more). Then you will pass the course and receive the credits. Even if you get an NCR in the course, you can qualify for a pro-rated number of OPI credits based on your percentage completion.
  2. Teachers can receive 3 graduate credits from the University of Montana – graded using a traditional “letter” grading system. Some school districts require a letter grade to count the course toward your payscale.
  3. You can receive up to 48 OPI credits. This option is especially useful if you find you’re unable to complete at least 70% of the assignments. You can receive a pro-rated total of OPI hours . . . depending on how many hours of the course you complete.

How Much Work will the Course Be?

This is a graduate-level course, and so there’s a significant workload. If you can take the course for credit/no credit (see above), then you only need to obtain 70%, which makes the workload lighter.

At the ½ point in the course, we will ask all participants to inform us how they want to take the course (for credit/no credit; for a letter grade; for OPI hours). If you get ½ way through the course and you think you’re not going to pass (or get the grade you want), then you can take it for OPI hours. In the end, even if you get an NCR in the course, you can still qualify for a prorated number of OPI hours.

To complete the whole course, teachers need to complete the following assignments:

Initial and Final Happiness Assessments (20 points each; 40 points total): During the first and final days of class you’ll be given a link to a happiness assessment packet via Qualtrics. We’re collecting this data to support the grant we have that enabled us to offer you this course at a steep discount.

Active Learning Assignments (complete 10 of the 14 options available; 10 points each; 100 total points): These are short assignments designed to get you in the habit of incorporating happiness-related activities into your life. These assignments are graded pass (10 points) or not pass (0 points). To get your 10 points you need to complete the bare minimum of a thoughtful response.

Weekly Discussion Board Postings and Comments (30 posts; total 60 points): We want you to engage with each other on how you might apply what you’re learning in this course. To encourage this, you’re assigned to make two posts each week (30 total posts). We’d like you to make one post about the weekly course content (lectures and other assigned content) and one post commenting on the post of someone else.

Development of One Educational Lesson Plan (3-5 pages; 40 points): Pick a topic from class (e.g., savoring, gratitude, acts of kindness, etc.) and then write a lesson plan that you could potentially use in your educational setting. You DO NOT need to implement these lesson plans; the assignment is only to create them.

Live online or recorded final pub quiz (30 points, plus prizes): During the last Unit of class John Sommers-Flanagan will hold a live and synchronous open pub-style happiness trivia quiz. If you participate live you can win prizes. Whether you participate live or watch the recording, you can earn 30 points by turning in the answers to the 30 happiness trivia questions.

Substitute (or Extra) Credit (40 points): You can engage in 5 or more sessions of individual counseling with a Master’s student at the University of Montana. You can use these points to substitute for another assignment, or as extra credit.

How Much Time will This Course Take?

  • The video-recorded lecture component of the course takes about 45 hours to view.
  • If you complete the whole course, assignments outside of class will take approximately an additional 100 hours.
  • For the Fall, 2024 version of the course, there will be 15 weeks—although you’ll be working at your own pace. Assuming you worked at an even pace over the 15 weeks, anticipating about 10 hours a week for the course is a reasonable estimate.

Our Goals

We want to support teachers because we view them as unappreciated, underpaid, and highly stressed by the demands of their jobs. We have three objectives:

  1. Offer a high quality and low-cost course to Montana teachers and other school personnel. The fee is $195 for 3-credits.
  2. Focus the course content on emotional wellness—teachers can apply this content to themselves, and possibly also apply it in their classrooms.
  3. By offering a 3-credit graduate course through the University of Montana, teachers may qualify for a salary bump.

Here are a couple of un-flashy memos describing the courses, just in case you want to download and share them. First, the Rural Educator section:

Memorandum on Winter-Spring 2025 Rural EducatorsDownload

And here’s the flyer for Big Seven School District Educators.

Memorandum on Winter-Spring 2025 Educator CourseDownload

Personal Reflections, Writing

My Post-Election Letter to Educators

4 Comments

Earlier this week, I had an amazing Montana educator tell me, among other things, about how the election results ignited fears for the future of public education. In response, I wrote the following piece. I know it’s a little intellectual, but that’s what you get from a college professor. I’m sharing this with you mostly because I think you’re all amazing Montana educators and want to support you in whatever way I can.

 ********************

In this moment, I’m aware that while some are celebrating this morning’s election outcome, others are experiencing despair, sadness, anger, betrayal, and fear. After an election like this one, it’s easy to have our thoughts and emotions race toward various crisis scenarios. If that’s what’s happening to you, no doubt, you are not alone.

We all have unique responses to emotional distress. If you feel threatened by the election outcome, you may have impulses toward action that come with your emotions. In stress situations, we often hear about the fight or flight (or freeze) response, but because we’re all complex human beings, fight or flight or freeze is an oversimplification. Although feeling like running, hiding, freezing, or feeling surges of anger are natural and normal, most of the fight or flight research was conducted on rats—male rats in particular. For better and worse, our emotional and behavioral responses to the election outcomes are so much more complex than fight or flight.

As humans we respond to threat in more sophisticated ways. One pattern (derived from studies with female rats) is called tend and befriend. Although these are also simplistic rhyming words, I translate them to mean that if you’re feeling stressed, threatened and fearful, it’s generally good to reach out to others for support and commiseration, to support others, and to gather with safe people in pairs or families or groups.

If you work in a school, I encourage you to be there for each other, regardless of your political views. For now, it will probably feel best to stay close to those with whom you have common beliefs. Eventually, I hope that even those of you with different beliefs can recognize and respect the humanity within each other. The most destructive responses to stress and threat are usually characterized by hate and division. The more we can connect with others who feel safe, the better we can deal with our own rising feelings—feelings that may be destructive or hateful.

Another complex thing about humans is that we can have a therapeutic response to focusing on our pain, grief, anger, and other disturbing emotions. There’s clear evidence that letting ourselves feel those feelings, and talking and writing about them, is important and therapeutic. But, in an odd juxtaposition, it’s also therapeutic to intentionally focus on the positive, to imagine and write about the best possible outcomes in whatever situations we face, and in looking—every day—for that which is inspiring (rather than over-focusing on that which is depressing or annoying). To the extent that you’re feeling distressed, I encourage you, when you can, to take time going down both those roads. That means taking time to experience your difficult and painful feelings, as well as taking time to focus on what you’re doing that’s meaningful in the moment, and whatever positive parts of life you can weave into your life today, tomorrow, and in the future.

My main point is that you are not alone. Many people, right alongside you, are in deep emotional pain over the outcome of the election. As you go through these bumpy times, times that include fears for the future of children, families, education, and communities I hope we can do this together. Because in these moments of despair and pain, we are better together.

Or, as Christopher Peterson said, “Other people matter. And, we are all other people to everyone else.”

You matter and your reactions to this immense life event matters. Please take good care of yourself and your colleagues, friends, and family.

All my best to you,

John SF

Happiness

My 12 Minutes of Fame in South Korea

3 Comments

Last week I had my Andy Warholian 15 minutes of fame in South Korea. Actually, it was only 12 minutes and 27 seconds, and as some historians note, Andy Warhol may have never actually said the 15 min of fame thing. But, pushing the silly details aside, the truth is: I got over 12 minutes of fame on a South Korean radio station! “How cool is that?”

My answer is, “Very cool,” partly because I was on a very cool English-speaking South Korean radio station and radio show: The Morning Wave in Busan (BeFM 90.5). Before I went “live” on the air, I listened to Kathryn Bang, the radio host, interviewing someone about college students selling their ADHD meds and voyeurism and some singing/dancing and a Bruno Mars song that’s popular in South Korea. Wow. That was an amazing line-up.

If you’re interested, The Morning Wave has a recorded video of my appearance. The focus of the interview was our “Happiness for Educators” course. I got the gig because the radio station tracks The Conversation, where I had a publication pop back on October 11.   

Here’s the link to the YouTube video.

Just in case the link doesn’t load to the right moment in the show, the interview with me starts at 1:27:50 and ends at 1:40:17 . . . although the whole show is worth a listen/viewing!

Happiness, Research, Writing

Here’s a new article published in The Conversation

1 Comment

Happiness class is helping clinically depressed school teachers become emotionally healthy − with a cheery assist from Aristotle

This course is more than just suggesting that you ‘cheer up’ and ‘look on the bright side.’ akinbostanci/E+ via Getty Images

John Sommers-Flanagan, University of Montana

Text saying: Uncommon Courses, from The Conversation

Uncommon Courses is an occasional series from The Conversation U.S. highlighting unconventional approaches to teaching.

Title of Course

Evidence-Based Happiness for Teachers

What prompted the idea for the course?

I was discouraged. For nearly three decades, as a clinical psychologist, I trained mental health professionals on suicide assessment. The work was good but difficult.

All the while, I watched in dismay as U.S. suicide rates relentlessly increased for 20 consecutive years, from 1999 to 2018, followed by a slight dip during the COVID-19 pandemic, and then a rise in 2021 and 2022 – this despite more local, state and national suicide prevention programming than ever.

I consulted my wife, Rita, who also happens to be my favorite clinical psychologist. We decided to explore the science of happiness. Together, we established the Montana Happiness Project and began offering evidence-based happiness workshops to complement our suicide prevention work.

In 2021, the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation, through the University of Montana, awarded us a US$150,000 grant to support the state’s K-12 public school teachers, counselors and staff. We’re using the funds to offer these educators low-cost, online graduate courses on happiness. In spring 2023, the foundation awarded us another $150,000 so we could extend the program through December 2025.

What does the course explore?

Using the word “happiness” can be off-putting. Sometimes, people associate happiness with recommendations to just smile, cheer up and suppress negative emotions – which can lead to toxic positivity.

As mental health professionals, my wife and I reject that definition. Instead, we embrace Aristotle’s concept of “eudaimonic happiness”: the daily pursuit of meaning, mutually supportive relationships and becoming the best possible version of yourself.

The heart of the course is an academic, personal and experiential exploration of evidence-based positive psychology interventions. These are intentional practices that can improve mood, optimism, relationships and physical wellness and offer a sense of purpose. Examples include gratitude, acts of kindness, savoring, mindfulness, mood music, practicing forgiveness and journaling about your best possible future self.

Students are required to implement at least 10 of 14 positive psychology interventions, and then to talk and write about their experiences on implementing them.

Why is this course relevant now?

Teachers are more distressed than ever before. They’re anxious, depressed and discouraged in ways that adversely affect their ability to teach effectively, which is one reason why so many of them leave the profession after a short period of time. It’s not just the low pay – educators need support, appreciation and coping tools; they also need to know they’re not alone. https://www.youtube.com/embed/ZOGAp9dw8Ac?wmode=transparent&start=0 This exercise helps you focus on what goes right, rather than the things that go wrong.

What’s a critical lesson from the course?

The lesson on sleep is especially powerful for educators. A review of 33 studies from 15 countries reported that 36% to 61% of K-12 teachers suffered from insomnia. Although the rates varied across studies, sleep problems were generally worse when teachers were exposed to classroom violence, had low job satisfaction and were experiencing depressive symptoms.

The sleep lesson includes, along with sleep hygiene strategies, a happiness practice and insomnia intervention called Three Good Things, developed by the renowned positive psychologist Martin Seligman.

I describe the technique, in Seligman’s words: “Write down, for one week, before you go to sleep, three things that went well for you during the day, and then reflect on why they went well.”

Next, I make light of the concept: “I’ve always thought Three Good Things was hokey, simplistic and silly.” I show a video of Seligman saying, “I don’t need to recommend beyond a week, typically … because when you do this, you find you like it so much, most people just keep doing it.” At that point, I roll my eyes and say, “Maybe.”

Then I share that I often awakened for years at 4 a.m. with terribly dark thoughts. Then – funny thing – I tried using Three Good Things in the middle of the night. It wasn’t a perfect solution, but it was a vast improvement over lying helplessly in bed while negative thoughts pummeled me.

The Three Good Things lesson is emblematic of how we encourage teachers in our course – using science, playful cynicism and an open and experimental mindset to apply the evidence-based happiness practices in ways that work for them.

I also encourage students to understand that the strategies I offer are not universally effective. What works for others may not work for them, which is why they should experiment with many different approaches.

What will the course prepare students to do?

The educators leave the course with a written lesson plan they can implement at their school, if they wish. As they deepen their happiness practice, they can also share it with other teachers, their students and their families.

Over the past 16 months, we’ve taught this course to 156 K-12 educators and other school personnel. In a not-yet-published survey that we carried out, more than 30% of the participants scored as clinically depressed prior to starting the class, compared with just under 13% immediately after the class.

This improvement is similar to the results obtained by antidepressant medications and psychotherapy.

The educators also reported overall better health after taking the class. Along with improved sleep, they took fewer sick days, experienced fewer headaches and reported reductions in cold, flu and stomach symptoms.

As resources allow, we plan to tailor these courses to other people with high-stress jobs. Already, we are receiving requests from police officers, health care providers, veterinarians and construction workers.

John Sommers-Flanagan, Clinical Psychologist and Professor of Counseling, University of Montana

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

Happiness

Enrollment for the Fall “Happiness for Educators” Course is Now Open

2 Comments
MT Happy Teachers SU24Download

The educators enrolled in our asynchronous “Happiness for Teachers” course continue to stun me with the extremely high quality of their responses to the assignments. They go WAY beyond what’s necessary and are clearly and deeply committed to not only their personal growth, but also to the growth of their students, family, and friends. Seriously. When I read their assignments, I immediately have more hope for the world . . . and I think to myself, “I want to be your friend!”

But, teaching an asynchronous course is weird. I feel detached. I want to be more connected and more involved. On the other hand, we’ve got hours of video lectures we’ve produced and so the students might be getting more exposure to me than anyone really should bargain for. Maybe I’m too connected and involved? Funny thing how everything often boils down to a dialectic. Hegel (the philosopher) would be so happy he wouldn’t need a happiness course.

Despite the weirdness, our educator-students keep giving us great feedback. Here are a few anonymous examples that have popped into my email inbox without any solicitation:

“I’ve truly enjoyed the material thus far in the class. . . . I hope your class becomes required for all teachers at the EDU dept for certification. It’s the real deal.” S.S.

“Loving the course! Thanks for providing it!” J.E.

“Thank you so much for sharing this video. Just watching it Brings me joy. I love the contributors and all the great things they are doing in their classes! You guys are amazing for doing this.” J.R.

“Loved this course! I shared it with my school! I will send it to my principal now too! Thanks again!” L.W.

“Thanks again for this enriching class. I needed it more than you know and I have so many tools to carry me into next year!” S.M.

Thanks to the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation, we’re offering yet another section of the course this fall semester. If you’re a Montana educator, and want a big bargain ($195.00) for 3 Grad Credits or 48 OPI Hours, here’s the link to register:

https://www.campusce.net/umextended/course/course.aspx?C=712&pc=13&mc=&sc=

For you non-Montana educators who may still be reading . . . I’m wondering, if we opened the course to anyone across the U.S. would there be much interest?

Just FYI, here’s a copy of the syllabus for the summer version of the course:

COUN 595 Educators Summer 2024 – OpenDownload
Happiness, Personal Reflections

Who Supports Educators?

Leave a comment

Hi All,

I’m writing for a little social marketing assistance to support Montana Educators.

As I’ve written before, because of the generosity and funding from the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation, we have funding to support Montana educators. The main way we’ve chosen to support Montana educators is to offer a highly subsidized three-credit course on “Happiness for Teachers” through the fantastically helpful UMOnline people at the University of Montana.

We believe this course supports Montana Educators in three ways:

  1. The course can be used to help increase educator pay (because we believe educators should be paid more).
  2. The course can help educators feel positive feelings more often, savor them, increase their sense of meaning, and possibly reduce depression and improve physical health.  
  3. Educators can use the information to support their students’ happiness and well-being.

We’ve got a large section of the course open and starting on June 17. I’d love to get it all filled up.

If you are a Montana educator or know a Montana educator you can register here and now at this link: https://www.campusce.net/umextended/course/course.aspx?C=712&pc=13&mc=&sc=

In addition, to support educators, please consider sharing this blogpost or the Memo to Montana Educators linked here:

memorandum-on-summer-2024-educator-courseDownload
Happiness

Low Cost Courses for Montana Educators — Beginning January 18

3 Comments

Hello Everyone,

This post is for Montana Educators. Please forward this message to any Montana Educators you know. Due to support from the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation, we have an opportunity to support Montana Educators with VERY LOW COST graduate credit courses on “Evidence-Based Happiness” through the University of Montana. We’re doing this because we deeply appreciate the work of Montana teachers and we believe this course and the added credits to their payscale is one way for us to support them.

Thanks for your help. Please share. Montana Educators are awesome.

Dear Montana Educators,

In collaboration with the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation, the Montana Safe Schools Center, UMOnline, and the Montana Happiness Project, the Phyllis J. Washington College of Education at the University of Montana is pleased to offer very low-cost Graduate Credit courses on “Evidence-Based Happiness” exclusively designed for Montana Educators.

We have 3-credit ($195) and 1-credit ($70) options available, beginning January 18.

You can register at this link: https://www.campusce.net/umextended/course/course.aspx?C=712&pc=13&mc=&sc=

If you have questions, contact UMOnline via the preceding link, or John Sommers-Flanagan at john.sf@mso.umt.edu 

I’ve also attached a flyer describing the project and courses here:

happiness-for-educators-flyerDownload

Although seats are limited, please forward this information to other potentially interested Montana teachers. We will open as many sections as we can handle.

Thanks for all you do for Montana youth!

Sincerely,

John S-F

Parenting, Personal Reflections, Writing

Working Effectively with Parents: Powerpoints from the 1st Annual Missoula Education Summit

1 Comment

I had an awesome day yesterday with many amazing Missoula educators. I always respect and admire educators for their willingness to enter classrooms with large groups of young people. I have many reasons upon which I base the belief–that educators deserve respect and admiration–not the least of which is my lived experience of having occasionally stepped into a classroom with young people. One of my memories is of hearing panic in my own voice, while asking the regular classroom teacher, “You’re not leaving me alone in here, are you?”

Sadly, now is a time in American society when teachers seem not to receive the respect and admiration I think they deserve. For multiple reasons (many of which strike me as misleading and political), it seems like there has been distrust sown between teachers and parents. Yesterday, I spent the day with over 400 teachers, counselors, psychologists, administrators, custodians, and other school personnel who attended sessions I offered. I was honored to be there. Being with them not only strengthened my trust in them, but also renewed my hope in the world.

Here are the powerpoints for my workshop on “Working Effectively with Parents”:

parenting-mcps-summit-jsf-2023Download

And here’s a one-page handout on de-escalation strategies:

de-escalation-handout-revDownload

FYI: My biggest takeaway from the Summit was that teachers and other school personnel who dedicate themselves to educating our future generations are simply amazing.

Pass it on.

Happiness

Evidence-Based Happiness for Belgrade Schools: Advice is Cheap, but Knowledge is Power

Leave a comment

Tomorrow I’ll be in Belgrade, Montana.

Back in May I received an email from a Belgrade High School AP Biology teacher asking if I could present to Belgrade teachers on mental health. The details have worked out. I’m super-excited to do this for several reasons:

  • I’m very passionate about supporting teacher mental health and well-being. For as long as I can remember (but especially during these past three years), teachers have been over-stressed, over-worked, under-paid, and under-appreciated. I even happen to have a grant proposal submitted that would give teachers access to very low-cost graduate credit on an Evidence-Based Happiness course. Happiness knowledge and mental health support for teachers is essential.
  • Education is the central “plank” on my personal political platform. IMHO, to quote myself, “The road to economic vitality, the road to environmental sustainability, the road to excellence in health care and social programs, and the road to good government always has and always will run through education.” We need excellent teachers and we need excellent public education. We need it now more than ever.
  • Belgrade is conveniently located just off I-90, a freeway that I regularly drive on my way from Missoula to Absarokee and back again.
  • And best of all, I’ll get to see the famous Nick Jones. Nick is a cool Aussie transplant, a former Carroll College basketball player, and a graduate of our M.A. program at the University of Montana. He also happens to be a school counselor at Belgrade High School.  

The ppts for tomorrow’s presentation are here:

happiness-for-belgrade-2022Download

And here’s a one-page handout/summary:

belgrade-happiness-handout-2022Download

My big theme will be that although advice is cheap, knowledge is power. We all benefit from knowing more about mental health and happiness. One of my main topics will involve information on understanding sleep. . . because we all have better mental health when we sleep well.

See you in Belgrade tomorrow!