63rd Annual Conference

Saturday, February 25

Afternoon Workshops

2:15-5:30 P.M.

Workshop 91

Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy: What it is and How it Works.

Chair:         

Patrick Thornton, Ph.D., Private Practice, Santa Rosa, California

Mindfulness-based Cognitive Therapy opens doors to new, more effective group therapy.  MBCT consistently produces impressive outcomes with Personality Disorders, PTSD, Sexual Abuse survivors, Anxiety, Eating Disorders, Addiction, Depression, and others.  Using exercises, group process and didactics, we explore how neurology, physiology and psychology influence behavior, and how MBCT affects change.

Experiential-didactic-sharing of work experience-demonstration

Learning Objectives:

The attendee will be able to:

1. Differentiate between MBCT and meditative techniques for stress reduction and relaxation.

2. Describe how and why MBCT is effective.

3. Utilize the principles of MBCT within current therapy groups.

4. Design core MBCT programs for specific focus groups.

Course References:

1. Meditation is Psychology. (2005). Harvard Mental Health Letter, 21(10).

2. Segal, Z., Williams, J., Teasdale, J. (2002). Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for Depression: A new approach to preventing relapse. New York: The Guilford Press.

3. Epstein, R. (1999). Mindfulness. Special Communication. JAMA 282(9), (http://jama.ama-assn.org/issues/v282n9/full/jsc90157.htm).