Self-Compassion for Caregivers 6-week Course.
[This course is full and registration is closed. You can sign up for notifications about upcoming courses, or feel free to contact me if you have questions or if you are part of an organization interested in this.]
Sondra Gudmundson and Jon Walker will be offering this course starting on Sunday, January 28 at 4:30 pm Eastern Time. Each session lasts an hour, and we'll stay for an additional 15 minutes to discuss questions. If you know you want to register, you can do so at this link, or use the button below. For more info about the course, read on.
You can jump to more info on the teachers here.
Jump here for testimonials.
Questions? Contact me.
This course is designed for anyone that finds themselves in a stressful caregiving situation--whether it involves loved-ones, clients, patients or any of the myriad ways we are called on to care for other beings. Most people can sympathize with the hardships faced by those who have mental or physical difficulties, but often people don’t realize the stresses placed on the caregivers who are tasked with supporting them, yet also have to attend to their own needs and obligations. The caregiving experience is made more difficult because most of us tend to be very hard on ourselves--we judge and criticize ourselves when we most need to be supported in our caregiving efforts.
Mindful Self-Compassion is a research-proven course that can help us include ourselves in our own circle of caring. We can become our own best friend and supporter in a way that has been shown to enhance well-being and lessen anxiety and stress. In particular, self-compassion can help protect caregivers from burnout and compassion fatigue and increase satisfaction with one's caregiving role.
This course is a research-proven shorter version of the longer 8-week Mindful Self-Compassion course. It will meet weekly for 6 weeks, with each session lasting an hour, although there will be an after session “café” where people can stay and discuss the topics in more detail.
Here is a breakdown of each session:
Session 1: Exploring what self-compassion is and seeing how it does or does not show up for us, and then looking at ways to cultivate both mindfulness and self-compassion.
Session 2: Seeing why self-compassion is hard to come by in our culture, and then exploring more compassion practices as well as useful in-the-moment mindfulness practices.
Session 3: Looking at ways to work with the inner critic and to find our inner compassionate voice.
Session 4: Using self-compassion to work with difficult emotions.
Session 5: Investigating caregiver fatigue and burnout, and how self-compassion can remind us to offer care to ourselves as we attend to the needs of others.
Session 6: Exploring the importance of our core values for cultivating resilience and fulfillment, and how self-compassion can help us live more in alignment with those values. We will also look at the resources available to maintain a self-compassion practice.
This course also includes small and large group discussions since there is so much to learn from each other. Most people are surprised at how much we all have in common when it comes to needing self-compassion, especially in the realm of caregiving.
This course is freely offered, although donations are welcome. You can sign up even if you aren't sure you can make all the sessions; you will receive handouts and links to what we cover, and you can drop in on the sessions that you are most interested in. We do suggest you try to at least make it to the first session, which serves as a nice introduction to the concept of self-compassion along with some foundational practices to cultivate it. For confidentiality, these sessions are not recorded.
You can read the waiver and register at this site, or you can use the button below. For info on the teachers and testimonials, continue scrolling.
Image by David Hoefler on Unsplash.
Your Teachers:
Sondra Gudmundson, MS, RD, LD
Sondra is a certified Mindful Self-Compassion Teacher through the University of California at San Diego Medical School’s Centers for Integrative Health, Mindfulness-Based Professional Training Institute. She inclines to help self & others meet difficulties in life with love and to facilitate opening the door to one's heart with greater ease. She is a graduate of both Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction and Mindful Self-Compassion Programs, and has been trained by internationally renowned pioneers of self-compassion, Kristin Neff and Chris Germer.
With a passion for wellness, Sondra has devoted >¼ century clinical experience as a nutrition therapist and mindful eating professional. She practices heart centered meditations including gratitude, lovingkindness, and self-compassion daily and honors these as essential nutrients for the soul. Sondra’s intentional focus is to offer lifecare nourishment with love to guide. Nurturing one’s organic true nature within is her life’s practice, and she values the global communities & interconnectedness created through MSC course offerings.
Jonathan Walker, MD
Jon Walker, creator of Modestly Mindful, is a retired physician, and his full background is on the About Me page. He has done teacher training through UCLA, UC San Diego and UC Berkeley, and is a certified teacher in MSC through the Center for Mindful Self-Compassion. He is also certified through the International Mindfulness Teacher’s Association and the Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Certification Program. But his main qualification is that he spent a large chunk of his life being neither especially mindful nor self-compassionate, so he is highly motivated to help you avoid a similar fate!
Jon & Sondra met on the path of their MSC teacher training adventures and are inspired to partner with you to help cultivate your own personal relationship with your inner teacher.
“A moment of self-compassion can change your entire day.
A string of such moments can change the course of your life.”
Chris Germer, co-founder MSC
Testimonials:
Sondra and Jon exemplify the concept of mindful self-compassion. Their teaching as well as their presence contributed to the value of this life-affirming practice. It was just what I needed at a time of personal/professional challenge. I highly recommend this course with these instructors. L. M., psychotherapist.
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Thank you so much for taking me through this 8 week's class. I really looked forward to coming each week and seeing both of you. It was a bright spot in my weeks and I valued the time tremendously. You are both amazing teachers and your kindness, compassion, energy, and dedication really made this class that much better! A.I.
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“This class offers a treasure trove of tools which enabled me to elicit a powerful paradigm shift. A shift towards the big MSC (Mindful Self-Compassion)! I am now a huge believer and have since ordered the workbook and plan to sign up for a second round and bring my family and friends. A huge shout out to two wonderfully insightful, caring and compassionate human beings! Thank you Jon and Sondra! Truly--thank you from the bottom of my heart." H.K.
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"MSC opened my eyes to a beautiful side of life that I had never experienced. Through Sondra and Jon's kindness and expertise. I was taken on an exquisite journey of self-discovery and compassion. I have changed in profound ways while accepting my humanness with grace. My thanks and gratitude." Maria
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“I sincerely thank you for your expertise, style, and kindness. I’m greatly appreciating the insights from the class and you both as teachers, plus I’m happy to say that frequently I think of the 3 basic concepts of self-compassion. They are really helping me!” Celine
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"Thank you from the bottom of my heart for bringing our group together and sharing your teachings. Mindfulness and self-compassion have helped me stay present(ish). I’ve noticed the strong urges to act out of fear and anger, and get caught up in old stories. I can’t control what is going on around me, but I can say to myself, this is hard, I am suffering, remember that I am not alone and have an intention to be kind to myself. To my surprise, it has made such a difference. Little moments of letting go and letting myself grieve...Many thanks to you both for your kindness, generosity and teachings." Jean
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"Thanks so much for the class and the teachings you have both provided over the last 2 months! It has been great and has helped me gain some tools for dealing with my inner critic. The process is nowhere near perfect, but nobody is, so I’m looking forward to continuing my journey towards a more self-compassionate lifestyle." Kevin
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“Sondra and jon humbly present a really wonderful practice to tackling some difficult topics on self-compassion. They look at each session as a journey together to really get at this material. I was most appreciative of the time they took outside of sessions to fully answer any questions and concerns, even if it ended up with more confusion than certainty! I feel for those just starting any sort of self-development practice, they are great for helping individuals get their footing. They are really dedicated to their students, and that is fantastic!“ Jeremy
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"Jon and Sondra really seemed to embody kindness in an authentic way. I'm not sure whether it was intended or not, but that authentic embodiment showed rather than told...it showed me a way of being that is rare in the world."
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