Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction for SSW Students

This is a non-credit offering by the school to promote student wellbeing and self-care. Developed by Jon Kabat-Zinn at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center, MBSR has been shown to reduce anxiety, depression and negative affect among health and mental health professionals and increase positive affect and self-compassion. The course is for students who would like to explore the potential of MBSR to help them manage stress in their own lives during the busy Smith summer as well as developing a practice that may be able to sustain them in their professional pursuits as a clinical social worker. Please note this is not a course in conducting MBSR with others, but rather a course focused on one's own personal stress management. It will be facilitated by Annemarie Gockel and Martha Reeves, who have both trained in MBSR at the UMASS Center for Mindfulness.

The course will take place on campus in the Helen Hills Chapel on 8 consecutive Thursdays from 6:30 to 8:30 pm beginning June 13th and ending August 15th, 2013 (with the exception of holidays/break week).

An orientation meeting for all those interested in participating will be held Thursday June 6th, 2012 at 6:30pm at the Chapel. Enrollment is limited and students must be able to attend all 8 sessions of the course to participate.