Frequently Asked Questions
Who is this for?
This
course is for both clients and therapists. For clients who have
experienced ongoing depression or sadness, low mood, or anxiety that
comes back over and over, or even repeated episodes of major
depression, this short-term program will teach you about the processes
that lead to depression so that you can develop new ways of dealing
with them and change the direction of the process. For therapists,
working through this week to week program of carefully organized steps
in developing awareness, and most importantly experiencing the shifts
in thinking, will give you fantastically valuable tools to bring to
your work.
Is it effective ?
Combining
Mindfulness practices and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy techniques, MBCT
has been clinically-tested in replicated studies and has been shown to
be effective in helping to prevent the return of depression (please see
the links below).
The
evidence from two randomized clinical trials of MBCT indicates that it
reduces rates of relapse by as much as 50% among patients who suffer
from recurrent depression, and numerous experts in the field have
endorsed MBCT as an effective treatment, including the The UK National
Institute of Clinical Excellence (NICE), which recently endorsed MBCT
as an effective treatment for prevention of relapse.
My
own experience with participants confirms that they find it an
enormously valuable way to change their relationship to their thoughts
and feelings and strengthen their resilience and increase their
happiness. Graduates of past groups have offered comments like, "It
helped me immensely," and "I leave this group a different person,"
calling MBCT "extraordinary" and "extremely important."
How does it work?
The
course is presented in eight two-hour sessions plus a day of
mindfulness. The structure of the course was very carefully designed
by an impressive group of mental health professionals, Dr. Zindel
Segal, Dr. Mark Williams and Dr. John Teasdale, in collaboration with
Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn, based on his Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction
program, which has been used effectively now for over twenty years to
help thousands of people dealing with chronic pain and illness.
In
the MBCT course, you learn to observe the activities of mind that lead
to depression, and develop effective intervention techniques. Each
week includes carefully designed homework assignments which allow
participants to develop the skills to deal with difficult life
situations.
About
halfway through the course there is a day of mindfulness, which gives a
deeper experience of mindfulness and solidifies participants' ability
to implement the practices.
Following
the eight week course, graduates are welcome to attend ongoing classes,
either on a regular or a drop-in basis. These are offered to support
you in continuing to implement these practices in your life, and
especially to support you when difficult life situations arise.
Class
sizes are 8-16 participants to allow for both individualized attention
as well as the immeasurable benefit of learning from one another.
Can I take it if I'm already in therapy?
The
MBCT course can be taken as a supplement to regular therapy and can be
an excellent and effective addition. By increasing your ability to be
aware of your own thoughts and feelings as well as strengthening your
capacity to handle difficult feelings, the course can make current
therapy even more effective.
However,
this course is not for people currently experiencing major depression.
It requires a high level of motivation to complete the homework, and
because depression can leave you extremely tired, unmotivated and
hopeless feeling, it can be too difficult to do the work. However if
your depression is less severe or you are currently taking medication
for depression that is working, MBCT can be still be useful. In my
experience, clients who take the course while struggling with ongoing
difficult feelings can still derive some benefit and in some cases opt
to take it again at a later date to solidify the experience. If you
have questions about this, please discuss them with your therapist, and
you can both feel free to call me to discuss it further.
How much does it cost?
Because
of the workshop format and the emphasis on teaching and empowering
participants to take control of their own process, this is one of the
most cost-effective treatments available for depression.
The
overall cost is $495. This includes an initial private screening
interview, the 8 two-hour sessions, the day of mindfulness halfway
through the course, as well as a workbook and CDs for home practice.
Follow up sessions will be offered on an ongoing basis at a cost of $30
a session. Many participants find these extremely valuable in
maintaining stability and peace in their lives, and in helping to deal
with the challenges life continues to present.
Payment
plans are available, and in an attempt to bring this to more people, I
am also offering some partial scholarships. If money is the primary
obstacle to your taking this course, please contact me to explore the
possibilities.
How can I learn more?
Please
free to contact me by email or phone with your personal inquiries. You
can also find lots of information at the links below.
This
is the home site of the founders of MBCT. It contains lots of useful
information, including links to clinical trials, bios of the
developers, articles and more.
A good article with lots of information as well as a comparison with the use of maintenance anti-depressants.
A brief and easy to read article outlining MBCT.
I feel honored to be able to offer this life changing work and look forward to hearing from you,
Mary
