SELF-COMPASSION AND MINDFULNESS
A 6 week online group program for resilience to stress, anxiety and depression
Dr Lydia Brown
Clinical psychologist and researcher
Location
Online group program delivered on Zoom
Dates
6 weekly sessions + 2 hour mini silent retreat
Thursday Evenings, 5:30 - 7:15pm
from June 4th - July 9th, 2020
June 4th, 2020
June 11th, 2020
June 18th, 2020
June 25th, 2020
July 2nd, 2020
July 9th, 2020
2 hour silent retreat: Sunday June 28th 9-11am
Cost
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Full $420 (rebate of up to $192 with GP referral, resulting in a final total cost of $228)
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Concession* $340 (rebate of up to $192 with GP referral, resulting in a final total cost of $148)
*Full-time students and low income concession card holders
Bookings
https://www.trybooking.com/BJLWO
Eligibility
This group course is suitable for those with at least mild symptoms anxiety, depression and/or stress. It is not suitable for those with extremely severe symptoms, or those who are actively suicidal. I will call everyone who registers to have a chat before the course commences to ensure this course is appropriate and will likely be helpful for you at this time.
Funding
Medicare funding is available with a referral for group psychology sessions from your GP, You will be reimbursed $32.15 for each session you attend, up to a total of $192.9.
Mindfulness meditation and self-compassion have been shown to improve mental health and reduce symptoms of anxiety, depression and stress (Khoury et al., 2013; Neff & Germer, 2013; MacBeth & Gumley, 2012).
In this interactive 6-week group delivered via Zoom videoconferencing, we will explore some of the science and practice of mindfulness and self-compassion.You will be led through guided meditations. There are also exercises where you learn how to treat yourself with more kindness and compassion in your thoughts, emotional reactions and behaviours in daily life.
Throughout the course, you will have the opportunity to share your experiences with like-minded others in a supportive environment (max group size of 10).
Why am I teaching this course? My PhD investigated the benefits of self-compassion for midlife women transitioning through menopause. Since graduating, I have continued with research on self-compassion, mindfulness and positive psychology in both the USA and Australia.
I have also spent many months in intensive meditation practice, and I have taken steps to apply self-compassion to my own daily life. Through these experiences, I have come to see the value in self-compassion and mindfulness meditation. Self-compassion doesn't come naturally to many people -including myself - instead it must be trained. Self-compassion is a powerful yet gentle skill that can help us down-regulate negative emotions, and improve our relationship with the self.
The contents of the course draws on science and some Buddhist teachings. This is a secular course open to atheists and those from all religious faiths. We welcome diversity!
References:
Khoury, B., Lecomte, T., Fortin, G., Masse, M., Therien, P., Bouchard, V., Chapleau, M.-A., Paquin, K., & Hofmann, S. G. (2013). Mindfulness-based therapy: a comprehensive meta-analysis. Clinical psychology review, 33(6), 763-771.
MacBeth, A., & Gumley, A. (2012). Exploring compassion: A meta-analysis of the association between self-compassion and psychopathology. Clinical psychology review, 32(6), 545-552.
Neff, K. D., & Germer, C. K. (2013). A pilot study and randomized controlled trial of the mindful self‐compassion program. Journal of clinical psychology, 69(1), 28-44.
"Unlike self-criticism, which asks if you're good enough, self-compassion asks, what's good for you?"
- Dr Kristin Neff
$30 from each ticket sale will be donated to the retreat centre where I learnt the practice of meditation in Sri Lanka. This centre is currently experiencing some financial hardship due to COVID-19.