THE ART OF SERENITY FIU’s Mindfulness Research Lab provides peace and inspiration for Speech-Language Pathology students
C
laude Monet had his gardens in Giverny, France. Andrew Wyeth had the Maine
coastline. And FIU Master of Science in Speech-Language Pathology (MS-SLP) students have the Communication Sciences & Disorders’ (CSD) Mindfulness Research Lab on the Modesto M. Maidique Campus from which to draw serenity and motivation on their journey to become practitioners. The Mindfulness Research Lab is under the guidance of faculty directors Angela Medina, Ph.D., CCC-SLP and Jean Mead, Ed.D. It is a unique, collaborative resource for faculty and students to investigate mindfulness and its role in the SLP profession for themselves and their clients. The Lab’s origin traces back to a pilot program Dr. Mead introduced for stressed-out MSSLP students in spring 2018. “A student’s last semester is typically hectic preparing for graduation and the national certification exam. But this one cohort was especially high strung and hit the proverbial wall,” Dr. Mead recalled. That’s when she summoned her yoga certification to develop a mindfulness program specifically for them. “We’d spend the first 40 minutes of our weekly hourly meetings solely on meditation exercises. By the last 20 minutes, the students were much more relaxed and responsive to tackle their assignments.” Dr. Medina, known for her body of research on stuttering and expertise in the areas of counseling, group therapy, and holistic practices, approached Dr. Mead in fall 2019 to collaborate and expand Dr. Mead’s existing mindfulness initiative. Andrew Bourizk, lead student facilitator FIU CSD Mindfulness Research Lab
16 FIU Nicole Wertheim College of Nursing & Health Sciences
