Talia Akre is a School Social Worker and Mental Health Therapist with the Multnomah Education Service District. She works in two middle and high behavior schools catering 100% to a special education population. Before working for MESD, Talia worked in Washington Co. at Cascade Academy, another behavior school through NWRESD. Talia got her Masters in Social Work at NYU 10 years ago and started working with youth in New York Schools. She always felt the pull to come home, to Oregon. Talia grew up in a family of Oregon educators and is proud to follow in her mom’s footsteps by working with the OEA during her tenure in schools.
Mindfulness is not just a daily practice in Talia’s life but a baseline philosophy. Talia started learning about how to bring awareness to the present moment while studying tai chi and yoga in college, and now she regularly uses breath and body awareness in her therapeutic interventions. Talia has seen the power of mindfulness to positively effect the mental health of her students. She is very excited and honored to share her experience with educators from around the state.