Mindfulness based cognitive therapy for adults in County Durham and Darlington, Teesside and most of North Yorkshire, York and Selby

Address

West Park Hospital
Edward Pease Way
Darlington
Co.Durham
DL2 2TS

Tel: 01325 552017

Email: [email protected]

Lead contact: Jo Cromarty, mindfulness team manager

Do you experience depression?

Are you stressed by caring for, or parenting, someone with mental ill health or a learning disability?

Many of us spend a lot of time brooding about the past, worrying about the future, and being hard on ourselves. These habits of mind are difficult to control and often leave us feeling stressed and low.

Mindfulness can help…

What is mindfulness?

This short animation film explains what mindfulness is.

Mindfulness is a particular way of paying attention to the present moment. When we’re tuned in to the present moment, the mind is less likely to get caught up in unhelpful patterns of thinking and feeling.

Mindfulness helps us become more aware of our thoughts and emotions and relate to them in a different way. We learn skills that can help us to:

• become more focussed and steady
• feel less overwhelmed
• respond more wisely to difficulties and stress.

Mindfulness can also help us learn to be kinder to ourselves and more accepting of how things are. 

‘Staying present’ is not easy– especially when we’re feeling stressed, or miserable. With patience and practice we can all learn to be more mindful more often.

Members of the Trust mindfulness team explain a little more in this short film clip.

The following audio clip will take you through a brief mindfulness meditation which may help you to understand more about mindfulness. It’s best to do this meditation sitting in a chair, at a time when you know you won’t be interrupted.

Our courses

Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) combines two great approaches; mindfulness and cognitive behavioural therapy. Our MBCT courses are a great way to understand thought patterns and how to work with these in more helpful ways. We deliver these courses both online and in-person.

You will learn and practise simple meditations and other activities that can help you to:

• be more aware of your thoughts and feelings
• be kinder to yourself  
• respond more wisely to difficulties and stress

The following film shares the personal experiences of some who have attended courses at a different NHS centre and the benefits they have experienced.

Who can take part?

Our service is for people aged 18+ who are registered with a GP in County Durham, Darlington, Teesside and (most of) North Yorkshire, York and Selby.

The course may be suitable for you if any of these apply:

• You are currently experiencing an episode of depression
• You have had episodes of depression in the past and wish to reduce the chances of future episodes
• You are stressed by parenting or caring for someone with mental ill health or a learning disability

What is a mindfulness course like?

The course includes eight sessions lasting two and a quarter hours and one longer session. Sessions normally take place over consecutive weeks.

In the sessions you will learn and practise some fairly simple meditations, for example focusing attention on your breathing for periods of time. The teacher will be a qualified mental health professional who is also experienced in teaching mindfulness.

The course takes a lot of time and effort and involves practising the meditations at home on a daily basis. It is important to attend regularly and to practise the approach at home every day.

What is the evidence?

MBCT has been thoroughly researched and is recommended by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE).

How do I take part?

To find out more about mindfulness and the course we offer you can attend a two-hour taster session. After this you can apply for the eight-week course and we will discuss this in more detail with you during a telephone assessment. 

To book a place on a taster session see the link below.

Two-hour taster sessions

These taster sessions are specifically for people with experience of depression and stressed carers/parents of someone with mental ill health or learning disabilities.  If you work in the health and social care sector, we encourage you to attend a staff mindfulness taster session which will provide you with information about all our course options.  The staff taster dates can be found on our staff mindfulness service webpage.

• ONLINE: Wednesday 12 November, 10am to 12noon (Microsoft Teams)
• ONLINE: Tuesday 9 December, 10am to 12noon (Microsoft Teams)
• More dates to be confirmed. Email [email protected] if you would like these sending to you

You can also email us on [email protected] or telephone 01325 552017 with any queries.

Eight-week courses

The course includes eight sessions each lasting two and a quarter hours, plus one longer day of practice later in the course.

Dates

• ONLINE: Wednesdays, 8 October to 10 December, 10am to 12.15pm, plus an online Day of Mindfulness on 26 November, 10am to 3pm Microsoft Teams
• ONLINE: Tuesdays, 21 October to 16 December, 10am to 12.15pm, plus an online Day of Mindfulness on 2 December, 10am to 3pm Microsoft Teams

If you are interested in taking part in one of our free courses, please email us at [email protected] or telephone 01325 552017. 

Day of mindfulness for course graduates

Our days of mindfulness practice sessions are included in the eight-week course, and previous course graduates are also invited to support their ongoing mindfulness practice and sense of wellbeing. The day is spent engaging in a variety of mindfulness practices with limited talking and space for reflection.

• ONLINE: Tuesday 25 November, 10am to 3pm (Microsoft Teams)
• ONLINE: Wednesday 26 November, 10am to 3pm (Microsoft Teams)
• ONLINE: Tuesday 2 December, 10am to 3pm (Microsoft Teams)

The next days of mindfulness will be around March or April 2026.

If you have attended one of our eight-week or six-week courses in the past and are interested in joining us for a day of mindfulness, please complete a booking form: Day of mindfulness booking form (November/December 2025).

If you are one of our previous course graduates who would like to be added to our graduate contact list to receive occasional email updates promoting new dates and opportunities for graduates, please complete a consent to keep in touch form.

You can also contact us on [email protected] or telephone 01325 552017 with any queries.

Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) course adapted for people with fatiguing physical health conditions 

We are offering an adapted version of the eight week course described above for people with fatiguing physical health conditions, such as ME/CFS or post-Covid syndrome (long Covid). With shorter sessions and mindfulness practices the course aims to be more accessible for people experiencing fatigue. This free online course is eleven weeks and each weekly session is 1.5 hours with a break part way through each session. The course explores how the skills and attitudes of mindfulness combined with cognitive behavioural therapy can provide support in the midst of difficulty and help us navigate through challenging times. It can be a great way to understand our thought patterns and how to work with these in more helpful ways. 

Who is this course for? 

It is for people aged 18+ who are registered with a GP in County Durham, Darlington, Teesside and (most of) North Yorkshire, York and Selby. It may be suitable for you if you have a fatiguing physical health condition and if any of the following apply: 

• You are currently experiencing an episode of depression 
• You have had episodes of depression in the past and wish to reduce the chances of future episodes 
• You are stressed by parenting or caring for someone with mental ill health or a learning disability 

Dates:

• ONLINE: Mondays, 15 September to 1 December 2025, 10.30am to 12pm, no session on 27 October (half term).

How do I take part? 

If you think this course may be suitable for you and would like to find out more, please attend a bespoke taster session as detailed below, or alternatively you can attend one of our standard two-hour taster sessions detailed above. After this you may choose to apply for the course itself and we will then arrange a telephone assessment with you.

Taster session date:

• To be confirmed

You are also welcome to contact us on [email protected] or telephone 01325 552017 with any queries.  

Online practice group

If you have attended one of our courses in the past, you would be very welcome to join our online ‘practice group’ sessions that take place by Microsoft Teams. These regular 45-minute sessions are an opportunity to do some practice with other people and to re-visit some themes of the course. Everyone will be very welcome, including people who haven’t done any practice for years! The sessions will be led by members of the mindfulness team.

If you have completed an eight-week course previously and are interested in registering for the practice group, please email us at [email protected] with ‘practice group’ as the subject heading.

Contact us

To apply to attend any of our sessions or courses, or any queries, please email us on [email protected] or telephone 01325 552017.

Useful resources

You may find some of the following resources helpful:

Headspace

Headspace is a very popular and high quality app.

Oxford Mindfulness Centre

The Oxford Mindfulness Centre site has many useful resources including audios of practices and a free online practice group

Free mindfulness

Free mindfulness includes many useful resources including practices, poetry and links to other sites

The Mindfulness Network

The Mindfulness Network site includes links to other free online practice groups