“If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion. ”
Wissahickon_Valley,_Chestnut_Hill,_Philadelphia_(6315957018)
Current Offerings
Mindful Self-Compassion Program (8 weeks, in person)
Annie Allen, PhD, LSW
Wednesdays, OCTOBER 8 - DECEMBER 10, 2025| 6:30—9:00pm ET at Summit Church in Philadelphia
Session 1: 10/8
Session 2: 10/15
Session 3: 10/22
Session 4: 10/29
Session 5: 11/5
Retreat: Saturday, November 15th, 8:30am—12:30pm ET
Session 6: 11/19
Session 7: 12/3
Session 8: 12/10
The Mindful Self-Compassion (MSC) program is an 8-week group course designed to cultivate the skill of self-compassion. Grounded in the research of Kristin Neff, PhD, and the clinical expertise of Christopher Germer, PhD, the MSC program leads participants through the core principles and practices that help us bring kindness to our struggles, and experience more connection and resilience in our lives.
The course includes 8 weekly sessions of 2.5 hours, and one half-day mindfulness retreat. Each session builds on the previous one, and includes guided meditation, short talks, experiential exercises, group discussion, and home practices. The goal is for participants to directly experience self-compassion and explore practices that evoke self-compassion in daily life. MSC is primarily a compassion training program that cultivates mindfulness as the foundation for compassion for self and others.
Prerequisites: The Mindful Self-Compassion program can benefit those who are new to mindfulness practices and also experienced meditators. No previous experience with meditation is required, and experienced meditators welcome. Registration for the course is required.
Investment: $500 (regular rate), $425 (reduced rate)
24 CE’s available (with full attendance): $50 processing fee
Learning Objectives:
Describe the theory and research supporting mindful self-compassion
Develop and apply self-compassion practices to motivate themselves with encouragement rather than self-criticism
Assess and manage difficult situations and emotions with greater moment-to-moment acceptance
Develop and apply self-compassion practices to respond to feelings of failure or inadequacy with self-kindness
Transform difficult relationships, old and new, through self-validation
Utilize the art of savoring and self-appreciation to overcome negative attention bias
Apply core mindfulness and self-compassion practices into daily life
Demonstrate simple self-compassion practices to patients, students, or clients
Continuing Education Credit
Psychologists: Continuing Education Credit for this program is provided by UC San Diego Center for Mindfulness. The UC San Diego Center for Mindfulness is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. The UC San Diego Center for Mindfulness maintains responsibility for this program and its content. This course offers 24.0 CE credit.
California licensed MFTs, LPCCs, LEPs, LCSWs: Continuing Education Credit for this program is provided by UC San Diego Center for Mindfulness. The UC San Diego Center for Mindfulness is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. 24.0 CE credit may be applied to your license renewal through the California Board of Behavioral Sciences. For those licensed outside California, please check with your local licensing board to determine if CE credit is accepted.
Nurses: UC San Diego Center for Mindfulness is approved by the California Board of Registered Nursing, Provider Number CEP16351, for 28.75 CE credit.
Teachers
Annie Allen, PhD, LSW
I am a Certified Mindful Self-Compassion teacher, a psychotherapist, and an education researcher who has studied how children, youth, and adults learn and communicate in schools and communities. I have taught on the faculty at the University of Rochester and the University of Colorado Boulder, and for 25 years I have been studying human development and communication, dynamics of belonging and marginalization in schools and society, and organizational decision making related to systemic inequities.
I have also been a student of Buddhist psychology and meditation since my mid-20s, when I was drawn to Dharma study and then meditation and compassion practice to help with anxiety and grief. Mindfulness meditation, practicing with others in groups, studying with teachers in the Vipassana (insight) and Zen traditions and silent retreat practice in nature has continued to transform and bring meaning to my life. Practicing compassion in particular – love that knows suffering with clarity and strength and responds to it – helps me remember connection and even joy, especially in difficult times. I am committed to practicing these teachings with others, and I have faith in their practical value for individual and collective healing and liberation.
Maria Cimino, MSW, LICSW
Maria is a trained teacher of Mindful Self-Compassion (MSC) and Mindfulnes-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR). She has been a psychotherapist for 30 years. Since 2003, she has been at the Women's Mental Health Collective in Cambridge, MA, with many years of experience working with the LGBTQA+ community. She loves creating collaborative relationships with course participants and clients and values creating safe spaces that support growth.
Maria’s practice of mindfulness meditation guides her in her personal and professional life. She is a student of early Buddhism and has been inspired and guided by many teachers including Mark Nunberg, Shelly Graf, Chris Germer, Kristin Neff, Jon Kabat-Zin, Ruth King, Bill and Susan Morgan, Corrado Pensa and many others. She has a particular interest in diversity, inclusion and cultural competence in mindfulness communities. Silent retreat practice has deepened her meditation practice and inspires her practice in everyday life. Her mindfulness practice is committed to steadiness, awareness and compassion towards self and others, and supports her to be present through life's sorrows and joys.
Testimonials
What participants in previous 8 Week MSC Courses have said:
"Annie's MSC course has supported a fundamental, lasting shift in my ability to integrate and deploy a number of central coping skills vital for healthy daily living. The self-soothing, grounding, and perspective-shifting techniques of MSC have become central features in more successful, more sustainable management of multiple chronic health conditions for me. Annie is enormously skilled as a steady steward, gifted at creating and maintaining supportive space for risk-taking, curiosity, and true learning at a pace that supports both integration and exploration of the material. My gratitude for the coursework, and explicitly for Annie's particular teaching style of MSC, is expansive; I encourage everyone who feels drawn to this course to attend. Far from a noun, mindful self-compassion is a powerful verb I wish the entire world could become intimately grounded in."
Greta
“I looked forward to each and every time our MSC group met! I learned the most simple tools for soothing myself in the middle of a hectic day which has been invaluable! The guided meditations are simply blissful and I just can't get enough. Annie and Anne offer such a warm and welcoming presence and did a wonderful job holding space for us participants to share about our experiences safely. It was an incredible and transformative experience and I wholeheartedly recommend this course.”
Pamela
“This course was outstanding and extremely well run - structured with a variety of materials both didactic and active, it never “got old”. As a clinical social worker (therapist), I was delighted by how much the material was both personally and professionally useful.”
Michael
“This class was alive, covering huge topics in human-sized portions. I’ve taken it twice and will probably do it again... The practices, teaching and small group sharing all contributed to shifting my awareness and attitudes. Another layer of the habits of defense, judgment and bracing for the unknown have been peeled away.”
Alisa