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The function of the imagination is not to make strange things settled, so much as to make settled things strange. ~G.K. Chesterton
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."
Published in the LA WEEKLY 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." |
October 3-5, 2014 
Productive Learning | 34700 Pacific Coast Highway | Capistrano Beach, CA (949) 234-0625 ...................... Jump Start Your Dreams San Luis Obispo, CA Establish a new direction—one fueled with vision, commitment and the faith that it will happen Inertia is a force that affects us all. Its influence works continually to maintain our existing state. This principle of physics we were introduced to in high school has applications beyond the physical; it also works on us emotionally, mentally and spiritually. It is a constant constraint keeping things as they are–unless an external force changes that state. Jump Start Your Dreams is a kick start to change, the kind of change you’ve been dreaming about. It is the external force that will help you establish a new direction. One fueled with vision, commitment and the faith that it will happen. This is a workshop for those who are certain that there is something extraordinary around the corner and want to get a “jump start” on pursuing it.
Join me at Edinboro University of Pennsylvania to explore questions and discover connections. This year, Critical Thinking and the Creative Process will be investigated through a keynote address, hands on workshops, demonstrations, lectures and panel discussions. I will be doing the keynote address, numerous workshops, including one with Bryan Pezzone about Music, Improvisation, Creativity and the Art of Creative Teaching.
Professional Development for all staff: The Importance of Creativity, Emotional Intelligence, and Affective Self-Regulation for Academic Achievement and Life-Long Learning Skills
San Juan Unified School District, Carmichael, CA Keynote speaker, two workshops for teachers and a presentation for principals, superintendents and school administrations for the special Arts Integration Conference Creativity and the Arts: brain development, social-emotional skills, arts integration throughout all subjects, design-thinking, and 21st century skills for all students with a special workshop addressing the importance of the arts for students who have experienced trauma due to poverty, abuse, neglect or multiple placements in foster care. Both workshops will be highly practical for all teachers and staff.
Region 2 Arts Forum 2014 BCOE Lincoln Center, 1870 Bird Street, Oroville,CA Keynote: Victoria Stevens Ph.D. Dr. Stevens is a licensed clinical psychologist, psychoanalyst and educator. Her research specialty is the study of the development and inhibition of creativity in children and adults, with an emphasis on the relationship between creative thinking, inter-personal neurobiology, critical thinking, and cognitive processes. No Cost: Includes Breakfast, Lunch, & Handouts
Keynote speaker and workshop presenter for the CCSESA Region 2 Arts Forum 2014 Professional Development for classroom teachers and school psychological staff: Creativity and the Arts throughout the curriculum for all students: STEAM and 21st Century Skills
The Lost Art of the Recital Guest Speaker: Dr. Victoria Stevens Saturday, March 1st, 2014 at 7:30 p.m. Malibu Friends of Music In the early and mid-parts of the 20th Century, piano and violin teams traveled the globe performing recitals for a public who thirsted to hear and meet their favorite artists. Almost as though it were "written" all over the airwaves, fans were able to recognize these superb musicians by the quality of their individual sounds and the uniqueness of their musical language. World famous pianist, Delores Stevens, joins resident violinist, Maria Newman, for a recital of exquisite French gems by Gabriel Faure and Cesar Franck, and other musical surprises of the classical repertoire. Reservations, call (310) 589-0295 or visit MAHMA
Marla Jones and Victoria Stevens - you may remember them as "Synergy" or "Vocaleze."
Marla Jones and Victoria Stevens reunite bringing back some of their classic bebop & tight voal harmonies, as well as adding in many new arrangements mixing classical, Latin & jazz. Joining them will be the dynamic and creative Brian Pezzone Trio. Wednesday, February 19, 2014, 8:30 p.m. Catalina Bar & Grill | 6725 W. Sunset Blvd. | Los Angeles | (323) 466-2210
Music Mentors Program: Building on the YMF Mentor Artists Program that began in 1994, YMF launched a new Music Mentors Program in Fall 2011 Utilizing members of the Debut Orchestra and YMF’s vast pool of alumni, the Music Mentors Program offers at-risk students the opportunity to learn in a mutually beneficial, caring relationship that strengthens individual resiliency and the capacity for lifelong learning. In order to maximize their time with students, Mentors participate in professional development workshops with Pedagogy Director Lisa Schaeffer and travel to Lennox Middle School, Hobart Elementary, Para Los Niños Eisner Foundation Child Development Center, Para Los Niños Charter Elementary, and Para Los Niños Charter Middle School in Los Angeles to facilitate after-school instruction in a core curriculum of instrumental instruction and music appreciation. At both locations, mentors provide instruction on a variety of instruments, including: voice, violin, cello, harp, guitar, double and electric bass, flute, harp, clarinet, saxophone, trumpet, trombone, percussion, and early childhood music. |
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.
Art on the Brain 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." |
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