Date of Award

2021

Document Type

Capstone

Degree Name

Doctor of Occupational Therapy

Department

Occupational Therapy

First Advisor

Aaron Bonsall OTR/L, PhD

Abstract

The experiences an individual has throughout their childhood sets the foundation for their overall life trajectory. Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) leave a lifelong impact on a person's mental, emotional, spiritual, and physical health. It is estimated that the impact of ACES on an individual leads to an economic burden of $830,928 in terms of such services as law enforcement, child welfare, medical treatment, hospitalization, and loss of productivity and wages (Fang, Brown, Florence, & Mercy, 2012; Peterson, Florence, & Klevens, 2018). Occupational therapists and other health professionals have the ability to develop programs that fill the gaps in preventing and mitigating the negative consequences of ACEs. Yoga is a multidimensional that has various therapeutic and healing benefits for all ages if they have experienced trauma or not. Balance and Bloom was developed for this population in order to foster self-regulation and resilience. The following paper will describe the development, implementation, and outcomes of a yoga and mindfulness program for children in a disadvantaged community.

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