University of Illinois College of Medicine

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Mindful Self-Compassion (8-week session)

Event Type
Seminar/Symposium
Sponsor
Center for Wellbeing
Date
Apr 20, 2022   6:00 pm  
Speaker
Marcelo Bento De Mello Soares, PhD & Denise Funfar, MSc, ACC
Cost
UICOMP participants - Free; Non-UICOMP participants - $450
Registration
Registration Form
Contact
Tiara Thomas
E-Mail
CenterForWellbeing@uic.edu
Views
115
Originating Calendar
UICOMP Upcoming Events

All classes are on Wednesdays from 6-9 p.m., while retreats are on Saturdays from 11 a.m.-2:30 p.m.

Sessions

  • February 23-April 13 (retreat on March 26)
  • April 20-June 8 (retreat on May 21)

Please plan to attend all 8 sessions and to practice 30 min per day outside of class. If you expect to miss more than 2 sessions, it is better to wait and take this course at a later time. The exercises and support given are evidence-based and provided by trained practitioners; however, they're not meant to replace or be a substitute for the consultation, diagnosis, and/or medical treatment of a licensed mental health and/or qualified healthcare provider.

Why Mindful Self-Compassion?

Despite how kind we are to other people, many of us are very hard on ourselves. We are biologically wired to focus on our shortcomings and ruminate on our deficiencies. If we add to this the sometimes seemingly impossible pressures and demands of our current times, we find that many are left in a self-diminishing cycle of burnout and feelings of not being good enough.

What is Mindful Self-Compassion?

Mindful Self-Compassion (MSC) is an empirically-supported, 8-week training program designed to cultivate the skill of self-compassion. Based on the groundbreaking research of Kristin Neff and the clinical expertise of Christopher Germer, MSC teaches core principles and practices that enable participants to respond to difficult moments in their lives with kindness, care and understanding. It is a powerful approach for emotional resilience and wellbeing, boosting happiness and reducing anxiety and depression.

After participating in this workshop, you’ll be able to:

  • Practice self-compassion in daily life
  • Understand the empirically-supported benefits of self-compassion
  • Motivate yourself with kindness rather than criticism
  • Handle difficult emotions with greater ease
  • Transform challenging relationships, old and new
  • Manage caregiver fatigue
  • Practice the art of savoring and self-appreciation

What to Expect

MSC includes 8 weekly sessions of 3 hours each, in addition to a 3.5-hour retreat. Prior to registering, participants should plan to attend every session and practice mindfulness and self-compassion at least 30 minutes per day throughout the program.

MSC is primarily a compassion training program rather than mindfulness training, although mindfulness is the foundation of self-compassion. MSC is also not psychotherapy insofar as the emphasis of MSC is on building emotional resources rather than addressing old wounds. Beneficial change occurs naturally as we develop the capacity to be with ourselves in a kinder, more compassionate way.

Topics

Session 1: Discovering Mindful Self-Compassion
Session 2: Practicing Mindfulness
Session 3: Practicing Loving-Kindness
Session 4: Discovering Your Compassionate Voice
Session 5: Living Deeply
Half-day Retreat
Session 6: Meeting Difficult Emotions
Session 7: Exploring Challenging Relationships
Session 8: Embracing Your Life

… and a little more for those of you who like the details:

Research on Mindful Self-Compassion can be found here: https://self-compassion.org/the-research/

 

Instructors

Soares

Marcelo Bento De Mello Soares, PhD
University of Illinois College of Medicine Peoria

Dr. Bento Soares is Head of the Department of Cancer Biology and Pharmacology and Senior Associate Dean for Research at the University of Illinois College of Medicine Peoria. He is a Senior Instructor of CBCT® (Cognitively-Based Compassion Training), a certified teacher of CEB (Cultivating Emotional Balance), and an MSC (Mindful Self-Compassion) and SCHC (Self-Compassion for Healthcare Communities) Trained Teacher. Dr. Soares has made significant contributions to the human genome project and to pediatric cancer research, and works to bring emotional awareness, resilience and compassion training to healthcare education, to healthcare providers, to educators in the public-school system, and to cancer survivors and their partner/caregivers.

 

Funfar

Denise Funfar, MSc, ACC
San Diego, CA

Denise Funfar is an Integrative Leadership coach who collaborates with organizations ranging from business accelerators to non-profits to guide people to create form a place of authenticity, self-worth, and inner joy. Her corporate career spans Europe and the U.S. with a B.S. in Business and an M.S. in People & Change Management, emphasizing employee morale. Denise is a trained Mindful Self-Compassion teacher who graduated from UCSD’s teacher trainings and practicums in Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) and Mindful Self-Compassion (MSC). She is also a graduate of USD’s Leadership Coaching Program as well as various certifications in integrative psychology and wellbeing. She is fueled by a deep desire for people to experience worthiness, belonging, and joy being fully themselves.

Waiver of Liability and Video Recording Consent Forms

Please fill out and email to Tiara Thomas (tnthomas@uic.edu).

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