Mindful Self-Compassion (MSC) was developed by Christopher K. Germer, PhD, leader in the integration of mindfulness and psychotherapy, and Kristin Neff, PhD, pioneering researcher in the field of self-compassion.

Research has shown that self-compassion greatly enhances emotional well-being. It boosts happiness, reduces anxiety and depression, and can even help maintain healthy lifestyle habits such as diet and exercise. Being both mindful and compassionate leads to greater ease and joy in our daily lives.

MSC can be learned by anyone. It’s the practice of learning to befriend yourself, especially when things are tough.

IN MSC YOU WILL LEARN

• How to stop being so hard on yourself
• How to handle difficult emotions with greater ease
• How to motivate yourself with encouragement rather than criticism
• Mindfulness and self-compassion practices for home and everyday life
• The theory and research behind mindful self-compassion

RECOMMENDED READING

• Kristin Neff, Self-Compassion: The Proven Power of Being Kind to Yourself
• Christopher Germer, The Mindful Path to Self-Compassion

Our teachers work hard to create a supportive, friendly, and safe classroom community for you and the other participants in our multi-week classes. Mindfulness and compassion training can be many things to many people at different points in their lives: supportive, exploratory, revealing, and at times challenging. The classes include both tools you can use every day and opportunities to take a deep dive into your mind, habits, and conditioning. This process has many benefits but it’s also important to consider if the time is right. Please read on and consider watching the 5-minute video below.

There are instances where a longer course like Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction or Mindful Self-Compassion can be less helpful or even harmful.If you've recently experienced serious psychological challenges like schizophrenia or psychosis not responsive to medication, or you are experiencing severe depression with thoughts of suicide, class is probably not helpful at this time. We also suggest caution if you're recently in recovery, recently lost a close loved one, have Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), or have recently experienced significant trauma.

If you're unsure about registering for a course, please contact the Mindfulness Northwest office. We want to be sure there is sufficient support for you and that the timing is right for taking our courses.

WHO TAKES OUR CLASSES?

All adults (18+) are welcome! Our supportive, inclusive community celebrates participants from all backgrounds. Everyone is welcome at Mindfulness Northwest, regardless of race, religion, age, ability, gender expression, who you love, what you believe -- everyone. We at Mindfulness NW work hard to make our spaces safe for all, and we thank you for joining us with that same intention.

Certain retreats are best suited for more experienced practitioners; details about prerequisites are included with each event description.

Couples and close friends do often take our classes together. We ask that people who are attending our programs together please register separately.

LEARNING MORE

We hope you enjoy this five-minute message from Executive Director Tim Burnett on what our classes look and feel like. We recommend you watch it before enrolling in an 8-week or residential MBSR or MSC.

We recommend you watching this five-minute message from Executive Director Tim Burnett on what our classes look and feel like before enrolling in an 8-week or residential MBSR or MSC.

If you’re unsure about registering for a course, please contact the Mindfulness Northwest office. We want to be sure there is sufficient support for you and that the timing is right for taking our courses.

Yes! We allow participants in our multi-week classes including Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR), Mindful Self-Compassion (MSC), and Mindfulness for Healthcare Providers (MHP) courses to attend another class in the same quarter (when possible).

You may email us at office@mindfulnessnorthwest.com to make arrangements.

Please provide the name of your current class, location, day of the week, and the class you’ll be missing (e.g. MBSR, Online, Tuesday nights, class 6). You’ll be contacted by the Community Program Coordinator within one business day.

Residential Trainings are multi-day forms of our 8-week classes. We offer Residential Trainings for Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) and Mindful Self-Compassion (MSC). You will receive all of the content, practices and experiences of these 8-week classes in 5 full days of training at an overnight training venue. Meals and lodging are included in your registration.

Residential Trainings are excellent if you cannot attend our 8-week classes or simply prefer the more intensive format and appreciate the way a Residential Training gets you away from your daily routine with space to focus.

We also offer silent teacher-led Residential Retreats. These are meditation retreats which consist primarily of silent meditation practice with some spoken guidance and brief talks from the teachers. Please see our Residential Silent Retreats section for more information.

STRUCTURE AND PARTICIPATION

A TRAINING DAY

Early morning practice starts our days before breakfast. Then 3-hour classroom sessions are offered morning and afternoon of most days.  Evening sessions with additional resources and opportunities are offered on a few evenings as well. Participants are expected to attend all classroom sessions, but evening sessions are usually optional. You'll receive a printed schedule and guidance from the teachers about navigating these rich days of practice, study, and learning.

PERIODS OF SILENCE

Although our Residential Courses are interactive with talking, there are some periods of silence. Early morning and breakfast are usually held in silence, for example. Participants are expected to follow guidelines around silence and participation.

INTERPERSONAL SAFETY

Mindfulness and compassion training programs involve our personal stories and emotions. Instructors will work with the group to establish clear guidelines for safety. Participants are expected to be sensitive and responsive to these guidelines and the needs of fellow participants as fully as possible.

VENUE CHORES

To keep costs down, several of our venues ask that event participants wash dishes, sweep floors, clean bathrooms, and do other chores around the facility. We also do final clean up chores before leaving. We ask you to do chores as fully as you are able. If you have physical limitations we will help you find a suitable chore assignment.

REQUESTS OF YOU

• Arrive for the very beginning and stay to the end of the program.
• Follow the course schedule.
• Honor times of silence noted on the schedule: no reading, writing, or using devices during these times of silence.
• Please stay on campus unless invited to take an off-campus break by the instructors.
• Please do not use recreational drugs or intoxicants during any part of the training.
• Participants are asked to focus their energies and attention on the instruction and curriculum in order to get the most benefit from the week of training and in consideration of all participants.
• Do not take photos, video, or recordings of other participants or the instructors without their prior permission.

WHAT TO BRING

1. Face masks ​​– please check our COVID policy for our current guidelines around masking. While masks may not be required at your training, it's always a good idea to bring some.
2. Warm clothes in layers (sweater, and jacket, etc) as we will be going in and out of doors as we move between buildings.
3. Rain coat AND umbrella. This is the Pacific Northwest.
4. Shoes that are (1) fine walking in damp grass and (2) slip-on if possible. We take shoes on and off frequently. Slippers for the practice room can also be nice to have.
5. Toiletries and overnight things including a towel.
6. Bringing your own bedding (pillows, sheets, blankets or sleeping bag) is required at most of our venues. Please check your registration confirmation email for this information.
7. A flashlight can be helpful but venues are generally reasonably well lit. Sometimes there is walking between buildings in the early morning and evening.
8. A yoga mat if you have a favorite. We are able to bring mats to share.
9. Meditation cushions / supplies – if you have a meditation cushion(s), a bench or other sitting gear feel free to bring it. We are able to bring a limited supply of cushions. Note that there are plenty of chairs available.
10. An extra blanket or two for the meditation hall – nice for body scans and resting.
11. A notebook and pens like you would to any class or seminar.

WHAT’S NOT NEEDED

1. Minimize electronic gadgets beyond what you need to take notes. We encourage you to consider reducing or disconnecting from phone, email, and text contact, but this is not required like it is in our silent residential retreats.

LODGING

Lodging assignments will be available on check-in at the course venue. You will have a room to yourself at most of our venues.

DIVERSITY & ACCESSIBILITY

We are honored to support each participant in their training regardless of their nationality, ethnicity, race, color, gender, gender identity, sexual identity, age, physical ability, political affiliation, or religion.

We are committed to offering support for any accessibility needs you have as we are able. Please contact us with any questions or requests related to accessibility prior to registering for a course.

AUDIO/VIDEO RECORDING TAKEN BY MINDFULNESS NORTHWEST

Audio/video recordings of our instructors may occasionally be created for certification and training purposes during these programs. These recordings will include only our instructors in the photo frame (though they may pick up student voices at some points in the recording) and are for internal use only.

We may also request your consent to take photos or videos for promotional purposes. Your image will not be captured or used without your consent.

Continuing Education Credit is available for many professions.

In our 8-week courses, APA CE's & BRN's are available for psychologists, nurses, MFTs, LPCCs, LEPs, and LCSWs; and Clock Hours are available for Washington State educators.

in our 5-week Mindfulness for Healthcare Professionals course, CME credit is available for physicians, nurses, and other healthcare professionals.

To receive Continuing Education Credits you must:

• Register for your credits during course registration (additional fee during registration). There will be an $30 late fee for all CE's requested after the initial course registration, and all registrations for CE's must occur before class 2.
• Attend all online or in person sessions to receive a certificate. As a rule, we do not provide recordings.  If you know you might miss a session, we recommend that you wait to register for a series when you can plan to attend all sessions.
• Complete a post course evaluation.

On partial attendance:

• For APA CE's complete attendance of the course is required. We can sometimes offer make-up classes in a parallel course or recorded sessions, but this is not always available. If you know you will miss a session, we recommend that you wait to register for a series when you can plan to attend all sessions.
• For CME's and Clock Hours the attendance requirement is more flexible: credit can be pro-rated to the number of hours you attend.

5-week Mindfulness for Healthcare Providers (MHP) Course

Physicians, nurses, therapists, and social workers: PeaceHealth St. Joseph designates this live activity for a maximum of 16.25 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. It meets the criteria for Category I CME credit to satisfy the relicensure requirements of the Washington State Medical Quality Assurance Commission.

Learning Objectives for the 5-week Mindfulness for Healthcare Providers Course

After this education, learners should be able to:

• Choose appropriate mindfulness training techniques in preventive and responsive ways in high-stress situations.
• Utilize appropriate mindfulness practices to mitigate the risk factors for burnout.
• Discuss strategies with peers for a more positive, mindful engagement in work and home situations that have previously triggered stress response and unhelpful behaviors.
• Identify helpful vs. unhelpful thought patterns, problem solving, emotional regulation, and meaning-focused coping strategies.
• Demonstrate meaningful change in personal mindfulness, perceived stress, and burnout as shown in standardized measures administered pre- and post-activity.

8-week Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) Course

Psychologists: Up to 27.0 CE Continuing Education Credits for this program are 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.

Licensed MFTs, LPCCs, LEPs, LCSWs: Up to 27.0 Continuing Education Credits for this program are 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. 27.0 CE credit may be applied to your license renewal through the California Board of Behavioral Sciences.

Nurses: UC San Diego Center for Mindfulness is approved by the California Board of Registered Nursing, Provider Number CEP16351, for 32.0 contact hours.

Washington State Educators: Up to 26 Clock Hours are available for eligible Washington State (K-12) teachers, administrators, and educational staff associates. Mindfulness Northwest is an approved provider through Washington State OSPI.

UCSD CE Learning Objectives for the 8 week Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) course:

• Articulate the key aspects of mindfulness as it relates to stress reduction, coping with pain and illness and enhancing well-being
• Differentiate MBSR from relaxation and other distraction techniques that may seem similar but are fundamentally and theoretically quite different in contending with difficulty and enhancing quality of life
• Apply mindfulness techniques in both personal and professional settings as a means of contending more effectively with the demands of both settings
• Integrate mindfulness into social interaction with patients, colleagues, supervisors, family and friends to facilitate more effective and mindful communication
• Articulate the potential benefits of mindfulness-based stress reduction (and mindfulness in general) to educate patients and their families about the benefits of such programs in their own lives
• Implement brief mindfulness practices with patients and family members as a means of contending with acute pain, anxiety and distress.

Clock Hours Learning Objectives for the 8 week Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) course:

• Explore mindfulness practices including sitting and walking meditation, mindful movement, body awareness, and others.
• Learn mindful approaches to manage pain, stress, and difficulty in an effective way.
• Connect with the wisdom of your own body and learn to relax tension.
• Develop tools to work with and transform stressful situations and reactions.
• Discover how to address depression and anxiety more skillfully.
• Gain more control over your own health and well-being, feeling empowered to live with more joy and equanimity.

8-week Mindful Self-Compassion (MSC) Course

Psychologists: Up to 24.0 Continuing Education Credits for this program are 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.

Licensed MFTs, LPCCs, LEPs, LCSWs: Up to 24.0 Continuing Education Credits for this program are 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. Credits may be applied to your license renewal through the California Board of Behavioral Sciences.

Nurses: UC San Diego Center for Mindfulness is approved by the California Board of Registered Nursing, Provider Number CEP16351, for 28.75 contact hours.

Washington State Educators: Up to 26 Clock Hours are available for eligible Washington State (K-12) teachers, administrators, and educational staff associates. Mindfulness Northwest is an approved provider through Washington State OSPI.

UCSD CE Learning Objectives for the 8-week Mindful Self-Compassion (MSC) class:

• Describe the theory and research supporting mindful self-compassion
• Develop and apply self-compassion practices to motivate themselves with encouragement rather than self-criticism
• Assess and manage difficult situations and emotions with greater moment-to-moment acceptance
• Develop and apply self-compassion practices to respond to feelings of failure or inadequacy with self-kindness
• Transform difficult relationships, old and new, through self-validation
• Utilize the art of savoring and self-appreciation to overcome negative attention bias
• Apply core mindfulness and self-compassion practices into daily life
• Demonstrate simple self-compassion practices to patients, students, or clients

Clock Hours Learning Objectives for the 8-week Mindful Self-Compassion (MSC) class:

• How to stop being so hard on yourself
• How to handle difficult emotions with greater ease
• How to motivate yourself with encouragement rather than criticism
• Mindfulness and self-compassion practices for home and everyday life
• The theory and research behind mindful self-compassion

By signing up for a Mindfulness Northwest event you agree to the following:

EMAIL

Event registrants are automatically signed up for our emails, including a monthly newsletter, upcoming program announcements, and other updates. You can unsubscribe from these emails at any time by clicking the unsubscribe link at the bottom of the email.

ELIGIBILITY

Unless otherwise stated, our courses and retreats are designed for adults. If you (or an individual for whom you are registering) are less than 18 years of age, please contact the office before registering.

We also ask that people who are attending our programs together please register separately.

FINALIZING REGISTRATION

Registration is not complete until you have paid your registration fee or started your payment plan. You have 24 hours to do this. Please contact us if you need to request special arrangements.

REGISTRATION TRANSFERS, CANCELLATIONS, AND REFUND POLICIES

• Transfers to other events may be allowed at discretion of the Program Coordinator.     
  Note: Registration transfers must be to the same type of event, with the same pricing, and the event must already be published on the website.
• We do not provide credit for cancelled registrations, withdrawals, or missed classes.

• All event cancellations include a $40 non-refundable processing fee. Refunds for cancellation always have this fee deducted. (If the tuition paid is less than $40, that amount will be retained.*)

Cancellation Refund Timeline:

• Cancel up to 1 week before the event begins: Receive a full refund less the $40 non-refundable processing fee.
• Cancel between 1 week and the event start date: Receive a refund of 50%, depending on the amount paid at the time of cancellation (see above*).
•  

Note: Some retreats may have their own cancellation policy which will supersede this policy. If this is the case, it will be noted in the retreat web page.

RECORDINGS & PHOTOGRAPHY

As a participant you agree not to take photos, audio recordings, or video recordings of our classes or other class participants.

Note that Mindfulness Northwest may make audio/video recordings of our instructors for certification and training purposes. These recordings are for internal use only.

COVID POLICY

By attending a Mindfulness Northwest event you agree to abide by our current Covid-19 Policy.

REGISTRATION TRANSFER REQUESTS, CANCELLATIONS, AND REFUND POLICIES

• Transfers to other events may be allowed at discretion of the Program Coordinator.     
  Note: Registration transfers must be to the same type of event, with the same pricing, and the event must already be published on the website.
• We do not provide credit for cancelled registrations, withdrawals, or missed classes.

• All event cancellations include a $40 non-refundable processing fee. Refunds for cancellation always have this fee deducted. (If the tuition paid is less than $40, that amount will be retained.*)

Cancellation Refund Timeline:

• Cancel up to 1 week before the event begins: Receive a full refund less the $40 non-refundable processing fee.
• Cancel between 1 week and the event start date: Receive a refund of 50% of the registration tuition, depending on the amount of the  tuition. (see above*).
• Cancel after the event begins: No refunds.
•  

Note: Some retreats may have their own cancellation policy which will supersede this policy. If this is the case, it will be noted in the retreat web page.

ARE EXCEPTIONS EVER MADE TO THIS POLICY?

Yes. At our discretion we may grant exceptions to this policy. Please let us know your situation if you would like to be considered for an exception.

If you are enrolled in one of our multi-week classes and need to miss a class it is possible to make up that class session during a different class if we have one available during the same calendar quarter.

We are sorry but we cannot offer a make up session in a subsequent quarter's class or maintain a credit towards the future if you are unable to attend one or more of the sessions of the class you're enrolled in.

This policy is applicable to Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) and Mindful Self-Compassion (MSC) as we generally run more than one session of these courses in the same quarter.

You may email us at office@mindfulnessnorthwest.com or call 360-830-6439 to make arrangements.

Please provide the name of your current class, teacher's name, location, day of the week, and the session you’ll be missing (e.g. Class 6 of Beth's Tuesday evening MBSR Online).

Mindfulness Northwest offers discounts and scholarships. Our mission is to make mindfulness accessible.

For all of our programs, we offer a sliding scale for tuition which includes scholarship rates.

No need to apply; simply choose the level that's the best fit for your budget. MNW alumni receive a discounted rate for some events. We also provide a 4-month interest-free payment plan option, available during registration.

Continuing Education Credit is available for many professions.

In our 8-week courses, APA CE's & BRN's are available for psychologists, nurses, MFTs, LPCCs, LEPs, and LCSWs; and Clock Hours are available for Washington State educators.

in our 5-week Mindfulness for Healthcare Professionals course, CME credit is available for physicians, nurses, and other healthcare professionals.

To receive Continuing Education Credits you must:

• Register for your credits during course registration (additional fee during registration). There will be an $30 late fee for all CE's requested after the initial course registration, and all registrations for CE's must occur before class 2.
• Attend all online or in person sessions to receive a certificate. As a rule, we do not provide recordings.  If you know you might miss a session, we recommend that you wait to register for a series when you can plan to attend all sessions.
• Complete a post course evaluation.

On partial attendance:

• For APA CE's complete attendance of the course is required. We can sometimes offer make-up classes in a parallel course or recorded sessions, but this is not always available. If you know you will miss a session, we recommend that you wait to register for a series when you can plan to attend all sessions.
• For CME's and Clock Hours the attendance requirement is more flexible: credit can be pro-rated to the number of hours you attend.

5-week Mindfulness for Healthcare Providers (MHP) Course

Physicians, nurses, therapists, and social workers: PeaceHealth St. Joseph designates this live activity for a maximum of 16.25 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. It meets the criteria for Category I CME credit to satisfy the relicensure requirements of the Washington State Medical Quality Assurance Commission.

Learning Objectives for the 5-week Mindfulness for Healthcare Providers Course

After this education, learners should be able to:

• Choose appropriate mindfulness training techniques in preventive and responsive ways in high-stress situations.
• Utilize appropriate mindfulness practices to mitigate the risk factors for burnout.
• Discuss strategies with peers for a more positive, mindful engagement in work and home situations that have previously triggered stress response and unhelpful behaviors.
• Identify helpful vs. unhelpful thought patterns, problem solving, emotional regulation, and meaning-focused coping strategies.
• Demonstrate meaningful change in personal mindfulness, perceived stress, and burnout as shown in standardized measures administered pre- and post-activity.

8-week Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) Course

Psychologists: Up to 27.0 CE Continuing Education Credits for this program are 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.

Licensed MFTs, LPCCs, LEPs, LCSWs: Up to 27.0 Continuing Education Credits for this program are 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. 27.0 CE credit may be applied to your license renewal through the California Board of Behavioral Sciences.

Nurses: UC San Diego Center for Mindfulness is approved by the California Board of Registered Nursing, Provider Number CEP16351, for 32.0 contact hours.

Washington State Educators: Up to 26 Clock Hours are available for eligible Washington State (K-12) teachers, administrators, and educational staff associates. Mindfulness Northwest is an approved provider through Washington State OSPI.

UCSD CE Learning Objectives for the 8 week Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) course:

• Articulate the key aspects of mindfulness as it relates to stress reduction, coping with pain and illness and enhancing well-being
• Differentiate MBSR from relaxation and other distraction techniques that may seem similar but are fundamentally and theoretically quite different in contending with difficulty and enhancing quality of life
• Apply mindfulness techniques in both personal and professional settings as a means of contending more effectively with the demands of both settings
• Integrate mindfulness into social interaction with patients, colleagues, supervisors, family and friends to facilitate more effective and mindful communication
• Articulate the potential benefits of mindfulness-based stress reduction (and mindfulness in general) to educate patients and their families about the benefits of such programs in their own lives
• Implement brief mindfulness practices with patients and family members as a means of contending with acute pain, anxiety and distress.

Clock Hours Learning Objectives for the 8 week Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) course:

• Explore mindfulness practices including sitting and walking meditation, mindful movement, body awareness, and others.
• Learn mindful approaches to manage pain, stress, and difficulty in an effective way.
• Connect with the wisdom of your own body and learn to relax tension.
• Develop tools to work with and transform stressful situations and reactions.
• Discover how to address depression and anxiety more skillfully.
• Gain more control over your own health and well-being, feeling empowered to live with more joy and equanimity.

8-week Mindful Self-Compassion (MSC) Course

Psychologists: Up to 24.0 Continuing Education Credits for this program are 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.

Licensed MFTs, LPCCs, LEPs, LCSWs: Up to 24.0 Continuing Education Credits for this program are 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. Credits may be applied to your license renewal through the California Board of Behavioral Sciences.

Nurses: UC San Diego Center for Mindfulness is approved by the California Board of Registered Nursing, Provider Number CEP16351, for 28.75 contact hours.

Washington State Educators: Up to 26 Clock Hours are available for eligible Washington State (K-12) teachers, administrators, and educational staff associates. Mindfulness Northwest is an approved provider through Washington State OSPI.

UCSD CE Learning Objectives for the 8-week Mindful Self-Compassion (MSC) class:

• Describe the theory and research supporting mindful self-compassion
• Develop and apply self-compassion practices to motivate themselves with encouragement rather than self-criticism
• Assess and manage difficult situations and emotions with greater moment-to-moment acceptance
• Develop and apply self-compassion practices to respond to feelings of failure or inadequacy with self-kindness
• Transform difficult relationships, old and new, through self-validation
• Utilize the art of savoring and self-appreciation to overcome negative attention bias
• Apply core mindfulness and self-compassion practices into daily life
• Demonstrate simple self-compassion practices to patients, students, or clients

Clock Hours Learning Objectives for the 8-week Mindful Self-Compassion (MSC) class:

• How to stop being so hard on yourself
• How to handle difficult emotions with greater ease
• How to motivate yourself with encouragement rather than criticism
• Mindfulness and self-compassion practices for home and everyday life
• The theory and research behind mindful self-compassion