By Steven Hickman, PsyD
Executive Director, Center for Mindful Self-Compassion
February 11, 2019
MSC co-developer Chris Germer recently stated his belief that “the future of MSC is going to be adaptations of the program.” Indeed, we have heard reports of MSC teachers contemplating or actively developing adaptations of the program for: people with eating disorders; for healthcare and education settings; for substance use disorders; for men and for parents, just to name a few. Most MSC teachers are familiar with Mindful Self-Compassion for Teens: A Mindful Self-Compassion Program for Teens which is already wildly successful and proliferating all over the globe.
In an effort to guide, support and encourage the adaptation of the MSC program, CMSC has formally launched the Program Adaptation Incubator (PAI) project with a generous contribution from a donor and fellow MSC teacher. The goal of the PAI project is primarily to leverage the existing extensive resources of CMSC (in terms of expertise related to program dissemination, finance, research, marketing, administration, teacher training, etc) to help launch new, promising efforts at adaptation of the program.
The vision for the PAI is still evolving, and if you are a program adaptor, or are considering exploring an adaptation, we would like to have your voice in the conversation as we build the project. Ultimately, the PAI will offer small grants (of funds and services) to worthy and promising adaptation efforts to help overcome the barriers often faced by talented people with good ideas who lack the expertise in other areas that are needed to turn a good idea into a viable reality.
One definition of an incubator is “a collaborative program designed to help new startups succeed. Incubators help entrepreneurs solve some of the problems commonly associated with running a startup by providing workspace, seed funding, mentoring, and training. The sole purpose of a startup incubator is to help entrepreneurs grow their business.”
In the context of CMSC, we see YOU as the entrepreneur who wants to grow your adaptation and we hope you will consider joining us. Even if your idea for an adaptation is still only an idea. Join us and let’s see if your idea can grow!
Some MSC teachers have ideas about wanting to create an adaptation, but would like to team up with others with a similar interest in a particular setting or population, and we hope the PAI will serve as a networking opportunity to bring people together in this way as well.
The first step is to complete a short online survey so we can gauge interest in the PAI project and potentially schedule the first of a series of monthly online Zoom meetings to meet, discuss, collaborate and encourage each other. Once we have a sense of who is possibly interested in collaborating, we will schedule our first online meeting.
Follow the link and complete the survey soon so your voice can be heard. If you have specific questions, suggestions or expertise to offer, please email CMSC Executive Director Steve Hickman at steve@centerformsc.org or include your comments in the survey.
