I am a spiritual counselor and author of the children’s book Here You Are.

In Here You Are a child discovers the ultimate truth of all after journeying through life's fundamental truths and puzzles. (BoathouseBooks.com)

I am participating in five-year study at the University of California, San Francisco on the benefits of meditation and other life skills for student populations, with the goal of reducing violence and suicide in our nation’s schools.

I am the author of the meditation segment of this study which will be conducted during a three-day life skills course, in which other benefits are researched separately as well, including the benefits of better nutrition, exercise, creativity, self-awareness, and interpersonal relationships. Each workshop will consist of about 15 students.

The study began in March 2008 and will continue through March 2013. Funding for the first year is budgeted for 500 students. Developed by the Wise Wishes Institute of California, the workshops have in the private sector already helped many families and children, be they Hurricane Katrina survivors, or methamphetamine users.