One-day masterclasses and workshops at the OMC by leaders in their field, within mindfulness training, teaching and research.
These one-day workshops offer continuing professional development in teaching MBCT and in specialist areas of applying mindfulness training. They will interest mindfulness teachers as well as those wishing to find out more about recent developments in their field of interest. Brief outline of the day…
Masterclasses are held at the Oxford Mindfulness Centre. How to get here…
Forthcoming Masterclasses
- The Mindful Approach to Health Anxiety – 29 May 2012 – Christina Surawy – £120
Further details… - Cognitive & Clinical underpinnings of MBCT – 18 September 2012 – Melanie Fennell & Christina Surawy (details shortly)
- Enquiry in MBCT – 23 October 2012 – Mark Williams – £120
Further details… - “Mind as process, Self as verb”: an introduction to Buddhist Psychology – 11 December 2012 – John Peacock (details shortly)
The Mindful Approach to Health Anxiety
29 May 2012 - Christina Surawy - £120
Anxiety about health is common and distressing. Most people are affected at some point in their lives, but for some it becomes a chronic and significant problem.
When someone is in the grip of anxiety, the effect is one of being ensnared in a future oriented world, out of touch with present moment reality, rather living life in a way in which body and mind is reacting to mental constructions of reality so that there is little contact with present moment information. One of the ways in which we think mindfulness training can be of immense value is to help people to recover the engagement with ordinary moments in life which can give so much pleasure, as well as foster a new and less reactive relationship with body and mind. In the workshop we will explore more fully the rationale for Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy in the treatment of health anxiety, describe the adaptations that we have made to the way that MBCT is usually offered for recurrent depression using case examples, experiential exercises and discussion. There will be also be the opportunity to review the findings of our recent trial carried out at Oxford University Department of Psychiatry.
The workshop may be of particular interest to those working in both mental and physical health, including GP’s, as well as to anyone who has experienced health anxiety.
Christina Surawy is a clinical psychologist and currently a tutor on the Oxford University Master of Studies in MBCT and is involved in training at the OMC. She has recently been involved in a 3 year study on MBCT for health anxiety, and has worked extensively with long term conditions and chronic fatigue syndrome.
Enquiry in MBCT
23 October 2012 – Mark Williams – £120
This workshop is for people who are already teaching mindfulness-based interventions. It will look at: common difficulties in leading enquiry and the reasons behind them; how teachers can best respond to the different reactions, reflections and struggles voiced by participants in a way that helps deepen participants’ awareness of what they notice when they practice mindfulness; and how teachers can maintain a present moment point of reference with whatever is raised and its larger context, while embodying kindness, curiosity, non-judgement and presence. The workshop is an integral module to training to teach MBCT but experienced mindfulness teachers will also find the day useful as part of their CPD.
In MBSR and MBCT, the aims and intentions of practices, and the learning points arising from them, emerge from the enquiry process which follows, rather than being introduced in a didactic way. Enquiry starts with identifying participants’ “noticing” of experience during the practice, which then become clarified through dialogue. The teacher guides the dialogue in ways that places experience within the aims and intentions of each class and within the whole programme. In MBCT, the aims and intentions include an integrative psychological formulation for each specific aspect of the programme. However, one of the common challenges faced by mindfulness teachers is that there seems to be no standard operating procedure for how to guide enquiry – as a result, teachers can feel quite lost in this important area.
Mark Williams is Professor of Clinical Psychology, Wellcome Trust Principal Research
Fellow and Director of the Oxford Mindfulness Centre at Oxford University. He co-developed MBCT and is co-author of the international best-seller The Mindful Way Through Depression and Mindfulness: A Practical Guide to Finding Peace in a Frantic World as well as authoring over 175 articles and chapters on psychological models and treatment of depression and suicidality.
Schedule for the day
From 9.am: Registration with coffee
9.30 am: Workshop begins
12.30 pm – 1.30 pm: Lunch, which is not included but is available on site
4.30: End
Transport and parking on site
We are approximately 3 miles from Oxford railway station with its frequent trains from London (Paddington) and many other parts of the UK. Allow 20 minutes by taxi from the station forecourt and 30 minutes by bus (Wood Farm service). This travel information will help you plan your journey.
Please note that parking on the Warneford site is severely restricted and you are strongly advised to use public transport. If you are travelling by car, Oxford is well served by Park and Ride facilities but, due to the high level of usage, drivers cannot rely on finding parking space.
Cancellation Policy
If you wish to cancel your booking for a Masterclass we will refund your fee, with a deduction of £20 to pay for administration, if you let us know 21 days or more before the workshop takes place. If you are not able to cancel your booking, giving us 21 days notice, we will not be able to give you a refund.
Circumstance may make it necessary for us to cancel events. If we cancel a Masterclass we will refund your fee in full.
