NEW: Remote Learning: Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction in the Workplace

Posted on 1 Apr 2021 Last updated on 6 Apr 2021

Date: 13 April until 1 June 2021

Times: 18.30 - 20.30 (GMT+1) each Tuesday plus a day of Mindful Practice on Saturday 22 May from 10.00 - 16.00 (GMT+1)

Members of The Psychological Society of Ireland and The Addiction Counsellors of Ireland can earn learning credits/CPD points for completing this workshop

This is an 8 week online programme delivered on Zoom by a fully accredited Mindfulness trainer: A weekly session of 2 hours for eight weeks plus a practice retreat on a Saturday from 10.00 to 16.00 (GMT + 1). Participants are required to devote approximately 30 minutes per day to mindfulness practice at home between sessions.

Under the Health, Safety and Welfare at work Act 2005 stress is highlighted as a hazard (HAS, 2005). Therefore stress must be assessed and managed like any other physical hazard that occurs in the workplace. This workshop will explore what we mean by the term ‘stress’, how it manifests in our personal lives and at work and how mindfulness can support us in responding to it. The programme promotes self-awareness, personal development and general wellbeing.

Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) was developed by Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn at the University of Massachusetts Medical Centre in 1979. The course is suitable for those with prior meditation experience as well as those who have none. It introduces participants to different forms of mindfulness practice including sitting meditation, body awareness and gentle mindful movement.  As the emphasis is on bringing mindful awareness into everyday life, a commitment to daily home practice of twenty to thirty minutes is required. At the end of the course participants should have acquired a set of practical tools that allow them to cope better with stress in the workplace, and in their personal lives, through increased self-awareness, emotional and attention regulation. 

Programme Aims

The practices in the programme aim to help the participant to:

  • use mindfulness techniques to relate differently to worry and feelings of anxiety and better manage stressful situations in both work and home life
  • become familiar with the workings of the mind, including the ways we avoid or get caught up in difficulties
  • sustain the practice of mindfulness as a self-care tool that can be integrated into their work and home life
  • explore ways of releasing ourselves from old habits of mind that increase anxiety levels
  • get in touch with a different way of knowing themselves and the world
  • reduce the impact of self judgement and increase self acceptance 
  • be able to exercise greater choice in life
  • manage interpersonal conflict more effectively
  • experience improved feelings of self-worth and compassion for others

Training Programme Content

Participants will receive information and relevant literature via email to enable them to develop their understanding of Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction. There will be the opportunity during the training for participants to practice and experience mindfulness-based stress reduction techniques. As mindfulness training is primarily experiential in nature, the main ‘work’ of the course is done at home between classes. Participants will receive a weekly email summarising the content and practice instructions for that week plus meditation recordings. Participants are required to practice at home during the week for approximately 30 minutes per day. 

Programme Certification

The programme is delivered by a qualified MBSR/MBCT trainer. All participants who attend the programme fully will receive a Certificate of Completion in “Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction in the Workplace” from The Learning Curve Institute.

To book: https://www.thelearningcurve.ie/online-learning/new-remote-learning-mindfulness-based-stress-reduction-in-the-workplace-1