Today we head back to New Jersey to meet presenter Leah E. Jackson, Academic Advisor from New Jersey City University!
Tell us a little about yourself.
I categorize myself as a mother, writer, counselor and agitator. I am mother of two sons, Nekhen (11 years old) and Kai (7 years old) who are my motivation and constant reminder to always push past my obstacles. I am a woman of the people, which means that I am a community developer. If there is an initiative for equity and equality for any group of people, I am usually somewhere in the mix. From a young age, I have been volunteering in my community (getting a college scholarship because of it) and speaking out against injustice. As a student at Douglass College, I was performing poetry frequently in the Metro area and my collection of poetry, entitled Release, was published by a small publishing company in 1999. After having my children, completing my Master’s is Clinical Mental Health Counseling, and producing programs and events to both enlighten and entertain, I am now working on building my private practice with my longtime mentor who has decided to pass his practice to me upon his retirement in the next few years. Needless to say, I stay busy. And I love it. I can rest when I am in the ground, six feet under. Which is why I am presenting on self-care!! LOL!
What is your experience in academic advising, higher education, and NACADA?
I began my career in higher education as a coordinator in the Office of Specialized Services for Students with Disabilities, which included academic advisement. I coordinated services for students with learning disabilities specially, offering one on one mentoring and tutoring. I also was active in professional development and a member of NJ AHEAD (Association on Higher Education and Disability). I began working as an Academic Advisor in the University Advisement Center in 2011. Working with the general population has been interesting and I realize that my personal style is one of engagement and attention to detail. I truly assess my students and have been instrumental in their success and triumphs over major hurdles. I am inspired every day by the tenacity and determination of many of the students at NJCU. I do A LOT of programming of events through an on-campus organization and collaboration with other departments. I see the benefits of having a “personal touch” with my advisees. It is a circle of energy that continues to grow exponentially.
Tell us about your session. What can attendees look forward to?
The title of my session is “Losing Your Spark: Preventing Burnout with Mindfulness”. Self-care is a very important part of our profession. However, the majority of us do not apply it consistently. In academic advising, we often receive professional development focused on the well-being of the student, not necessarily on the well-being of the advisor. Costs of advisor burnout are loss of productivity, emotional exhaustion, disengagement, incompetent and unethical professional behavior, as well as decreased organizational commitment. The practice of “mindfulness-based stress reduction” (MBSR) has recently become a part of counselor education. MBSR teaches mindfulness, the ability to attend to present-moment experience as a way to reduce average stress reactions.
What do you hope attendees gain from going to your presentation?
Along with my colleague, Dr. Jennifer Mullan, we are going to show five techniques return the spark of vigor into your professional and personal life and keep the fire going. For those of you who do not know me personally, I am a performer – so trust me, you will be entertained! I hope that I can share some new ideas on this topic and help fellow colleagues.
Learning outcomes include:
- Recognizing the major signs of burnout and its effects
- Knowing basics of preventing burnout
- Overview of “Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction”
- Five clear and effective self-care strategies for everyday
What do you hope to personally gain from presenting in Lancaster?
I want to gain experience as a presenter at a professional conference as well as help others with something I work through every day of my life. I look forward to connecting with other professionals in perhaps doing some work on topics like this.
Thanks Leah! We'll see you next week!
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