The Self Compassion Programme provides the time and space to explore and transform habitual tendencies and ways of relating to ourselves that hold us back and prevent us from making wise, compassionate and life-affirming choices. The programme provides a range of techniques to help self-regulate, generate spaciousness and meet difficulties with grace.
Course Dates 2.5 hours per week for 8 weeks (4-6.30 pm)
Retreat Day (9.30-12.30 am) Sunday
About the course
This is the prerequisite course for mindful self-compassion training. Mindful Self-Compassion (MSC) is an empirically-supported 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 (Booking information below).
The three key components of self-compassion are:
Self-kindness
A sense of common humanity
Balanced, mindful awareness
Kindness opens our hearts to suffering, so we can give ourselves what we need. Common humanity opens us to our essential interrelatedness, so that we know we aren't alone. Mindfulness opens us to the present moment, so we can accept our experience with greater ease. Together they comprise a state of warm-hearted, connected presence.
Self-compassion can be learned by anyone, even those who didn't receive enough affection in childhood or who feel uncomfortable when they are good to themselves. It's a courageous attitude that stands up to harm, including the harm that we unwittingly inflict on ourselves through self-criticism, self-isolation, or self-absorption. Self-compassion provides emotional strength and resilience, allowing us to admit our shortcomings, motivate ourselves with kindness, forgive ourselves when needed, relate wholeheartedly to others, and be more authentically ourselves.
Rapidly expanding research demonstrates that self-compassion is strongly associated with emotional wellbeing, less anxiety, depression and stress, maintenance of healthy habits such as diet and exercise, and satisfying personal relationships. And it’s easier than you think.
After participating in this programme, 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
The program is delivered on Zoom. Program activities include meditation, short talks, experiential exercises, group discussion, and home practices. MSC is a workshop rather than a retreat. The goal is for participants to directly experience self-compassion and learn practices that evoke self-compassion in daily life.
MSC is primarily a compassion training program rather than mindfulness training like Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR), 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. Positive change occurs naturally as we develop the capacity to be with ourselves in a kinder, more compassionate way.
It is said that “love reveals everything unlike itself.” While some difficult emotions may arise when practicing self-compassion, MSC teachers are committed to providing a safe, supportive environment for this process to unfold, and to making the journey interesting and enjoyable for everyone.
MSC includes 8 weekly sessions of 2 hours each. 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.
Support during the course
Should you experience any difficulties in connection with the course in between the sessions, your teacher will be available via e-mail during the week and you can also make contact with them on the phone. It is also helpful to ask a friend or if appropriate, a therapist to be available for personal support during the course.
Prerequisites
No previous experience with mindfulness or meditation is required to attend MSC. To insure safety, participants are asked to provide background information when they register for the program. It is recommended that participants read one or both of following books before or during the program:
Self-Compassion: The Proven Power of Being Kind to Yourself, by Kristin Neff The Mindful Path to Self-Compassion, by Christopher Germer
Booking a place
The course fee is £300. You can pay by cheque, cash or BACS. There are a limited number of bursary places for people on state benefits, please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
To reserve a place on the course please contact Colette by email requesting a booking form (click book now below). I need to review your application form before offering you a place so please do not pay until requested to do so. Your place is secured with full fee payment. You can pay by cheque, cash or BACS. You cannot get a fee refund once you've started the course.
Cancellation
You can cancel up to 1 month before and access a full refund minus an administrative charge £20.00.
Book Now
Feedback from Previous Programmes
I would say that this course will profoundly change your relationship with yourself. You will learn to look out for yourself and become your own best friend in the most meaningful way. You will learn to listen to how you feel, comfort, and soothe yourself and offer yourself kindness and compassion. You will learn to drop the self-criticism and self-judgment and learn that you do not need them to become a better version of yourself because you have been enough all along. And if this sounds terribly self-indulgent then you are definitely in the right place and the really good news is that on this course you will learn to develop kindness and compassion for yourself and then you will naturally find yourself responding to others with kindness and compassion. This opens the door and lets in the first chink of light on that journey.
Do it, it is life changing, when I was considering the course I was thinking I haven’t got a compassionate voice for myself but I was amazed that I can now find it and use it at difficult times in my life. I see the course as an investment into your life.
In the pre covid days I would never imagined attending a course online but it really worked. In fact it probably made it more accessible to me.
I really liked doing this online. Often the logistics of getting to an evening course can be a real barrier so this was a very user friendly and accessible way of delivering the course.
It’s essential in terms of self care, it’s transformative in terms of how it can enable you to approach and be with yourself, especially the difficult parts of myself. If I can continue to be more loving and compassionate towards myself then I know I can be that way more towards others people too, that reciprocal nature of the work I really love.
Brilliant, Colette was completely authentic in that through her delivery of the programme she really ‘walked the walk’. Her facilitation was grounded, embodied, informative. Colette has a very friendly, warm presence which is very permissive, containing and holding and creates a space (even online) that feels safe and containing and is easy to unfold into.