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Dr. Stevens on the 'Net

Blog posts highlighting the work of Dr. Victoria Stevens:

CLEAR VOZ
Impacting Educational Reform thru Social Change

The Creative Edge
Arts education takes center stage in this blog from Arts Orange County

San Juan Arts Community
San Juan Unified School District

MEARTSED
State of Maine Arts Education

TeachArts.org
Serving Central California

EduARTS 4 US
The Importance of an Arts Enriched Education

Arts Integration
Get smART: Redesigning Education with the Arts in Mind



The function of the imagination is not to make strange things settled, so much as to make settled things strange.

~G.K. Chesterton


In the News


TERMINATED AT 18

Bureaucrats call it "emancipation," but for foster kids there’s no worse birthday

by D. HEIMPEL

Published in the LA WEEKLY January 10, 2008

Victoria Stevens, a Los Angeles psychologist who has studied the effects of the foster-care system on younger children, explains that if a child is in a stable environment, his or her brain development is affected accordingly. In a stable setting, connections between the neurons in the brain grow at a healthy pace, allowing for higher-level mental processes — like learning abstract mathematical or scientific concepts.

"In cases of disrupted and insecure attachment, the lower brain processes become dominant and higher-order cognitive skills and social skills can become impaired," Stevens says. Many foster-care kids have trouble reading, and struggle with other basic skills, because their "attention span is hijacked by emotions."


L.A.'S RACIAL REDLINING OF BLACK CHILDREN

Published in the LA WEEKLY
July 16, 2008

Victoria Stevens, a Los Angeles psychologist who has worked extensively with foster youth, agrees in principal, saying, the "race of parents, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, education of the parents, single parents, et cetera, is of little or no consequence." The key is "the capacity of the caregiver to pay attention to the separate existence of the child and respond contingently with care, delight, love, respect, play, predictability and consistency."


Wednesday, May 2, 2012

Foshay Middle School, LAUSD, Professional Development
Presentation: The Effects of Trauma and Toxic Stress on the Development of Cognitive, Emotional and Social Skills in Students

Part of the Stevens Creativity, Imagination and Leadership Training Academic Mentor Program for Foster and At-Risk Youth for Children Uniting Nations


Thursday, April 19, 2012

Hosted by Productive Learning & Leisure, 34700 Pacific Coast Hwy. #202, Capistrano Beach, CA
Presentation: Creativity, Consciousness and Community

Picture yourself walking out of a presentation with techniques that will empower and enliven not only your life, also those we touch everyday! Imagine the benefits to our self-image, our intimate relationships, our work and our community. Think of the power we will harness once we understand these abilities.

Dr. Victoria Stevens, an expert on the mind's creativity, Founder and Director of the Stevens Creativity, Imagination and Leadership Training, a clinical psychologist and a long-time trainer and trusted friend of Productive Learning & Leisure is presenting THE BEST highlights of her research on creative thinking. She will discuss those foundational truths regarding the brain-body interactions, obstacles that block our creative thinking, and lastly the fun and candid abilities of our imaginations and capacity to empathize with others.


Tuesday, April 17, 2012

Please RSVP: call (949) 547-0957 or email

99th Street Elementary, LAUSD, Professional Development
Presentation: The Effects of Trauma and Toxic Stress on the Development of Cognitive, Emotional and Social Skills in Students

Part of the Stevens Creativity, Imagination and Leadership Training Academic Mentor Program for Foster and At-Risk Youth for Children Uniting Nations


Tuesday, April 10, 2012

99th Street Elementary, LAUSD, Professional Development
Presentation: The Effects of Trauma and Toxic Stress on the Development of Cognitive, Emotional and Social Skills in Students

Part of the Stevens Creativity, Imagination and Leadership Training Academic Mentor Program for Foster and At-Risk Youth for Children Uniting Nations

Barrett Elementary, LAUSD, Professional Development
Presentation: The Effects of Trauma and Toxic Stress on the Development of Cognitive, Emotional and Social Skills in Students

Part of the Stevens Creativity, Imagination and Leadership Training Academic Mentor Program for Foster and At-Risk Youth for Children Uniting Nations


Tuesday, March 27, 2012

Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune Middle School, LAUSD, Professional Development
Presentation: The Effects of Trauma and Toxic Stress on the Development of Cognitive, Emotional and Social Skills in Students

Part of the Stevens Creativity, Imagination and Leadership Training Academic Mentor Program for Foster and At-Risk Youth for Children Uniting Nations


Tuesday, March 20, 2012

SEADAE Professional Webinar with Dr. Victoria Stevens exploring Creativity, Arts Education and the Creativity Index

  • What is creativity?
  • How does it connect to Arts Education?
  • Can creativity be assessed?
  • What are the implications for Arts Educators of the Creativity Index movement


Tuesday, March 6, 2012

Markham Middle School, LAUSD Faculty Professional Development
Presentation: The Effects of Trauma and Toxic Stress on the Development of Cognitive, Emotional and Social Skills in Students

Part of the Stevens Creativity, Imagination and Leadership Training Academic Mentor Program for Foster and At-Risk Youth for Children Uniting Nations


Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Gompers Middle School, South Los Angeles
Special workshop for the COST team which is comprised of a conflict-resolution teacher, school nurse, two psychiatric social workers, two school counselors, an attendance officer, and an administrator. The purpose will be to provide insight and research into the effects of trauma and stress on youth, as well as techniques and tools this group of professionals can utilize to best serve foster youth and at-risk students.


Tuesday, February 7, 2012

Foshay Middle School, LAUSD, Los Angeles
Professional Development for teachers: Academic Mentors for Foster Youth and the Effects of Trauma on Learning and Academic Achievement.


VIDEO - April 2010: Region V Visual & Performing Arts CCESSA Sponsored Forum with Dr. Victoria Stevens: How Arts Education Can Support Student Achievement in Our Region.

Host: Media Center for Art, Education and Technology Location: Museum of Art & History at the McPherson Center, Santa Cruz, CA



READ ALL ABOUT IT! – Victoria Stevens, Ph.D., licensed clinical psychologist, psychoanalyst and educator, instructs teachers of King City Arts Charter School on the importance of incorporating arts into everyday classroom lessons.


SPECIAL FEATURE


March 17, 2008

Art on the Brain
A presentation of Arts in the Schools

The following are links to QuickTime videos. Click here to download for free, the latest version of QuickTime Player.

Art on the Brain Part 1 of 2 (13:53)

Art on the Brain Part 2 of 2 (14:50)

In March of 2008, Dr. Stevens presented a talk for arts organizations, teachers, parents, and business leaders about the importance of arts education for all children sponsored  by the Forest Theatre Guild, Carmel-By-The-Sea in Carmel, CA. This was a prelude to her talk the next day for the Region 5 Arts Education Forum sponsored by the Santa Cruz County Office of Education entitled: "Open the Doors to Arts Education". The topic of her Keynote Address was "Creativity, Empathy, Imagination and Metacognition: What Affective Neurobiology Tells Us about the Importance of Arts Education for All Children."


©2008-12 Victoria Stevens • All rights reserved