Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) group is a mindfulness skills-building and meditation group, structured to reflect the teachings of Jon Kabat-Zinn’s Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) group, infused with discussions and teaching of cognitive skills for people who have struggled with depression and anxiety.  Together we re-evaluate our tendency to avoid painful thoughts and feelings as a means to protect ourselves from depression and anxiety while also experiencing the potential benefits of sitting with loving and nonjudgmental awareness and focused attention to the present moment.  

Group participation does require a significant time commitment; a 2 1/2-hour weekly group meeting for 8 weeks, in addition to approximately a 45-min daily commitment of meditation and homework assignments.  

All individuals interested in the group must first contact us for a phone screening, to confirm MBCT is an appropriate treatment for you at this time.  All group participants must be already established in care with a psychiatrist and/or therapist.  If you are uncertain about these requirements, just contact using the form below and we can discuss by phone.

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The course is for:

 

• People who are introspective and thoughtful. 

• People who are wanting to build deep and meaningful connections, through community and shared group experience

• People who have ever struggled with depression or anxiety in their life (but not necessarily right now).

• People who want to learn new ways of coping with ruminative thoughts and negative feelings.  

• People who are striving to be better people and sometimes thinking they are falling short of their expectations, or sometimes wishing life could somehow be different.

• People who have never meditated before.

• People who already have a meditation practice.

• People who can't quite find the time or space or energy to meditate with regularity and need a little extra support to build the habit.

• People who aren't afraid of a challenge or who might be afraid, but are willing to face the challenge (daily meditation during the course is 40 minutes).

• People interested in being more present, mindful, and more aware of the richness of every moment. 

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Here are some comments from past participants:  

 

"I thoroughly believe that my entire life has been changed due to my participation in this 8-week course. I feel empowered. I feel as if I may finally be able to get off Anti- Depressants. I have the tools now to work with my headaches rather than against them. I cannot thank you enough for letting me participate in this group"!

 

 

"I found it very helpful to have, for the first time in my life, a community of fellow class members who had similar symptoms and understood mine. I wish I had been in a better place emotionally to reap the full rewards, but this may be an ongoing journey that I hope continues to offer insight and bring me to the present moment, pain and all".

 

"Well run, helpful".

 

 

"I was initially worried Zoom would not allow an environment to foster connection but it still felt very connected and meaningful".

 

 

"I thought I’d learn how to meditate and how to practice mindfulness. I did not expect that I would find either of these practices to be as life-changing as they actually were".

 

 

"I really appreciated learning about the science behind how meditation and mindfulness can affect Gray Matter and overall depressive symptoms and episodes. I was also able to discuss symptoms and learn about others’ experiences in a safe space. ... having the group there for me gave great comfort and encouraged me to just hold on".

 

 

[I learned], "To use my breath as an anchor. That statement holds so much more meaning than it seems. To “watch” my thoughts as they appear and then dissolve away".

 

[I learned], "To calm down. Let go of things that are out of my control, and to really take into consideration my 1st world problems, comparable to people that have real-life problems".

 

[I learned], "the importance of focusing on the present and not judging".

 

 

[I learned], "To stop and notice my experience at the moment without judgment and with the realization that it does not control me".