What to expect during the course
Mindful Self-Compassion (MSC) is both a journey and an adventure. With a scientist’s curious eye for discovery, we experiment with the self-compassion exercises and meditations, then observe what happens when we meet our pain with tenderness. We often find that self-compassion has the effect of both soothing and comforting, and for many participants — especially those with a relentless inner critic; this is a life-altering discovery.
Each participant in the course will receive:
- 24 total hours of instruction in Mindful Self-Compassion, which includes carefully sequenced self-compassion exercises, guided meditations, written exercises, group discussions, and mindful movement; our weekly meetings take place at Plaza Wellspring, 5 minutes away from the Country Club Plaza.
- Half-day retreat;
- Weekly handouts to reinforce the learning and provide support and reminders for home practice;
- Weekly homework assignments (optional, but recommended);
- Access to all meditation audio recordings
Continuing Education credits (CEs):
Continuing Education credits will be available for Kansas or Missouri licensed mental health professionals for this course. (Please note that the course is open to both laypeople and professionals and that no prior experience is required.)
Class format:
MSC is a skill-building course which includes eight weekly sessions of 2.5 hours each, plus one half-day retreat. The goal of the course is for participants to directly experience self-compassion and learn practices which evoke self-compassion in daily life, well beyond the duration of the course.
The didactic portion of each session will be paired with experiential exercises (journaling, gentle movement, and more), guided meditations, and group discussion. Each week, participants will be encouraged to try specific home practices in addition to daily meditation. There will be online resources available to participants to deepen and reinforce learning between classes.
Attendance:
Prior to registering for the course, participants should plan to attend every session. If you are unable to make more than two classes, we suggest choosing a different session instead so that you can receive the full benefits of the course.
Daily practice:
Research shows that increases in self-compassion are “dose-dependent.” This means that the more we practice, the greater the gains. For this reason, MSC participants are invited to practice mindful self-compassion for up to 30 minutes per day to develop the self-compassion habit. These home practice assignments are not mandatory, but they will reinforce and deepen the learning which takes place during our in-person meetings.
Midweek support:
For the duration of the course, there will be a private, online discussion forum available to those who are interested in sharing their experiences about topics covered in class or during the home practices.
Logistics (parking, etc.)
Will be provided upon registration