Mindfulness based cognitive therapy (MBCT)

Address

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

Tel: 01325 552017

Lead contact: Jo Cromarty

Do you suffer with repeated episodes of depression?

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

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) courses 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 courses are available to adults (aged 18+) registered with a GP in County Durham and Darlington, Teesside and most of North Yorkshire, who:

have experienced repeated episodes of depression
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 practice 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) for people who suffer from recurrent depression. There is also good evidence that learning mindfulness can be helpful for people who are stressed.

How do I take part?

To find out more about mindfulness and the course we offer you can attend a two-hour taster session, which are open to members of the public and health and social care staff. After this you can apply for the eight-week course and we will discuss this in more detail with you with a telephone assessment.

Two-hour taster sessions

These taster sessions are open to health and social care sector staff and members of the public.

Dates:

Online Monday 5 June, 3pm – 5pm (Microsoft Teams)
In-person Tuesday 20 June, 10am – 12noon Darlington, DL3 8DJ
Online Tuesday 27 June, 10am – 12noon (Microsoft Teams)
Online Wednesday 5 July, 10.30am – 12.30pm (Microsoft Teams)
Online Tuesday 11 July, 10am – 12noon (Microsoft Teams)
Online Monday 17 July, 3pm – 5pm (Microsoft Teams)
Online Tuesday 25 July, 6pm – 8pm (Microsoft Teams)
Online Tuesday 5 September, 6pm – 8pm (Microsoft Teams)
In-person Tuesday 5 September, 10am – 12noon Darlington, DL3 8DJ
Online Wednesday 20 September, 10am – 12noon (Microsoft Teams)

If you're interested in taking part in a free taster session, click here for a booking form

You can also contact us on tewv.mindfulness@nhs.net or 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 (Microsoft Teams) Tuesday evenings 6pm – 8.15pm, 9 MAY – 4 JULY 2023, plus Day of Mindfulness, 20 June, 9.30am – 2.30pm
IN-PERSON (Bishop Auckland Methodist Church) Wednesday mornings 10am – 12.15pm, 10 MAY – 5 JULY 2023, plus Day of Mindfulness, 21 June, 10am – 4pm
ONLINE (Microsoft Teams) Wednesday mornings 10.30am – 12.45pm, 10 MAY – 5 JULY 2023, plus Day of Mindfulness, 21 June, 9.30am – 2.30pm
ONLINE (Microsoft Teams) Thursday mornings 10am – 12.15pm, 11 MAY – 6 JULY 2023, plus Day of Mindfulness, 22 June, 9.30am – 2.30pm

If you are interested in taking part in one of our free courses, please email us at tewv.mindfulness@nhs.net or telephone 01325 552017 so we can send you the link to the meetings.

Day of mindfulness

These sessions are included in the 8-week course and previous 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.

Dates:

Online by Microsoft Teams

ONLINE Tuesday, 20 June 2023, 9.30am – 2.30pm
ONLINE Wednesday, 21 June 2023, 9.30am – 2.30pm
ONLINE Thursday, 22 June 2023, 9.30am – 2.30pm
ONLINE Monday, 3 July 2023, 9.30am – 2.30pm
ONLINE Tuesday, 4 July 2023, 9.30am – 2.30pm

In-person

Wednesday, 21 June 2023, 10am – 4pm, Bishop Auckland, DL14 6EN

If you have attended one of our 8-week courses in the past and are interested in joining us for a day of mindfulness, please follow this link to complete a booking form: Day of Mindfulness Booking (June/July 2023)

You can also contact us on tewv.mindfulness@nhs.net or 01325 552017 with any queries.

The next days of mindfulness will be in November 2023

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 tewv.mindfulness@nhs.net with PRACTICE GROUP as the subject heading.