Upcoming Classes/Groups
If you'd like to register for a class, please contact the facilitator directly.
2024 Class Offerings
April: Mindful Self-Compassion Course
& Free Introductory Session hosted at University of Washington
Register at bit.ly/msc2024
Mindful Self-Compassion Course Schedule
8 Week Course In-Person
Thursdays 4:00pm-6:00pm
April 25- June 13, 2024
Retreat: Saturday June 1, 9:30am-12:30pm
If your friend called and said they had a hard day, would you scold them? Would you berate them for screwing up? Or would you let them know that it’s okay and everyone makes mistakes? Instead of criticizing them, you would probably be supportive and reassuring. When it comes to ourselves, however, many of us have a default mode of self-criticism: when times are tough, we find it very difficult to display the same compassion towards ourselves as we would a friend. Self-compassion can be described as, “treating ourselves as we would treat a close friend.”
Self-criticism is a familiar force to do better and succeed. Yet, research shows that self-compassion is a more effective motivator for meeting our goals. Self-compassion is strongly associated with greater emotional well-being; reduced anxiety and depression; more satisfying personal relationships; enhanced performance in settings from healthy aging to athletics to professional growth; and maintaining healthful habits such as healthy eating and exercise.
Developed by Drs. Kristin Neff and Chris Germer, Mindful Self-Compassion (MSC) is an evidence-based program that brings together the skills and practices of mindful awareness, common humanity, and self-kindness. For all of us, life will present disappointments, losses, and limitations. MSC provides skills and practices that enhance our ability to meet these difficulties with more wisdom, resilience, and spaciousness.
Self-compassion can be learned by anyone, even those who feel uncomfortable when they are good to themselves. It’s a courageous attitude that stands up to harm, including any harm we unwittingly inflict on ourselves through harsh self-criticism. Self-compassion provides emotional strength and resilience, allowing us to relate wholeheartedly to others and be more authentically ourselves.
Program activities include meditation, short talks, experiential exercises, group discussions, and home practices. No previous mindfulness meditation practice is needed! The goal is for participants to directly experience self-compassion and learn practices that evoke self-compassion in daily life.
Address:
University of Washington
Kincaid Hall, Rm 202
3751 W. Stevens Way NE
Seattle, WA 98195
Getting to CCFW
By car: There are no parking lots directly adjacent to Kincaid Hall. If you are driving, please allow yourself an extra 15-20 minutes to locate parking and walk to Kincaid Hall. The University of Washington offers pay-lots and parking garages. Metered street parking is also available but very limited. Parking fees around campus range from $1.00 to $4.00 an hour. Learn more about parking options here.
By bus or light rail: More than 60 bus routes serve the University District and a Link Light Rail Station is located 1/2 mile away.
By bike: Kincaid Hall is located directly off the Burke Gilman Trail between 15th Ave NE and the NE Pacific Street overpass. Bike racks are conveniently located at Kincaid and throughout campus.
Continuing Education Units (CEUs)
Register for a Certificate of Completion and get CEUs. Our CEUs are available for licensed psychologists, marriage and family therapists, mental health counselors, and social workers in Washington State. We cannot guarantee that these CEUs will be accepted in other states.
Mindfulness Based Relapse Prevention
A 6 week course, Begins May 1
Open to General Public
with Belinda Biedermann
Contact: belinda@innerplacemaking.com for information and registration
For individuals seeking extra support in achieving and/or maintaining a substance-free lifestyle
No previous meditation experience necessary!
Mindfulness Based Relapse Prevention was originally created at the University of Washington by Dr. Alan Marlatt, and further developed by Drs. Sarah Bowen, Neha Chawla, Katie Witkiewitz and Joel Grow.
MBRP is an evidence-based treatment approach that helps cultivate awareness of automatic responses that are instrumental in addictive patterns. Through mindful awareness we are able to pause, observe and respond to a range of choices in a given moment rather than react to habitual patterns that rule our lives.
In this course you will:
Develop awareness of triggers that lead to habitual addictive patterns.
Recognize and change your relationship to challenging emotional states and develop skills to respond with intention
Learn mindfulness practices that specifically encourage nonjudgment and compassion in your relationship to your self and your experience
Bring intentional pause and create space for choices that are informed by your needs and values. Come join others in an environment of open exploration that will deepen how you relate to yourself and others with more clarity and purpose.
DATES:
Wednesdays 5:30-7:30pm
May 1st- June 5th
Maximum group size of 8
LOCATION:
Good Shepherd Center
4649 Sunnyside Ave. N. #200
Seattle, WA 98103
COST: $550 with limited sliding scale spots available
CONTACT:
Please email Belinda Biedermann to schedule a brief intake interview or to learn more about this series
belinda@innerplacemaking.com
Spring Introduction to Meditation: 4 Week Series
Contact: sherry@sherrywilliamsemail.com
May Intro Class
Dates: Wednesday evenings, May 8, 15, 22, 29, 2024 (in-person); Time: 6:30-8pm
Cost: $150-$250 (sliding scale)
Themes include:
The benefits and science of meditation
Mindfulness of breath and body
Dealing with thoughts and emotions
Cultivating compassion
Keeping the practice going
Beginners are welcome, as are those interested in refreshing their practice. Participation requires a commitment to the classes, homework assignments, and a
brief telephone conversation with Sherry to register.
Note: This series requires a minimum of five registered participants one week before the start of the class, so if you are considering joining, please register early.
We will follow CDC-recommended COVID guidelines.
Contact: sherry@sherrywilliamsemail.com
Required book: Real Happiness: The Power of Meditation by Sharon Salzberg “Drawing on more than 30 years of experience teaching meditation, and as a
participant in many dialogues with scientists on meditation research, Sharon Salzberg covers all the basics of meditation in a simple, compelling, and highly
readable way. People frequently ask me where they should begin if they are interested in learning more about meditation. Now I know where to send them:
Real Happiness is the perfect beginning”
Dr. Richard J. Davidson, Professor of Psychology and Psychiatry; Director, Center for Investigating Healthy Minds, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Facilitator: Sherry Williams, M.A., J.D., is a Certified Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) teacher through the Center for Mindfulness in Medicine,
Health Care, and Society at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center. Sherry completed the 18-month Mindfulness Meditation and Yoga Training at
Spirit Rock Meditation Center in California in 2012, the 2 year Dedicated Practitioner Program at Spirit Rock in 2019, and the 1 year Advanced Practitioner
Program, also at Spirit Rock Meditation Center, in 2020. She practiced law in Tacoma and Seattle for 20+ years before retiring in 2013, and has been teaching
at Seattle Mindfulness Center since 2014. She is currently enrolled in the Center for Psychedelic Therapies and Research program at CIIS in San Francisco.
Cultivating Receptive Awareness
A Half-Day Mindfulness Meditation Retreat
Saturday, June 1, 2024
9:30am - 12:30pm
In our daily lives, our attention is often scattered and captivated by many distractions and preoccupations. Grounding ourselves in receptive awareness allows us to be more in touch with our moment-to-moment experience and act with care and compassion.
In this in-person half-day mindfulness retreat, we will cultivate this receptive awareness, alternating between periods of lightly guided sitting and walking meditation. We will end with a period of sharing and discussion.
All participants will be vaccinated.
This retreat will be led by Marc Symons. Marc has been authorized to teach mindfulness meditation by Jack Kornfield and Tara Brach. Please contact Marc to register: mhcsymons@gmail.com.
As donation for the retreat, please consider donating to a charitable organization that you feel close to.