Mindfulness | Outlook South West

"Mindfulness means paying attention in a particular way: on purpose, in the present moment and without judgement” - Jon Kabat ZInn

Our Mindfulness team are pleased to be offering a full Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) course for recurring depression and anxiety. This is an 8 week course, with an initial orientation session to help you decide whether this is the right choice for you. The focus of the course is mindfulness practice and it is not group therapy or ‘chalk and talk’ learning.

If you have had depression, anxiety or both, 3 or more times and think a course may be helpful for you and you are willing to make a commitment to all the sessions and to the home practice, then you can register your interest through the ‘Register Online’ tab or call us on (01208) 871905. If you prefer, you can speak to your GP about a referral. We will then arrange for an assessment call with one of our mindfulness team so that we can decide together whether this is a helpful treatment option or whether one of our other treatments may be of more benefit.

Are Courses Effective?

MBCT combines mindfulness meditation practices, with elements from cognitive therapy to help change the way we meet the habitual negative thought patterns that are characteristic of depression and anxiety. In trials, MBCT courses and continued practice have been shown to significantly reduce the risk of relapse in depression and anxiety and to be widely beneficial to health, wellbeing and happiness. (Allen et al 2009).

What is Involved?

Mindfulness practice involves cultivating a sense of curiosity, interest and openness to moment-by-moment experience and a sense of kindness and gentleness towards oneself and others. This is reflected in the non-judgmental atmosphere of the course, where participants are invited to share their experiences of the practices in class and at home, in a safe and accepting environment, with an experienced mindfulness practitioner. Courses are taught in groups of 10 to 12 people.

Participants will not be asked to share the stories of their personal situations in the group and the focus will be guided towards present moment awareness. Home practice is a very important part of the course and materials given to each participant to support this.

Introduction To Mindfulness Courses

Our Mindfulness Team are offering Introduction To Mindfulness Courses for anyone suffering with mild depression/anxiety/stress who is keen to practice some mindfulness and learn more about how it can support health and well-being and reduce stress. These courses run for 4 sessions of 90 minutes and involve mindfulness practices, discussion and self-help resources. These sessions are free to attend. You will need to refer yourself to the service [HERE], or by phoning (01208) 871905 and have a telephone assessment with a therapist so that we can make sure you get the treatment you need.

Remember to express your interest in these courses within your referral, using the 'notes' section in the online form, or by mentioning your interest to a member of our admin team if you are referring by telephone.