Groups

RELAX, REDUCE REACTIVITY AND INCREASE AWARENESS                                                                      WITH MINDFULNESS MEDITATION

Groups will take place virtually.

Meetings will take place weekly for 8 weeks.

Price:  $475 for 8 weeks (includes materials)

Mindfulness meditation training uses meditation practices and gentle movement to cultivate awareness and reduce stress. Meditation practice supports being fully alert and present in the richness of every moment. This awareness gives you the capacity to gain access to deep inner resources for living and coping with stress. Course content is modeled on the University of Massachusetts Medical Center Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction program developed by Jon Kabat-Zinn, Ph.D.

Why learn and practice in a group?

Many people have said that they feel most strongly supported when they practice meditation with others and that they stay with the meditation longer when practicing in group than when alone. Group meditation experience provides an opportunity to practice skills learned in meditation within the group.

The group is designed to offer support to those who are new to this practice, as well as those who want to practice what they’ve previously learned.

In this program, you will practice:

  • Present Moment Awareness
  • Relaxation
  • Gentle Mindful Movement
  • Observing your reactions to life’s stressors and unexpected occurrences
  • Choosing how to respond to stress
  • Connecting more fully with yourself and your life

With practice, mindfulness can help you cope more effectively with medical problems, job or family-related stress, and anxiety and depression.

Many participants report decreases in undesirable psychological symptoms. Many also experience an increased ability to relax, greater zeal and energy, enhanced self-esteem, and increased ability to cope with stressful situations.

In addition to her foundation training in Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction, Sandy takes part in extensive ongoing mindfulness training in small groups.

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BEREAVEMENT GROUPS FOR ADULTS WHO HAVE LOST A PARENT

This is a time-limited (8-week) group.                                                                                      

 The group is designed for adults who have experienced the death of a parent and are looking to connect with others around the loss. We will focus on the unfolding of emotions and coping through the grief process. Group members will have the opportunity to receive support through the relationships built in the group as they focus on how the loss has affected their lives and on what it means to remember and commemorate their parents. Brief mindfulness practices will be incorporated into the structure of the group.   

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GROUPS FOR ADULT SIBLINGS OF DEVELOPMENTALLY DISABLED PEOPLE 

The  experience of having a developmentally disabled or “special needs” sibling produces diverse responses, which are mediated by temperament, family style, and other factors. Many siblings find lifelong difficulty with asking for or expecting help, guilt about expressing needs, internal pressures to function perfectly and a sense that they can never give or do enough. The vulnerability of the disabled sibling can evoke survivor’s guilt, which may sit side by side with anger and resentment,  accompanied by strong feelings of protectiveness of others, including the disabled sibling and other family members. These responses can co-exist with feelings of isolation and struggles with intimacy. Finally, the amalgam of love and loss can often be difficult to articulate and recognize.

The group for siblings will offer support to learn, explore and express individual and common dimensions of this family experience. The group will be offered in two stages:

  • The first stage consists of 8 group sessions that are structured, psycho-educational and supportive and which focus on specific topics.
  • The second stage, which those who have completed the first stage group may opt to attend, is ongoing and focused on group process, personal growth and fuller exploration of the impact of the family system.