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COMPOSE is a series of personal and professional development workshops with a goal of establishing a personal practice framed around the concepts of learned optimism, resilience and meaning-making. COMPOSE’s ultimate goal is generating well-being pedagogies for across the institute and contributing to a radical improvement of student flourishing across the Pratt campus.

The COMPOSE Series consists of three different workshops available for faculty, staff, students, and alumnx of Pratt Institute. 

COMPOSE is a collaboration between Pratt’s CTL and Student Affairs, and it’s part of a larger, campus-wide Flourishing Studio project.  It is based on best practices established by the Pratt Meditation Incubator and research based on UPenn’s Positive Psychology Center. 

Find upcoming registration info for all programs here

COMPOSE

An 8-week long Zoom-based workshop series. Participants have a goal of establishing a personal practice framed around the concepts of resilience, learned optimism, and mindfulness.

COMPOSE Data

We have been implementing this 8-week COMPOSE series since Fall 2019, both in person through fully online formats.

Over these three semesters, we have collected Pre and Post surveys from participants, using 1. The Diener Flourishing Scale  2. the PERMA Profiler  and 3. the PANAS – positive/negative affect schedule questionnaire.

Overall the data shows that COMPOSE participants as a group are flourishing more and have a higher sense of well-being at the conclusion of the series compared to the start of the series.

Please review our data below.

Fall 2022Spring 2022 | Fall 2021 | Spring 2021

Serenity & Grit

Rhonda Schaller, Visiting Associate Professor and AVP for Resilience, Wellness and Well-being will explore in-depth practices in contemplative meditation and visualization and positive education exercises (UPenn positive psychology Dept). Over 4 sessions our goal is to experience in a community of care a relaxed and heightened awareness within silence, and in community reflection through auto writing uncover what we can bring into our classes, offices, studios, kitchens .. into our daily lives. 

What faculty are saying:

“Insightful and engaging experience. I loved the learning of positive psychology research in addition to the different kinds of meditation. Wholesome experience.”

“It was a great experience, more so than the first time. I think because the material is new to me and hearing it a second time is helpful and helped me stick with practice…in fact loved trying new and different practices. I love the long ones!!”

COMPOSE II

This opportunity is available in the Fall and becomes available after completing COMPOSE, The Meditation Incubator, or Serenity & Grit. In COMPOSE II the focus will be teaching and facilitating contemplative or mindfulness practices in your classes (if you are a faculty), in your office (if you are a staff), in student groups and organizations (if you are student) or in all other communities that you are a part of. COMPOSE II creates a sandbox environment in which each participant will have about 10-15 minutes to lead an activity and receive feedback. The course is Zoom-based and usually runs 4 sessions and a pre-workshop orientation.

Additionally, there is an opportunity to take advantage of our ‘COMPOSE Research’ track.  If you sign up for the research track you will be asked to:

  • Take part in all four sessions of COMPOSE II during Fall 2022 (listed above), AND also
  • Commit to implement your practices in your selected classes, groups or communities the following Spring semester, including administering two surveys to your participants to measure their pre- and post- wellbeing. (We have these surveys ready to go, all you will need to do is implement your practices and give out the surveys.)

Those part time faculty who complete the COMPOSE Research track will earn a stipend at the end of the Spring Semester. (Please note, the stipend is only available for part-time faculty).  Spots for the Research track are limited and participants will be selected based on the application.