Mindful Self-Compassion

Current Offerings:

Mindful Self-Compassion in Support of Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy 

An 8-week online course for therapists, clients, and the psychedelic-curious

Sundays 3:30-5:45pm EST / 2:30-4:45pm CST / 1:30-3:35pm PST
Dec 8 & 15th; Jan 5, 12, 19, 26; Feb 2, 9;
Retreat: Jan 25th, 11am - 2pm EST
With Staci Berman, Susie Fairchild, and Lisa Kring

Ketamine-Assisted Compassion Training Retreat

Cultivating Compassion for Ourselves and Others

In-Person Retreat in Portland, OR February 21st-25th With Staci Berman, Susie Fairchild, Dr. Ron Seigel, PhD & Dr. Steve Rosonke, MD

Mindful Self-Compassion  A 10-week Online Course

Wednesdays 12pm-2pmCST / 10am-12pm PST
January 8th - March 12th
With Staci Berman and Colleen O’Brien

In addition to my work as a therapist, I am also a certified Mindful-Self Compassion teacher. After years of mindfulness meditation practice, I found my way to MSC and it deepened the practice in profound ways. I completed my Mindful Self-Compassion teacher training through UCSD’s Center for Mindfulness and teach MSC classes both in person and online, and have served as support staff for MSC intensive retreats in the US and Canada and as a consultation group facilitator for the Self-Compassion in Psychotherapy Certificate (SCiP) Program and am also a certified Self-Compassion for Healthcare Communities teacher.

“The curious paradox is that when I accept myself just as I am, then I can change.” — Carl Rogers

What is Self-Compassion?

Compassion is the acceptance of and softening to the pain inevitably experienced in life. So often this pain causes us to believe that something has “gone wrong” or there is something wrong with us, leading to shame, blame, self-criticism, or isolation. The practice of self-compassion helps us to hold our pain in a more kind and gentle way - like we might do for a dear friend or loved one - bringing a warmth and care that helps us move through pain with greater ease and to, over time, build emotional resilience.

What is Mindful Self-Compassion?

Mindful Self-Compassion (MSC) is a curriculum developed by Drs. Kristin Neff and Christopher Germer after years of research and mindfulness practice. It is typically taught in an 8-week course format and has been adapted to offer the skills and practices to broader communities.

Please see below for more information about the course and adapted formats.

Mindful Self-Compassion 8-Week Course (held virtually via Zoom)

Next courses: *10-week Winter 2025 Course - Wednesdays January 8th - March 12th 2025 12pm-2pm CT / 10am - 12pm PT Click here for more information and to register

Mindful Self-Compassion (MSC) is an empirically-supported, 8-week training program designed to cultivate the skill of self-compassion. Based on the groundbreaking and continually growing research, MSC teaches core principles and practices that enable participants to respond to difficult moments in their lives with kindness, care and understanding. Program activities include meditation, short talks, experiential exercises, group discussion, and home practices. The goal is for participants to directly experience self-compassion as a more effective means to integrate self-compassion into their lives.

During the course participants will learn to:

  • Practice mindfulness and self-compassion in daily life

  • Understand the science and research of self-compassion

  • Use self-compassion to live in accord with personal core values

  • Handle difficult emotions with greater ease

  • Motivate oneself with kindness rather than criticism

  • Work with challenging relationships

  • Manage caregiver fatigue

  • Practice the art of savoring and self-appreciation 

  • Teach and/or model simple self-compassion tools to others.

Core Skills Workshop

This two-day, in-person workshop offers participants a deep dive into the core meditations and practices of Mindful Self-Compassion and is highly experiential. An in-person, immersive format offers a highly experiential, felt-sense of the 3 main components of MSC: mindfulness, common humanity, and kindness.

Upon completion of the Core Skills Workshop participants can expect to:

  • Identify the three key components of self-compassion

  • Describe key research that supports the benefits of self-compassion

  • Apply techniques to increase self-compassion in everyday life

  • Use self-compassion to alleviate caregiver burnout

  • Implement self-compassion practice to motivate behavior change

  • Develop and apply self-compassion practices to respond to feelings of failure or inadequacy with self-kindness

  • Assess and manage difficult situations and emotions with greater moment-to-moment acceptance

Self-Compassion Training for Healthcare Communities (SCHC)

Self-Compassion Training for Healthcare Communities (SCHC) is a 6-hr evidence-based healthcare adaptation of Mindful Self-Compassion, the empirically-supported program of Dr. Kristin Neff at UT Austin and Dr. Chris Germer at Harvard Medical School. This training aims to improve wellbeing and personal resilience in healthcare professionals by teaching mindful self-compassion skills to deal with distressing emotional situations as they occur at work and at home.

A growing body of research suggests that self-compassion skills can be of particular benefit to health care professionals, allowing them to experience greater satisfaction in their caregiving roles, less stress, and more emotional resilience.  The good news is that self-compassion skills are trainable and build your capacity to handle stressful challenges. In research published in the Journal of Clinical Psychology, Neff.Knox.2020, the SCHC program was found to significantly:

  • Decrease:  Depression, Stress, Secondary Traumatic stress, and Burnout

  • Increase:  Self-compassion, Mindfulness, Compassion for others, Job satisfaction in healthcare professionals

As opposed to other self-care techniques, self-compassion practices can be used on the spot while at work with patients and colleagues.  

As a participant of the program you can learn the following objectives:

  • Be able to describe the key components of self-compassion and mindfulness and how they can be integrated into your role as a healthcare professional.

  • Be able to explain the difference between empathy and compassion and utilize strategies to avoid emotional exhaustion.

  • Be able to practice techniques to increase self-compassion at work and everyday life.

  • Practice at least one skill from each session to care for yourself emotionally while caring for others who are experiencing difficulty.

The Self-Compassion Training for Healthcare Communities program is designed for those who work in the healthcare field and is offered in settings such as hospitals, clinics, treatment centers, etc. and meets weekly for six 1-hour sessions.

Short Course in Mindful Self-Compassion  (SC-MSC)

The Short Course in Mindful Self-Compassion (SC-MSC) is a 6-week adaptation of the empirically-supported 8-week Mindful Self-Compassion (MSC) program designed to begin the cultivation of the skills of self-compassion.

Program activities include short talks, experiential exercises, group discussion, and home practices.  SC-MSC is an opportunity to explore how we typically respond when difficulties arise in our lives and to learn tools for becoming a warm and supportive companion to ourselves. 

At the completion of this activity, participants should be able to: 

  • Articulate the basic theoretical underpinnings and research findings related to self-compassion

  • Develop and apply self-compassion practices to motivate themselves with encouragement rather than self-criticism

  • Develop the capacity to contend with challenges and difficulties through awareness of self-kindness, common humanity and mindfulness.

  • Apply core self-compassion practices into daily life

This program is designed for members of the general public, based on the values of equity, diversity, inclusiveness and belonging. Meditation experience is not necessary to participate in SC-MSC. All are welcome!  

Workshops and Trainings for Companies, Practices, and Treatment Centers

Learn the basics about Mindful Self-Compassion, including tangible, take-away skills and tools for your employees, staff, and/or patients. Workshops and trainings can be customized and adapted to meet your company’s needs and for participants to be effectively introduced to the skills, research, and concepts of Mindful Self-Compassion. We have hosted workshops for graduate programs, universities, businesses, teachers, and multiple clinical settings.


Please contact me or visit www.selfcompassionchicago.com for more information about courses or bringing Mindful Self Compassion to your setting.

Click below to learn more.