We warmly invite you to join the Oxford Mindfulness and Mindfulness-based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) community as we come together for 3 days to reflect, connect and celebrate 30 years of MBCT’s contributions to clinical care and population wellness.
This year’s Gathering is designed to feature the wide scope of MBCT activity around the world within a format that enables mindfulness teachers, researchers and trainers to cross paths and learn from each other.
Our time together will start with a Day of Practice with Professor Mark Williams and Antonia Sumbundu. Day two will commence with a joint keynote from Ruth Baer and Willem Kuyken.
You’ll also have the rare opportunity to hear keynotes from each of the three founders of MBCT as they come together to review the field 30 years on from their original work.
There’ll be panel discussions, practice sessions and a research poster presentation evening.
The event has been structured to ensure ample opportunities to connect socially with your peers.
From its inception, MBCT has described how a psychological model of distress can be addressed through contemplative practice. Join our 2025 Gathering to help us take stock of this work and explore how it can remain impactful for the next 30 years.
Do you have specific questions about the Gathering?
Gathering Hosts
Zindel Segal
Keynote Speaker
Zindel V. Segal, Ph.D., C.Psych, is Distinguished Professor of Psychology in Mood Disorders at the University of Toronto Scarborough and a co-founder of Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy. His research program has examined neuroimaging biomarkers of depressive relapse or resilience associated with long-term practice of mindfulness meditation as well as evaluated the efficacy of mindfulness-based clinical interventions delivered via online or mobile platforms.
Zindel’s latest book Better in Every Sense describes the vital role of sensory awareness in helping pople step out of unhelpful mental routines and his TEDx talk advocating for the relevance of mindfulness-based clinical care in psychiatry and mental health has over 1 million views.
Mark Williams
Day of Practice Co-Lead & Keynote Speaker
Mark Williams is Emeritus Professor of Clinical Psychology at the University of Oxford, having held posts at the Medical Research Council’s Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit at Cambridge and the University of Wales, Bangor.
The main focus of his research and clinical work has been to understand how best to prevent serious clinical depression and suicide. With Zindel Segal and John Teasdale, he co-developed Mindfulness-based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) and was founding Director of the University of Oxford’s Mindfulness Centre that works to prevent depression and enhance human potential through the therapeutic use of mindfulness across the lifespan.
His books include Mindfulness-based Cognitive Therapy for Depression and The Mindful Way Workbook (with Zindel Segal & John Teasdale, 2013, 2014), The Mindful Way through Depression: Freeing Yourself from Chronic Unhappiness (Second Edition – with John Teasdale, Zindel Segal and Jon Kabat-Zinn, 2025) and Mindfulness: A Practical Guide to Finding Peace in a Frantic World (with Danny Penman, 2011).
His most recent work focuses on how to sustain and deepen mindfulness through an eight-week programme that explores feeling tone (vedanā) ‘frame by frame’, as explained in Deeper Mindfulness (with Danny Penman, 2023).
John Teasdale
Keynote Speaker
Before retiring, John Teasdale worked in the UK Medical Research Council’s Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, Cambridge, and the University of Oxford Department of Psychiatry. His research was directed to understanding the relationship between cognition and emotion, and applying that understanding to the improvement and development of psychological treatments.
With Zindel Segal and Mark Williams, John developed Mindfulness-based Cognitive Therapy for Depression, and led research demonstrating its effectiveness in reducing relapse in major depression. After retiring, he continued his personal exploration and practice of mindfulness and meditation, and taught insight meditation retreats internationally.
John’s most recent book, What Happens in Mindfulness: Inner Awakening and Embodied Cognition, was shortlisted for an ISSR Book Award. Previous books co-authored with Mark Williams and Zindel Segal include Mindfulness-based Cognitive Therapy for Depression, The Mindful Way through Depression, and The Mindful Way Workbook.
Sharon Hadley
Gathering Host
As the Chief Executive Officer, Sharon leads the business planning and operations for Oxford Mindfulness. Having worked in the mindfulness field for almost 15 years, Sharon has arranged many conferences and gatherings and particularly welcomes the ‘in-between’ time at events where the participants have the opportunity to reflect on the talks and presentations, gathering together as a community and making meaningful connections to increase impact on a global scale.
At this Annual Gathering, Sharon will be supported by the Oxford Mindfulness team to host and create a memorable time together – supporting the vision from Zindel, Mark and John to come together and review 30 years of MBCT.
Gathering Contributors
Antonia Sumbundu
Day of Practice Co-Lead
Antonia Sumbundu has been a Tibetan Buddhist and mindfulness meditation practitioner for more than 30 years. She is a clinical psychologist specializing in CBT (cognitive behavioral therapy) and supervision, and completed an MSt degree in MBCT from University of Oxford, where she currently is a senior associate trainer. Her work focused on the clinical applications of meditation, before shifting to teach meditation in a broader context, as a teacher in an international meditation community.
Antonia continues to teach MBA internationally along side leading secular and Buddhist meditation weekends and retreats. She mentors individuals, guides practice groups, leads MBCT training programs and classes, supervises professionals in MBCT, and participates in research projects, clinical trials, and developing training components around enquiry and MBCT supervision.
Ruth Baer
Joint Keynote Speaker
Ruth Baer is a clinical psychologist and a mindfulness researcher, teacher, trainer, supervisor, and practitioner. She is also the Director of the Master of Studies in MBCT, a University of Oxford degree programme managed jointly by the Departments of Psychiatry and Continuing Education.
Before moving to Oxford in 2019, Ruth was a Professor of Psychology at the University of Kentucky, where she conducted research on mindfulness and taught and supervised several mindfulness-based programmes in a doctoral programme in clinical psychology. Her scholarly interests include conceptualisation and assessment of mindfulness, effects of mindfulness-based programmes, mechanisms of change, and harm and adverse events in mindfulness practice.
Ruth contributes to the Oxford Mindfulness 12-month teacher training pathway by training cohorts and providing workshops. She teaches mindfulness courses, supervises mindfulness teachers, and collaborates on research papers with colleagues at the University.
Willem Kuyken
Joint Keynote Speaker
Willem Kuyken is the Ritblat Professor of Mindfulness and Psychological Science at the University of Oxford, where he has pioneered cognitive and mindfulness-based therapies to treat and prevent depression.
Since the mid-1990s, his training in Mindfulness-based Cognitive Therapy has included: participation in MBCT/MBSR workshops and retreats; supervision with John Teasdale, Trish Bartley and others; and support of his mindfulness practice in the insight/vipassana tradition from Christina Feldman and Catherine McGee.
From 1999 to 2014, Willem worked at the University of Exeter, where he held a number of roles including heading up the doctoral clinical psychology training programme (2001-2004) and leading the clinical research group (2001-2010). During his time in Exeter, he co-founded the Mood Disorders Centre, directing it through its formative years (2004-2012) and co-founded (with Alison Evans) the Masters in Mindfulness-based Cognitive Therapies (2008).
His new book Mindfulness for Life emphasises the lifelong integration and practical application of mindfulness into life, for a lifetime.
Gathering Schedule
| Day | Schedule |
|---|---|
| Wednesday 27th August 2025 |
08:00 – 09:00 Registration & Networking 09:00 – 17:15 Session 1 – Day of Practice |
| Thursday 28th August 2025 |
07:00 – 08:00 Optional Practice 08:00 – 09:00 Registration & Networking 09:00 – 09:15 Welcome 09:15 – 10:30 Keynote – Ruth Baer & Willem Kuyken 10:30 – 11:00 Annual Gathering Session 11:00 – 11.30 Break 11:30 – 12:45 Panel / Presentations 12:30 – 14:00 Lunch & Networking 14:00 – 15:15 Panel / Presentations 15:15 – 15:45 Break 15:45 – 17:00 Keynote – Zindel Segal 19:00 – 20:30 Research Poster Evening |
| Friday 29th August 2025 |
07:00 – 08:00 Optional Practice 08:00 – 09:00 Registration & Networking 09:00 – 09:15 Welcome 09:15 – 10:30 Keynote – John Teasdale 10:30 – 11:00 Annual Gathering Session 11:00 – 11.30 Break 11:30 – 12:30 Q&A Session with Mark, John and Zindel 12:30 – 14:00 Lunch & Networking 14:00 – 15:00 Keynote – Mark Williams 15:15 – 15:20 Gathering Closing Comments 15:20 – 15:45 Break 15:45 – 16:15 Practice Session |
What our previous participants have said about our Annual Gathering:
“It’s been the most remarkable experience. It’s been so wonderful to see people from so many different countries exchanging resilience, resourcing, kindness and compassion with each other. It’s so inspiring.”
Annual Gathering participant
2024
“Really heartwarming, really inspiring. This is my second year being here at the Gathering and it’s beautiful to connect with others who are working in similar spaces.”
“It’s been inspiring and lovely and fun and social and I’ve learned so so much. I feel as if my sense of myself as a mindfulness practitioner and teacher and therapist is more solid.”
“It’s really wonderful, very stimulating, deep even… there are a lot of people holding a strong space for teachers and therapists in terms of developing and growing.”
“It’s been the most remarkable experience. It’s been so wonderful to see people from so many different countries and exchanging resilience, resourcing, kindness and compassion with each other. It’s so inspiring.”
Venue & Location
Crowne Plaza Hotel, Fieldhouse Lane, Marlow, SL7 1GJ
Newly refurbished 4-star lakeside hotel
- Countryside location
- Indoor pool
- Spa and fitness centre
- Free on-site parking
- 5-minute drive from M40 and M4 motorways
- 20-minute drive from Heathrow airport
- Train connections via London Paddington
- Quote code ‘A3X’ for rate discount if booking at this hotel and attending gathering
Questions & Answers
Is the event available online?
It’s an in-person event however, some of the Gathering will be recorded and made available afterwards. We’ll be able to confirm which elements will be available once the recordings have been reviewed.
Where is the venue?
This year the Gathering is being held in the Crowne Plaza hotel in Marlow, UK. Marlow is a beautiful riverside town (it sits on the River Thames) with a selection of shops, restaurants and cafes as well as local landmarks. The hotel is about a 20 – 25 minute walk from the town and has a lovely lakeside view. You can visit the hotel website here.
What does the fee include?
The fee includes the full programme of events, including any early morning and evening sessions. Sharing of presentations post event (if approved by the presenters) will be included in the fee. Refreshments and lunch are included. Breakfast, evening meals and accommodation aren’t included.
What type of food will be provided?
During the day, the food provided as part of the Gathering will be fully vegetarian. We’re working with the hotel to provide evening food for all our participants (there’ll be an additional charge for this option). The food provided by the hotel in the evening won’t be fully vegetarian.
Where can I eat in the evening?
If you decide to eat outside of the hotel in the evening, there’re a number of restaurants in Marlow where you can eat ranging from cafés and pubs to Michelin establishments – we highly recommend making reservations. Sites such as Trip Advisor can help you with your choices.
I have dietary requirements, can you support my needs?
Please advise us on your registration form of your dietary needs. We’ll work with you and the venue to accommodate dietary needs but unfortunately, due to the number of participants expected, food preferences (rather than allergies and intolerances) will be difficult for us to manage.
English isn’t my first language, will there be translation facilities?
The Gathering will be delivered in English and unfortunately we’re unable to provide translation facilities. You’ll need to be able to understand conversational English to participate.
I have a physical disability, will there be facilities to support me?
Yes, the venue is able to accommodate guests with physical disabilities. Please advise us of the support you need when you make your application and contact the hotel directly regarding any overnight accommodation needs. You can view the hotel’s accessibility details here.
Is there a hearing loop available?
Yes, the venue has hearing loop facilities.
Is there a discount on accommodation when attending the gathering?
Yes, please quote code ‘A3X’ for rate discount when booking
Are there any bursaries for attendance?
We’ve worked hard to keep the fees as low as possible for everyone while covering all costs associated with the Gathering. Unfortunately, we don’t currently have a budget to offer any bursaries for this event.
Is it possible to attend just one or two days of the event instead of the full three days?
The event features themes and discussions that span across all three days. To ensure that all participants can engage fully, both individually and with others, we are only accepting registrations for the full duration of the event.