I am very grateful to my teachers for the benefit daily mindfulness practise has afforded me in my life and I am grateful to be able to 'pass on' this benefit to others. You will find that I have been 'doing this' for quite some time, since 1989,  and so you might benefit from this longer term experience to support you if you choose to go ahead.

For specific info about the course see box below: 

However be prepared for the work involved in these courses. 

There are lots of versions of mindfulness courses but, predominantly, evidence for mindfulness courses is based upon these- MBCT OR MBSR-  courses only.

These courses require daily homework: 40 minutes of mindfulness meditation daily. We know that it takes regular daily practise for at least 8 weeks to change the mental habits of a lifetime!

There is considerable demand for my work. I currently run these courses in Harpenden, Stevenage and Welwyn Garden City rotating venues.

 New dates to be announced

It is difficult to get an'8 week bloc' in which everyone can attend every week and so there may be sessions you cannot make. This is very common so please do not let yourself be swayed by ideals of a 'perfect course bloc'! Perfection rarely exists and striving or waiting for perfection inevitably can lead to dissapointment. On this course we will be learning to cope better with this imperfect and fallible world as it is. If you have to miss a session or two we can support you to do this remotely: sending you mp3's, workbooks andproviding  personal email or telephone support for your learning. As the emphasis is upon mindfulness homework practise this still works. 

'DAY RETREAT' 

There will be introductions and a de-brief but it is 6 hour retreat with shared lunch. If you cannot make this we have 4 retreats a year.

We also have a regular 'mindfulness meet up' group in Stevenage; once a month to support your ongoing practise!

Fees for the day course are: £300, this is  inclusive for 8 X 2  & 1/4 hour groups, 1 X 'day retreat', 3 mindfulness cd's, work books and the knowledge and availability of my personal & expert therapeutic support over this period via email or telephone.

As well as teaching Mindfulness, I work in Psychological Therapies in the NHS- CBT & MBCT-  and also provide Psychotherapy in Private practice. My week is divided into different 'workroles'.

For general enquiries about this course you can ensure a  quicker response by contacting me by email. I aim to respond within 48 hours:
enquiries@mindful-therapy.uk
MANY THANKS FOR YOUR PATIENCE

More about Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy

(MBCT is ONLY 5% different from MBSR)

It seems like everyone is talking about Mindfulness and offering courses nowadays!

OFTEN THEY ARE JUST TEACHING RELAXATION. MINDFULNESS IS DIFFERENT!

BEFORE YOU BOOK A COURSE; why not research what is being offered?

Teachers offering MBCT and MBSR 8 week mindfulness courses have had to achieve very high levels of teacher training standards.

THESE COURSES ARE MIND TRAINING COURSES THAT WILL BENEFIT YOU FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE. MBCT AND MBSR COURSES HAVE A SCIENTIFIC PSYCHOLOGICAL THERAPY COMPONENT AND ALSO PSYCHOLOGICAL EDUCATION ABOUT STRESS AND DEPRESSION. IT IS ONLY THESE COURSES- MBCT & MBSR-  THAT HAVE BEEN TESTED AND PROVED SCIENTIFICALLY!

MBCT is a UK version and slight variant of the well known Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) course developed by Jon Kabat-Zin. The course is designed to help you change the way you respond to difficulties and thus increase your well being overall!

Jon Kabat-Zin initially developed this course to help with the stress and needs of those suffering from chronic pain and the original course was more specifically orientated towards reducing physical and stress related problems. The MBCT version of the course is more orientated towards reducing Anxiety, Depression & psychological stress related problems.

However, my training entailed orientating these courses to accomodate both client groups if necessary and MBCT or MBSR courses are virtually identical in practise with approximately a 5% variance. There has been considerable evidence for these courses in successfully treating a wide range of problems including:

1. stress
2. recurrent depression 
3. generalised anxiety
4. chronic pain
5. stress of caring  
6. relationship problems 
7. Addiction recovery 

I thus orientate these courses to work with both physical and psychological stress based problems. The course works because you engage in 40 minutes daily mind training Mindfulness exercises- AT HOME- over 8 weeks. Slowly, usually after about 4-6 weeks, this changes the way you respond to difficulties. There is good scientific evidence to show that, after completing these courses & the daily homework practises, people are less likely to suffer from depression or stress. This is not just self report: as well as clear psychological changes there are also real physiological changes in the brain structure that is visible on MRI scans.  

Thus, MBCT/MBSR 8 week courses can be very helpful in many chronic problem areas (see links to the left for the current evidence) but they are also generally helpful in improving the quality of your lived life. Please be mindful that these courses still require a daily mindfulness homework commitment of 40 minutes a day to make them work:

THERE REALLY ARE NO QUICK FIXES: THIS IS AN INTENSIVE COURSE!

However, if you put the homework in, then this course can enable you to learn skills and a new way of being that can stay with you for life. If you are shopping around please look out for the \MBCT or \MBSR title and for the background training and qualifications of trainers: there are many copies springing up!

AND PLEASE BE AWARE: THIS COURSE REALLY CHANGES LIFES!

The MBCT / MBSR course is usually done in a group and lasts for 8 weeks. This entails weekly 2 and 1/4  hour classes + one hour complete daily homework + one full day class of mindfulness practice. 

I have over 25 years of personal mindfulness practise experience- including personal guidance meetings and trainings over this period with an Eastern Tibetan meditation teacher/tradition & also with a Middle Eastern tradition meditation teacher-- as well as an academic psychological Masters level mindfulness based psychology & research training in mindfulness based approaches- at Masters level-  at the Centre for Mindfulness Research and Practise (Bangor: University of Wales).

I am able to draw upon both of these resources offering a contemporary secular approach to mindfulness mind training within the 8 week format