“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
MONDAYS, SEPTEMBER 16 - NOVEMBER 4, 2024 | 6:15—8:45pm ET at Summit Church in Philadelphia
Mindfulness retreat on Saturday, October 19th, 8:30am—12pm ET
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 Mindful Self-Compassion (MSC) 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. Registration for the course is required.
Investment: $450
*A couple sliding scale spots available, please ask
24 CE credits are available ($50 processing fee) with this program for mental health professionals - see here for details
Short Course in Mindful Self-Compassion (6 weeks, online)
Annie Allen, PhD, LSW
THURSDAYS, OCTOBER 10-NOVEMBER 14, 2024 | 11:30 A.M.-1 P.M. ET | 9 CEUs
The Short Course in Mindful Self-Compassion (SC-MSC) is a 6-week adaptation of the full Mindful Self-Compassion program (8-week course) developed by Kristen Neff, PhD and Christopher Germer, PhD along with colleagues through the Center for Mindful Self-Compassion. This short series was developed to allow participants to begin to learn a targeted set of MSC practices with less initial time commitment than a full 26-hour MSC program.
Most of us feel compassion for our close friends and clients when they are struggling. What would it be like to receive the same caring attention from yourself when you need it most? Fortunately, self-compassion can be learned in part by connecting with our innate compassion for others and including ourselves in that circle of compassion. The practice of self-compassion also helps to grow and sustain our compassion for others.
The SC-MSC program draws on the skills of mindfulness and focuses on developing the resource of self-compassion to enhance our capacity for emotional wellbeing. Burgeoning research shows that self-compassion is strongly associated with emotional wellbeing, coping with life challenges, lower levels of anxiety and depression, healthy habits such as diet and exercise, and more satisfying personal relationships. It is an inner strength that enables us to be more fully human—more fully ourselves.
Investment: $250
9 CE credits are available through this course, which offered through the Center for Professional Development at Bryn Mawr College’s Graduate School of Social Work and Social Research
4-month Graduate Group - Mindfulness and Compassion
Every other Wednesday, 7-8:30pm ET, September 11- December18, 2024 by Zoom
with Annie Allen, PhD, LSW and Maria Cimino, MSW, LICSW
We welcome folks who have taken the Mindful Self-Compassion course with Annie or Maria (or others) or those who have a meditation practice and want to deepen their practice and have the support of a regular meeting.
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