Who am I?

I am a freelance mindfulness teacher, trained and competency assessed by the Oxford Mindfulness Foundation (OMF) and listed with the British Association for Mindfulness Based Approaches (BAMBA), https://bamba.org.uk/.

In addition, I have completed introductory cognitive behavioural therapy training at the Oxford Cognitive Therapy Centre and also training in Trauma Sensitive Mindfulness, Mental Health First Aid and Non-Violent Communication (NVC).

In order to teach on-line, I completed a masterclass in ‘Teaching mindfulness on-line live.’

As well as teaching mindfulness, I am an award-winning writer with an MA in Dramatic Writing and twenty years’ experience writing, directing and producing drama in school and community settings. My particular interest is Forum Theatre (interactive drama for social and political change) and I’ve created drama pieces in collaboration with people with lived experience of mental illness and also mental health professionals.

I live for the moment in East Oxford, UK.

What do I do?

I teach 8-week courses on-line or in person. The courses I teach are:

Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT),

Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy for Life (MBCT-L)

Finding Peace in a Frantic World – based on the book ‘Mindfulness – a practical guide to finding peace in a frantic world’ by Mark Williams and Danny Penman

I am also trained to teach ‘Mindfulness for Creativity’ (based on the book by Danny Penman).

I teach courses to the general public and university students. I have also taught mindfulness to the following specific groups: parents, junior doctors and the Sussex Forest School association.

With the support of Chris Cullen, I developed a 4-week follow-on course for University Students and I now run that for students at Oxford University.

I am also part of the Oxford Mindfulness Foundation team of teachers offering on-line free 30-minute meditations every week day.

For more information about me please visit my website and Facebook page – www.susiestead.com & https://www.facebook.com/mindfulnessinoxfordshire

One of my favourite ‘mindfulness’ poems is by R D Laing:

The range of what we think and do

is limited by what we fail to notice.

And because we fail to notice

there is little we can do

to change

until we notice

how failing to notice

shapes our thoughts and deeds.