Learn More about our Professional Learning: Cultivating Wellness

MEET OUR TRAINERS

Dr. Meroudjie Denis is the Director of Clinical Program Innovation at Momentous Institute and a Licensed Psychologist who brings over 20 years of experience in the mental health space.

Dr. Vanessa Stuart is the Director of Education Program Innovation at Momentous Institute. Before joining the team at Momentous, she worked as an educator and school principal.

Who is Cultivating Wellness for?

Dr. Denis: This training is intended for anyone interested in understanding mental health and the connection between their mental health and overall well-being. It focuses heavily on easy-to-understand neuroscience and the mind-body connection. Because this training is designed for a general audience, any adult interested in understanding how to mitigate the impact of stress can benefit.

What sets Cultivating Wellness apart from other mental health trainings?

Dr. Denis: What sets it apart is the connection to neuroscience, delivered in a way that is digestible. And among our catalog of trainings, it is one of only two that focus primarily on adult mental health, supporting the mental health needs of professionals, not solely the needs of children, which we know is so important.

Dr. Stuart: Our approach pairs mental health and neuroscience with practical leadership tools. Understanding the science behind our mental health creates real-life, practical solutions to change our behavior and take better care of ourselves. 

In what formats is this training offered?

Dr. Denis: Cultivating Wellness is offered in person and can be delivered in a quick, 90-minute format, or in a 3-hour, half-day format. We tailor it to the needs of the audience. The more time we spend, the more opportunity we have to  engage in activities to deepen the learning. There is also a virtual, on-demand course currently in production that will be available in the near future.

What can participants expect from this training?

Dr. Denis: Participants will walk away with stress-management strategies they can utilize in their own settings. The strategies we share are simple things that anybody can do anywhere.

Dr. Stuart: Participants will gain a deeper understanding of how their brain and body work together and learn practical strategies for mental health. When people start making little changes, they want to make even more changes because they notice how much better they feel. 

What is your favorite thing about this training?

Dr. Denis: Helping people understand how their behaviors are brain-based. Especially for people who have experienced trauma or anxiety—helping them realize nothing is “wrong” with them.

Dr. Stuart: We have an activity called the mental health continuum, where we explore various markers in a range from mental health to mental illness. I enjoy introducing the mental health continuum to people and find it interesting that people always put things more toward mental illness rather than mental health. It makes me realize how much we focus on mental illness but not as much on the proactive, positive ways to support our mental health. There are also so many people who come back and say they appreciate our stories and having a place to discuss mental health because they have been suffering in silence.

How has your own professional experience informed your approach to this training?

Dr. Denis: This is a very skimmed, light version of the work I do in the clinical space. What is really fun is taking what people typically access only in a therapeutic relationship and lifting a tiny piece of it into their daily lives.

Dr. Stuart: Throughout the training, I share parts of my own personal and professional journey, and often hear appreciation from people who have lived through similar experiences. This training is a culmination of many strategies that have supported me in my own journey, and I now have the opportunity to share them with others so they can do the same.  

Book a free consultation today to learn about bringing this training to your school or organization.