Mindfulness West

Mindfulness West

Mindfulness West is a mental health service run by health professionals who are certified to facilitate evidence-based therapeutic programs. All of the Mindfulness-Based Programs offered by Mindfulness West combine Mindfulness and Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) approaches.

Mindfulness is a non-judgemental way of paying attention to the present moment. CBT brings awareness to the habitual negative thinking that leads to low mood, anxious states and other difficult emotions. Although each of the programs we offer are designed for specific problems, all combine Mindfulness and CBT to teach self-care strategies to help you to:

shift out of "auto-pilot" states of mind
become more aware and less judgemental
appreciate small pleasures in every day life
learn a new approach to dealing with difficult moods and emotions.

Mindfulness West currently offers three Mindfulness-Based Programs at no cost* for people with a valid BC Care Card #:

Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT)
Mindfulness-Based Relapse Prevention (MBRP), and
Mindful Self-Care for Caregivers.

These programs are all group format. Each group runs for 8-weeks, with 2 hours classes held weekly. But at the core of all Mindfulness-Based Programs is daily "home practice" - as this is how we learn to integrate mindfulness into daily life.

If you are interested in attending one of Mindfulness West's programs, you can ask for a referral from a physician or mental health professional. You will then be invited to attend an intake & information appointment before enrolling in a course. Our programs are accessible to people living on Southern Vancouver Island - in Victoria, Langford, Colwood, Metchosin and Sooke region.

We are pleased to partner with other service delivery organizations to provide Mindfulness-Based Programs in the Westshore area.

Mindfulness West also works with organizations in not-for-profit, for-profit and government sectors to deliver educational workshops. To learn more about how we can help you bring an educational mindfulness program to your organization, please contact us.

*The Mindful Way Workbook is used in the MBCT and Mindful Self-Care courses. Not all of our partners cover the cost of the workbook.

Therapeutic Groups

Mindfulness West offers 8-week evidence-based programs that integrate mindfulness practices into different therapeutic frameworks. Specific programs are appropriate for those who have experienced depression, anxiety, addiction, caregiver burden, pain, illness and stress.

The workshops we offer are:

Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT)
Mindfulness-Based Relapse Prevention (MBRP)
Mindful Self-Care for Caregivers

You can learn more about our programs through the links below.

Programs

Refer

Educational Workshops

At Mindfulness West we also offer mindfulness-based educational workshops tailored to the identified needs of workplaces. Whether you want to 'plant a seed' with a brief introduction to mindfulness, offer a 1-2 day workshop or an 8-week development program - we will work with you to create an educational (non-therapeutic) program that is designed to fit your organization’s needs.

Participants will learn what mindfulness is and how to apply these practices at work and at home. We can include topics such as health and wellness, mental health, stress management, workplace culture and work-life balance.

I learned to take a kinder, more gentle attitude toward myself. I also learned to recognize warning signals and take helpful action.

MBCT Participant

Partnerships

Mindfulness West partners with not-for-profits, health authority programs and other health care organizations to deliver mindfulness-based therapeutic programs.

To date we have had the privilege of working with:

If you are a service agency interested in working with Mindfulness West to offer Mindfulness-Based Programs, please contact us.