Michelle Villegas and Edwin
Michelle teaches, Child Psychotherapy, Human Growth and Development, Family Systems and Domestic Violence and Child Abuse Assessment and Treatment. She is a Certified HeartMath Practitioner, C.C.A.T.P-Ca Certified Child & Adolescent Anxiety Treatment Professional and a Soul Collage Facilitator. Currently, she maintains a private practice and is a school counselor and is completing her first children’s book.
Empathy Group SB:
https://www.theempathycenter.org/chapters/santa-barbara
Empathy Circle at Pacifica
Yes, I have been teaching at Pacifica for about 11 years and prior to Antioch for about 12 years.
PGI is going through a lot of administrative changes and I'm not sure who would be a good contact regarding the project at this time.
Empathy Circles in the K-12 Schools
I did talk to the Superintendent at Montecito Union Elementary school about the empathy center and he is open to reviewing information.
form a group of people interested in Empathy Circles in the K-12 Schools
Speaking at Empathy Summit: January -
I would be happy to present and let's connect about that as well.
How to teach Empathy and Empathy Circles in K-12 school?
Meeting summary
Quick recap
Edwin and Michelle discussed implementing empathy circles in schools, with Michelle sharing her experience as a school counselor in Montecito and her plans to introduce the practice in kindergarten and 3rd grade classrooms. They explored how to structure empathy circle programs, including using visual and experiential learning methods, and discussed the potential for Michelle to present at an upcoming Empathy Summit about implementing empathy training in K-12 schools. Edwin suggested connecting Michelle with a group of people interested in empathy circles and mentioned a retired special education teacher named Bill Filler who had researched CASEL-aligned empathy programs. They also discussed the possibility of securing grants through the Santa Barbara Foundation to support intern programs that could help facilitate empathy circles in schools.
Next steps
Edwin
Michelle
Summary
Personal Updates Discussion Meeting
Edwin and Michelle had a brief informal conversation at the beginning of their meeting, addressing audio issues and discussing their current activities. Edwin shared that he was in Sacramento visiting family, including his aging parents who live on a farm, while Michelle mentioned she was working on writing a book. The conversation focused primarily on personal updates rather than business matters.
Empathy Circles in Schools Implementation
Michelle discussed implementing empathy circles in schools, specifically targeting kindergarten and 3rd grade classes due to her schedule constraints. She explained her approach would include visual and experiential learning methods, using templates and collective collages to help students understand needs and conflict resolution. Edwin suggested forming a group to collaborate on implementation and proposed that Michelle present on bringing empathy and empathy circles into K-12 education at the January Empathy Summit.
School Empathy Circles Implementation
Edwin and Michelle discussed implementing empathy circles in schools, with Edwin suggesting that students should learn not just to participate but also to facilitate these circles. They explored potential resources, including a Santa Barbara group that meets weekly and has given talks at local venues, as well as a cutting-edge middle school in Santa Barbara that previously showed interest in the practice. Edwin offered to connect Michelle with Bill Filler, a board member and retired special education teacher, to help form an interest group and explore aligning the initiative with CASEL standards for social emotional learning.
Friendship Book Publishing Discussion
Michelle discussed her upcoming book on friendship, which she plans to self-publish by the end of July with accompanying lesson plans. Edwin shared his experience starting a publishing company in the 1980s for computer books. They discussed a potential opportunity for Michelle to present at an Empathy Summit, where trainers from different disciplines would share their programs, with a focus on healthcare empathy training in April.
School Empathy Initiative Planning
Edwin proposed organizing an empathy initiative in schools for January, focusing on training methods and curriculum outcomes. Edwin shared his experience conducting empathy circles with high school students at Stanford, noting different outcomes based on student culture and familiarity with each other. Michelle suggested offering facilitation support for empathy circles and discussed how teachers use the circles for various purposes including conflict resolution and check-ins.
Empathy Circles in Schools Implementation
Edwin and Michelle discussed implementing empathy circles in schools as a conflict resolution tool. Edwin suggested starting with small groups of 4-5 students discussing positive experiences before addressing conflicts. He mentioned reaching out to gather an email list of interested parties and leveraging Bill's research on California's program to develop a showcase implementation at a school. Both acknowledged that while the concept has been discussed before, it requires significant effort to successfully implement in schools.
Intern Supervision and Grant Opportunities
Michelle discussed her experience supervising interns in Carpinteria elementary schools and suggested using interns to facilitate offerings in schools, mentioning the potential involvement of the Santa Barbara Foundation. Edwin shared that they had conducted empathy circles at UC Santa Barbara and are a 501c3 organization, though they have not pursued grant writing. Michelle offered to look into grant writing resources, particularly templates from the Santa Barbara Foundation, as a potential benefit for students seeking internships in counseling.