About

How We Got Started

The Need for a Mindfulness Center

In 2014, after recognizing a growing trend of adults requesting services for anxiety and depression, Davis Behavioral Health (DBH) began offering Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR), an evidence-based educational delivery of mindfulness to adults in the community to address this trend as part of its Prevention & Education programming.

As the mindfulness-related prevention efforts in Davis County have grown, DBH has recognized the need for a dedicated space for the community to gather for evidenced-based classes, workshops on a variety of topics, and support groups. With deep gratitude to a generous private donor, we have been able to move forward with establishing the Davis Mindfulness Center. We envision this Center as a community-driven, community-supported effort–a place to come to experience the support and nourishment of being in community.

Mindfulness Instructors

Meet Debi Barley, MS

Prevention Coordinator and Qualified Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Instructor

Debi is a licensed school counselor and is a Qualified Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction instructor, trained through the Center for Mindfulness in Medicine, Health Care, & Society at the University of Massachusetts Medical School. Debi is the Prevention Coordinator at Davis Behavioral Health and is responsible for the execution of several community programs offered through DBH, including MBSR, Learning to Breathe, and Mindful Schools. She and her team are responsible for the implementation of mindfulness education in the Davis School District.

Meet Rachel Reist, LCSW

Mindfulness Programs Coordinator and Qualified Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Instructor

Rachel is a licensed clinical social worker and is a Qualified Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction instructor, trained through the Center for Mindfulness in Medicine, Health Care, & Society at the University of Massachusetts Medical School. Her career has been devoted to working with children, adolescents, and families. She loves sharing mindfulness with schools and the community as part of the Prevention & Education services available through Davis Behavioral Health at the Davis Mindfulness Center.

Meet Jacob Hess, PhD

Qualified Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Instructor

Jacob is a Qualified Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction instructor, trained through the Center for Mindfulness in Medicine, Health Care, & Society at the University of Massachusetts Medical School – and has taught both adult and teen classes. Jacob is on the board of National Coalition of Dialogue & Deliberation and has studied “mindful listening” across socio-political disagreements for a decade.