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Digital Seminar

Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT): An 8-Session Protocol for Lasting Change in Treating Trauma, Anxiety, Depression & More


Speaker:
Richard Sears, PsyD, PhD, MBA, ABPP
Duration:
12 Hours 37 Minutes
Language:
Presented in EN, subtitles in EN, ES, DE, FR, and IT, handouts in EN, ES, DE, FR, and IT
Copyright:
20 Aug, 2025
Product Code:
POS055540
Media Type:
Digital Seminar



Description

When your clients are struggling, how do you know whether to focus your efforts on helping them to create change … or helping them to cultivate a sense of acceptance of their experience?

If you encourage change when none is likely to be successful, you could trigger hopelessness …

And if you recommend acceptance when things could be different, you risk deep regret when it becomes apparent later that change was possible.

So how do you strike the right balance – helping clients accept their current reality while still working toward meaningful change?

That’s the beauty and the power of Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT)!

Watch psychologist and MBCT expert, Dr. Richard Sears, who has trained tens of thousands worldwide, for a two-day experiential workshop where you’ll get the best of both CBT and mindfulness practices, all in one empirically-validated intervention!

You will gain:

  • Skills for immediate implementation: Experiential practice and training to ensure mastery of the six domains of competence
  • An 8 session MBCT protocol: A “boot camp” for clients and clinicians
  • Expert guidance on adapting MBCT for diverse clinical needs: Powerful tips to treat trauma, depression, substance abuse, and more in clients of all ages

As an added bonus, programs like MBCT have also been shown to reduce stress and burnout for clinicians!

Purchase today

 

CERTIFICATION MADE SIMPLE!

  • No hidden fees - PESI pays for your application fee (a $99.99 value)!
  • Simply complete this live event and the post-event evaluation included in this training, and your application to be Certified Mindfulness-Informed Professional (CMIP) through Evergreen Certification is complete*

Attendees will receive documentation of CMIP designation from Evergreen Certifications 4 to 6 weeks following the program.

*Professional standards apply. Visit www.evergreencertifications.com/CMIP for professional requirements.

Credit


Self-Study Credit

This self-study program consists of 12.75 clock hours of continuing education instruction. Credit requirements and approvals vary by country and local regulatory bodies. Please save the course outline, the certificate of completion you receive from the activity and contact your local regulatory organization to determine specific eligibility and requirements. 



Handouts

Speaker

Richard Sears, PsyD, PhD, MBA, ABPP's Profile

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


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.


Additional Info

Program Information

Access for Self-Study (Non-Interactive)

Access never expires for this product.

For a more detailed outline that includes times or durations of time, if needed, please contact cepesi@pesi.com.


Objectives

  1. Determine the underlying mechanisms that make mindfulness techniques effective for stress, depression, anxiety, trauma, pain and addiction.
  2. Identify the role of thoughts in perpetuating symptoms of stress, anxiety, and depression as it relates to ruminating thoughts and behaviors in clients.
  3. Identify the brain changes associated with mindfulness practice.
  4. Examine how mindfulness builds upon and refines the evidence-based principles of Cognitive- Behavioral therapy (CBT).
  5. Integrate mindfulness practices into traditional CBT thought records to help alleviate intrusive, obsessive-compulsive thoughts.
  6. Utilize specific mindfulness-based techniques to disengage from the narrative of negative thoughts and emotions.
  7. Identify the eight session structure used in the MBCT program.
  8. Differentiate between the group process in MBCT vs. CBT to avoid clients’ cycles of struggling with distressing thoughts and feelings.
  9. Examine a 3-minute mindfulness exercise to improve the consistency of conscious choices rather than automatic reactions when distressed.
  10. Choose decentering skills to reduce worry and ruminations.
  11. Determine the three steps of the mindful inquiry process to make conscious choices.
  12. Determine treatment considerations for using the MBCT curriculum with different client populations, including children.

Outline

Foundations & Principles of MBCT
  • Why combine mindfulness and CBT?
  • The evidence for MBCT
  • The neurological evidence
  • Adaptation and expansion of CBT principles
  • Limitations of the research and potential risks
Core Techniques of MBCT
  • Mindfulness techniques in MBCT
    • The Body Scan
    • Three-Minute Breathing Space
    • Mindful stretching techniques
    • Daily mindfulness techniques
    • Sitting with difficult feelings
    • Mindful Inquiry – The crucial step of processing post-exercise
  • CBT Practices Applied in MBCT
    • Behavioral experiments exposure therapy, the ABC model and thought and feeling records
    • Identify relapse signatures
    • Relapse prevention plans
  • Mindfulness-Based Interventions Teaching Assessment Criteria (MBI-TAC)
    • The six domains of competence
STEP-BY-STEP GUIDED EXERCISES FOLLOWED BY MINDFUL INQUIRY

The 8 Session MBCT Curriculum

How to Develop Awareness
  • Session 1 – Stepping out of Auto Pilot Mode
    • The difference between thinking and experiencing
    • Techniques for everyday activities
  • Session 2 – Realizing the Impact of our “Judging Mind”
    • Incorporating the ABC model for how thoughts and feelings interact
    • Notice pleasant events and how they affect us
  • Session 3 – Bringing us to the Present Moment
    • Mindful breathing and body techniques
    • Notice unpleasant events and how we react
    • Exploring and relating differently to uncomfortable experiences
How to Be Present with Our Experiences
  • Session 4 – Stay present rather than chasing or ignoring experiences
    • Techniques to recognize aversions and work through them
    • Conscious choice versus automatic reactions
  • Session 5 – Accept and Let Things Be
    • How to recognize and let go of the wasted energy of struggling with reality
    • Exposure practice for moving through difficult experiences
  • Session 6 – Realizing Thoughts are Not Facts
    • The science of how the human brain gives distressing thoughts their power
    • How fighting thoughts can make them worse
    • Tools for taking the power away from negative thoughts
How to Make Skillful Choices
  • Session 7 – Self-Care Plans and Avoiding Relapse
    • How daily activities affect mood
    • Catch the early warning signs
    • Activities and exercises to incorporate into daily life
  • Session 8 – Maintain and Personalize MBCT Practices
    • How to maintain client engagement
    • Adapting techniques to the client for long term success
MBCT-Based Interventions for:

Trauma
  • Relate differently to intrusive thoughts and feelings
  • Memory reconsolidation to reprogram old reactions
Anxiety
  • How ruminations and worries are negatively reinforced
  • Exposure to body sensations to break through the extinction burst
  • How to utilize mindfulness even during a panic attack
Chronic Pain
  • Tease apart thoughts and reactions from physical pain
  • Create a life worth living and bring the pain along for the ride
Eating Awareness
  • Mindfulness-based eating awareness Training (MB-EAT): Core concepts
  • Tune into the “inner gourmet” and “body satiety”
  • The food & mood connection
Stress
  • How long-term stress affects short-term crises
  • Harness the energy of the stress response
Depression
  • How daily activities can cause mood to plummet
  • Disrupt the downward thought and mood spiral
Substance Abuse
  • Urge surfing – “riding the wave” versus struggling
  • Chain analysis – find and change the causes of relapse
Children & Adolescents
  • Recognize choice points
  • The snow globe analogy for working with swirling thoughts

Target Audience

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

Reviews

5
4
3
2
1

Overall:      5

Total Reviews: 2

Comments

Anne C

"Excellent program"

Roberta W

"This was an excellent workshop. I appreciated the presenter's expertise and presentation style very much."

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