Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT): Experiential Workshop

CEUs

Handouts

Faculty

Richard Sears, PsyD, PhD, MBA, ABPP Related seminars and products

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Richard Sears, PsyD, PhD, MBA, ABPP, is a licensed psychologist in Cincinnati, Ohio, board certified in clinical psychology by the American Board of Professional Psychology (ABPP), runs a private psychology and consultation practice, and is the director of the Center for Clinical Mindfulness & Meditation. He has run hundreds of mindfulness groups and was lead clinician in the first brain scan study involving mindfulness with children and adolescents. He is also an adjunct professor in the University of Cincinnati psychology department, clinical research faculty at the UC Center for Integrative Health and Wellness, volunteer professor of psychiatry & behavioral neurosciences at the UC College of Medicine, and a former research/psychologist contractor with the Cincinnati VA Medical Center.

His most recent books include ACT with Anxiety (PESI); The ACT Flip Chart (PESI); Cognitive Behavioral Therapy & Mindfulness Toolbox (PESI); Mindfulness: Living Through Challenges and Enriching Your Life in the Moment (Wiley-Blackwell); Building Competence in Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (Routledge); and Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for PTSD (Wiley-Blackwell).

Dr. Sears is a sixth-degree black belt in Ninjutsu, and once served as a personal protection agent for the Dalai Lama with his teacher, Stephen K. Hayes. He has studied Eastern Wisdom for over 40 years, receiving ordination in three traditions, and transmission as a Zen master.

 

Speaker Disclosures:
Financial: Dr. Richard Sears maintains a private practice and has employment relationships with the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, University of Cincinnati Center for Integrative Health and Wellness, Alliance Integrative Medicine, and Wright State University. He receives compensation as a consultant. Dr. Sears receives royalties as a published author. He receives a speaking honorarium, recording, and book royalties from PESI, Inc. He has no relevant financial relationships with ineligible organizations.
Non-financial: Dr. Richard Sears is the founder and director of the Center for Clinical Mindfulness and Meditation and is a member of the American Board of Professional Psychology, the Academy of the American Board of Clinical Psychology, and the Association for Contextual Behavioral Sciences. He is a peer reviewer for Mindfulness and a book reviewer for John Wiley & Sons, Inc, and Routledge.

Objectives

1. Compile the underlying mechanisms that make mindfulness techniques effective for stress, depression, anxiety, trauma, pain, and addiction.
2. Breakdown the role of thoughts in perpetuating symptoms of stress, anxiety, and depression as it relates to ruminating thoughts and behaviors in clients.
3. Describe the brain changes associated with mindfulness practice to explain to clients the scientific effectiveness of practicing mindfulness.
4. Connect how mindfulness builds upon and refines the evidence-based principles of Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT).
5. Incorporate mindfulness practices into traditional CBT thought records to help alleviate clients of intrusive, obsessive compulsive thoughts.
6. Utilize specific mindfulness-based techniques to help clients disengage from the narrative of negative thoughts and emotions.
7. Organize the eight session structure used MBCT program in your own clinical setting.
8. Differentiate between the group process in MBCT vs. CBT to avoid clients’ cycles of struggling with distressing thoughts and feelings.
9. Practice guiding a client through a 3-minute mindfulness exercise to improve the consistency of conscious choices rather than automatic reactions when distressed.
10. Explore the use of decentering skills with a client, in a session, in the reduction of worry and ruminations.
11. Apply the three steps of the mindful inquiry process, after the mindfulness exercise is over, to help clients more quickly internalize the skills and attitudes that allows them let go of struggle and make conscious choices.
12. Adapt the MBCT curriculum to different client populations, including children, as it relates to treatment considerations.

Outline

• Foundations of MBCT
  • Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR)​
  • Original MBCT trials
  • Evidence base for MBCT
  • Neurological evidence
• Principles
  • Adaptation and expansion of CBT principles
  • Decenter from strong and persistent negative thoughts
  • Leading mindfulness exercises skillfully
  • Mindful inquiry

• Session 1: Awareness and Automatic Pilot
  • Raisin exercise – distinguish thinking and feeling
  • Body scan – foundation to build attention
  • Mindfulness of daily activities
• Session 2: Living in Our Heads
  • ABC model for linking thoughts and emotions
  • Pleasant events calendar to foster attention to the positive
  • Mindful breathing for stress and focus
• Session 3: Gathering the Scattered Mind
  • Mindful stretching for working with discomfort
  • Mindful walking for dynamic mindfulness
  • Unpleasant events calendar to relate differently to difficulty
  • 3-Minute breathing space
• Session 4: Recognizing Aversion
  • Mindfulness of breath, body, sounds to deepen awareness
  • Working with difficulties without struggle
• Session 5: Allowing/Letting Be
  • Exposure to difficult thoughts and feelings to transform them
  • Noticing thoughts without getting lost in them
• Session 6: Thoughts are Not Facts
  • Purposefully exposing to strong thoughts and feelings
  • Techniques for working wisely with difficult thoughts
• Session 7: How Can I Best Take Care of Myself?
  • Recognize relapse signatures to prevent future problems
  • Develop self-care action plans
• Session 8: Maintaining and Extending New Learning
  • Personalize mindfulness practices for individual clients
  • Maintain momentum of positive gains

• Adaptations of MBCT for:
  • Depression
  • Stress
  • Anxiety
  • Chronic Pain
  • PTSD
  • Substance Use Disorders
  • Children & Adolescents

• Most research has been done in group settings
• Best when clients have the cognitive capacity to engage in the practices
• Adaptations must be made for acute conditions and special populations
• Mindfulness involves moving into experiences, which may cause a temporary exacerbation of symptoms

Target Audience

• Counselors
• Social Workers
• Psychologists
• Case Managers
• Addiction Counselors
• Occupational Therapists
• Marriage & Family Therapists
• Psychotherapists
• Nurses
• Other Mental Health Professionals