About - AMI

AMI offers mindfulness courses, retreats, and counseling to enhance your physical and mental well-being. We have two certified Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction instructors on our faculty. Both are mental health professionals who hold PhDs. Whether you’re new to mindfulness or you would like to deepen your practice, we have something for you. We also offer courses designed specifically for healthcare practitioners seeking continuing education credits .

All are welcome at AMI. We serve individuals and families of all shapes, sizes, colors, creeds, origins, abilities, genders, and orientations.

What is Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction?

Mindfulness means focusing on the present moment without judgment. Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction emphasizes reflection and relaxation through breathing, light yoga, and meditation. It was developed by Jon Kabat-Zinn of the Center for Mindfulness at the University of Massachusetts Medical School. MBSR has been proven effective through hundreds of peer-reviewed research studies over the last 35 years.

How can mindfulness help you?

Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction is a proven treatment for many mental and physical health conditions:

* stress and stress-related illnesses
* depression and other mood disorders
* anxiety and panic disorders
* chronic pain
* insomnia
* coping with cancer
* gastrointestinal issuesv

* type-2 diabetes
* attention deficit disorder
* eating disorders
* heart disease
* addiction
* autoimmune diseases
* and others

Evidence suggests that practicing Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction also improves concentration and attention, helps you regulate your emotions, and enhances your relationships. Those who practice mindfulness report feeling increased joy, compassion, and kindness.

The AMI Faculty

What sets AMI apart is our extraordinary faculty and their decades of mindfulness expertise.

Meet Stephanie

Stephanie Swann, PhD, LCSW, is owner of the Atlanta Mindfulness Institute. She, along with Dr. Vantine, is one of only three certified MBSR instructors in Georgia. Her certification is through the University of Massachusetts School of Medicine, Center for Mindfulness. She teaches Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction as well as advanced meditation courses to groups in the community. As a consultant, Dr. Swann trains mental health professionals in the practice of mindfulness-based psychotherapy. She also maintains a private counseling practice in the Atlanta area. She has over 20 years’ experience teaching in universities as well as the community. Currently Dr. Swann holds an adjunct faculty appointment with the Georgia State University School of Social Work. She attends mindfulness meditation retreats regularly and has a daily meditation practice. For more information on Stephanie visit www.stephanieswann.com

Meet Helen

Helen Barnes Vantine, PhD, founded AMI in 2008 with a mission to help others find insight, love, joy, compassion, and acceptance through Mindfulness. She teaches mindfulness skills to individuals, businesses, small groups, health care professionals, and graduate students. In addition to her work at the Atlanta Mindfulness Institute, Dr. Vantine has a private psychotherapy practice in Serenbe, where she offers Mindfulness-Based Therapy to her patients.

Dr. Vantine has spent 50 years practicing meditation and studying Eastern and Western approaches to personal growth. She trained to become a certified MBSR instructor under Jon Kabat-Zinn and received her certification in 2011. She was trained by Zindal Segal in Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy and by Kristin Neff and Chris Germer in Mindful Self Compassion.

Meet Jessi

Jessi Heneghan, LCSW is a psychotherapist and mindfulness instructor who supports children, adolescents, adults and families with workshops, classes, retreats and individual coaching. Jessi is one of the instructors for AMI’s weekly sitting groups and teaches introductory mindfulness workshops. She is passionate about mindful parenting, family mindfulness, supporting mindfulness practices with emerging adults and mindfulness in schools. Jessi is a certified teacher with the Mindfulness in Schools Project and will complete teacher training with Koru Mindfulness this summer as part of her role as Mindfulness Coordinator with Emory University’s Counseling and Psychological Services. She believes strongly in mindfulness as a framework for compassionate, attentive, and connecting living and is grateful her own children embrace it as a family value.

Meet Dominique

Dominique Harmon, LCSW, RYT 200 is a licensed clinical social worker and yoga instructor with a passion for holistic health and wellness. She has a private psychotherapy practice in downtown, Decatur, GA where she integrates yoga, mindfulness meditation, and health coaching, into her work with adolescent girls, college students, and adults. www.alifelivedonpurpose.com

Dominique obtained her masters in social work from Clark Atlanta University and completed post-graduate training at Yale University School of Medicine’s Child Study Center. Dominique is a Yoga Alliance certified yoga instructor and completed a 50 hour Meditation Teacher Immersion with Meryl Arnett, E-RYT 500. She has also completed a 95 hour yoga teacher training in devotional yoga in order to support her own and student’s spiritual and soul care practices.

Meet Dana

Dana Goldman, LPC, NCC, teaches mindfulness based stress reduction (MBSR) and introductory mindfulness workshops through Atlanta Mindfulness Institute. In addition, Dana is one of the instructors for community meditation group. In addition to teaching mindfulness, Dana works as a mindfulness-based psychotherapist. She began her training in mindfulness-based philosophies, techniques, and interventions in 2013. Her focus is on deepening her professional and personal understanding of mindfulness through courses, workshops, readings, retreats, and her own daily meditation practice. She is particularly interested in how meditation and mindfulness can positively impact brain function, decrease stress, and enhance our sense of wellbeing and resilience.

Dana is currently completing her MBSR teacher certification with the Brown University Center for Mindfulness. For more information on Dana, please visit her website: stonecottagecounseling.com
You may also email her at dana@atlantamindfulness.com

Meet Elizabeth

Elizabeth Wilder Young, LCSW, is a psychotherapist and mindfulness teacher in Atlanta. She was first introduced to mindfulness meditation as a graduate student at UC Berkeley and has used mindfulness in her work ever since. Elizabeth has more than a decade of experience supporting adults, adolescents, children, and families. Her work includes the child welfare system, community-based mental health care, and her own private practice. She offers workshops and presentations on mindfulness for parents, students, and community members. Elizabeth maintains a personal yoga practice and attends residential meditation retreats whenever possible. She also incorporates mindfulness into parenting her two young children. Elizabeth is also one of the teachers for AMI’s sitting groups.

Meet Tara

Tara Lozano, LPC, NCC, is a psychotherapist who believes in the healing potential of mindfulness for her clients and in her personal life. Tara joined Atlanta Mindfulness Institute in 2016 to provide workshops on mindfulness and has co-taught Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction courses with AMI’s Helen Vantine. Tara is on the path for certification to become a Qualified Teacher of Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction Courses through the UCSD Mindfulness Based Training Institute. This process allows Tara to teach MBSR courses under mentorship and includes extensive MBSR training. Tara values personal daily meditation and yearly retreats. She believes in mindfulness as a foundation to cultivating compassion.

Meet Wanda

Wanda Faurie, Ph.D. is a licensed clinical psychologist in private practice in Atlanta, Georgia. She has over 40 years of experience providing individual therapy to adolescents and adults and couples therapy. Using her experience as a university professor of Counselor Education and Supervision, she has in recent years focused her energy on teaching the techniques of Imago Relationship Therapy. She is a Certified Imago Relationship Therapist, Workshop Presenter and Imago Consultant & Supervisor. She is a pioneer in integrating Imago Relationship Therapy into addiction treatment.

Dr. Faurie’s journey into mindfulness has been life changing, deepening her inner peace and recognition of the power of compassion and kindness. She incorporates mindfulness in her work life and has a personal daily mindfulness practice. She continues her exploration through mindfulness workshops and retreats. Dr. Faurie is certified as an instructor in Mindfulness Self-Compassion trained by Chris Germer, Ph.D.

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