Kristin Neff and Christopher Germer are pioneers in the scientific development of self-compassion. They have brought their respective experience together in the empirically-supported Mindful Self-Compassion (MSC) program. This Core Skills Workshop allows an opportunity for people to immerse themselves in some of the key practices and exercises of the full 8-week program in an intensive 2-day format.
Self-compassion: What is It?
Self-compassion is the emotional attitude of bringing kindness to ourselves when things go wrong in our lives. Most of us easily treat our friends and loved ones with warmth, tenderness and patience when they struggle, fall short or fail at times in their lives, but we have a much harder time bringing those same qualities of compassion to our own selves in the same situations. Self-compassion is directed to the one who is suffering, and encourages us to consider the fundamental question of “What do I need?” By recognizing that difficulty is here (mindfulness), that these things are a part of every human life (common humanity), and connecting with our natural capacity for kindness toward suffering (self-kindness), we can develop healthy and enduring patterns of relating to all the circumstances of life.
Self-compassion: How to Learn It
Self-compassion can be learned by anyone, even those who didn’t receive enough affection in childhood or who find it embarrassing to be kind to oneself. It’s a courageous mental attitude that stands up to harm, including the discomfort that we unwittingly inflict on ourselves through self-criticism, self-isolation, and self-rumination when things go wrong. Self-compassion provides emotional strength and resilience, allowing us to admit our shortcomings, forgive ourselves, and respond to ourselves and others with care and respect, and be fully human.
MSC Core Skills Objectives:
At the completion of this activity, participants should be able to:
Program activities include talks, meditation, experiential exercises, and group discussion. Participants will directly experience self-compassion and learn practices that evoke self-compassion in daily life. No previous experience with mindfulness or meditation is required to attend the program.
Approximate Course Times:
Friday and Saturday, April 27 & 28, 2018
9:00 am – 5:00 pm both days
Lunch Included
Please plan to arrive at 8:15 am for registration. Coffee, tea and breakfast finger food provided.
Venue Location:
Holy Wisdom Monastery
4200 County Road M
Middleton, Wisconsin 53562
Continuing Education and Scholarships:
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 11.0 hours of credit.
Nurses: UC San Diego Center for Mindfulness is approved by the California Board of Registered Nursing, Provider Number CEP16351, for 13.0 contact hours. Please check with your local board to see if California BRN contact hours are applicable.
Social Workers: Please check with your local Board to see if APA CEs will apply. The Wisconsin Chapter of NASW states that continuing education programs, if relevant to the professional practice of marriage and family therapy, professional counseling, or social work, are approved as follows: Any continuing education program approved, sponsored, or co-sponsored by a presenter approved by the Committee for the Approval of Continuing Education Sponsors of the American Psychological Association.
Fees for CE credits: $30 (Submit when registering)
In order to receive CE credits you must attend the whole course. Credit will not be given for partial attendance. Please bring your License number as you will be required to sign-in/out daily on a CE attendance list. There will also be an online evaluation to fill-out which will be emailed to you a few days after the workshop. CE Certificates will be emailed 4-6 weeks after the course.
There are a limited amount of Scholarships and Student Discounts available. If you are interested in receiving more information, please contact [email protected]
Recommended reading:
Kristin Neff, Self-Compassion: The Proven Power of Being Kind to Yourself
Christopher Germer, The Mindful Path to Self-Compassion
Program fees:
The tuition fees for the course are payable to the Center for Mindful Self-Compassion.
Earlybird tuition, materials and lunch (by April 12, 2018): $300
Standard tuition, materials and lunch (from April 13, 2018): $350
Student Discounts are available for $50 off the the tuition fee. Must be a full-time student with ID. IDs will be checked at the door. Please contact [email protected] to apply.
Cancellation policy:
Your fee will be refunded if we are notified by March 27, 2018, that you need to cancel your registration.
A $50 service fee will be retained if you cancel between March 27 and April 12, 2018.
No refunds are available after April 12, 2018, except on compassionate grounds.
In the unlikely event that the workshop is canceled, Center for Mindful Self-Compassion is responsible only for a full refund of the registration fee and not for transportation, hotel accommodations or any miscellaneous fees.
This course is Full and we are no longer accepting names for the wait list.