Welcome! We know you care about looking after others. To look after others, it’s important to take time to look after yourself too.
Who are we?
We are an award-winning team of experienced NHS mental health professionals, who are experts in mindfulness and cognitive behavioural therapy.
Who can access the mindfulness sessions?
Our sessions and courses are available to staff across the region, as well as to colleagues within our own Trust.
You are eligible if you work:
- in the health and social care sector and
- in an area covered by the North East and North Cumbria ICS or the Humber Coast and Vale Resilience Hub. If you’re not sure, please check the maps on the buttons below.
What is mindfulness?
Mindfulness is the natural capacity we all have to bring awareness and interest to what is happening in the present moment. Becoming more mindful can support our wellbeing and mental health.
This video is about the approach we offer: mindfulness based cognitive therapy.
Learning mindfulness can help you:
- be more aware of your thoughts and feelings
- be kinder to yourself
- respond more wisely to difficulties and stress.
Mindfulness is recommended by the National Institute of Health and Care Excellence.
What do we offer?
- Drop-in sessions
- Two-hour taster sessions
- Three-week introductory courses
- Eight-week courses
- Follow up activities, such as days of mindfulness practice.
The biggest thing I learnt was how to be present, intentional and kind to myself. I feel better in managing my own mental health as a direct result. I am further in my journey of acceptance.
Drop-in sessions
These regular 30-minute online drop-in sessions aim to support staff wellbeing and include:
- A guided meditation
- An opportunity for some brief discussion.
Sessions currently take place on Mondays at 10am – 10.30am and Tuesdays at 8.30am – 9am, online by Microsoft Teams.
You don’t need to book in advance, and no previous experience of mindfulness is necessary.
To register for the drop-in sessions, please see the ‘Contact us’ section below. Once you’ve been added to our register/mailing list, you will receive weekly email updates with Microsoft Teams links, usually sent first thing on a Monday morning.
I'm learning to find a sense of calmness and not be quite so reactive.
Two-hour Taster sessions
The two-hour online sessions will give you a taste of what mindfulness is all about and the variety of offerings our service provides. Sessions include information, discussion, and guided meditations. The taster sessions are open to health and social care staff and members of the public, including service users and carers. You need to attend a taster before applying for the eight-week course.
Dates:
Online by Microsoft Teams
- Tuesday, 2nd August 2022, 10am – 12pm
- Monday, 8th August 2022, 10am – 12pm
- Monday, 15th August 2022, 10am – 12pm
- Monday, 22nd August 2022, 6pm – 8pm
- Monday, 5th September 2022, 11am – 1pm
- Wednesday, 7th September 2022, 2pm – 4pm
- Monday, 12th September 2022, 6pm – 8pm
- Monday, 12th September 2022, 11am – 1pm
- Monday, 12th September 2022, 6pm – 8pm
- Wednesday, 14th September 2022, 10am – 12pm
In-person
- Wednesday, 17th August 2022, 10am – 12pm, at Elm Ridge Methodist Hall, 16 Woodburn Drive, Darlington, DL3 8AB
- Tuesday, 6th September 2022, 9.30am – 11.30am, at Live Well Centre, Dundas Shopping Centre, Dundas St, Middlesbrough, TS1 1HR
Three-week introduction to mindfulness course
This course will introduce you to some skills that can help you manage distress and difficulty as well as appreciate the good things in life. It consists of three sessions over a three-week period. Each online session is an hour long and will include brief guided meditations, as well as some theory and discussion. Between these sessions, you will be invited to use the mindfulness practices at home so that you begin to experience the benefits of applying mindfulness to your everyday life.
This course is for people who are new to mindfulness or who only have limited time to attend a course.
Dates, all online by Microsoft Teams:
- Tuesdays 12noon – 1pm, 19 and 26 July and 2 August
- Tuesdays 8.30am – 9.30am, 16, 23 and 30 August
To book a place, please see the ‘Contact us’ section below.
Eight-week courses
An in-depth course with a structured curriculum that combines training in mindfulness with elements of cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT). It includes eight sessions each lasting two and a quarter hours, plus one longer day of practice later in the course. The course will teach you skills to manage distress and to appreciate the good things in life by inviting you to apply what you learn to your own life and developing a regular mindfulness practice. This course does not teach you how to teach others about mindfulness.
Participants (usually 10-15) and the teacher meet once a week. You will need to do some home practice every day to practise the skills you are learning.
If you would like to attend one of our eight-week courses, you will need to attend a two-hour taster session or a three-week introductory course first.
Dates:
Online by Microsoft Teams: Monday evenings, 6pm – 8.15pm
- 3, 10, 17, 31 October (no session 24 October – half term)
- 7, 14, 28 November
- 5 December
- Day of practice: Monday 21 November, 9,30am – 2.30pm
Online by Microsoft Teams: Wednesday mornings, 10am – 12.15pm
- 5, 12, 19, October (no session 26 October – half term)
- 2, 9, 16, 30 November
- 7 December
- Day of practice: Wednesday 23 November 2022, 9.30am – 2.30pm
In-person: Tuesday mornings, 10am – 12.15pm
Venue: Cornerstones Centre for the Community, Chester-le-Street, Methodist Church, North Burns, Chester-le-Street, DJ3 3TF.
- 4, 11, 18 October (no session 25 October – half term)
- 1, 8, 15, 29 November
- 6 December
- Day of Practice: Tuesday 22 November, 10am – 4pm (venue to be confirmed)
I have learnt to be calmer, to accept what is and be in the here and now. To look after myself without judgement, and how to use mindfulness as part of my daily routine which is now adapting and stepping out of automatic pilot. The practices are going to be so beneficial for me, my mental health, how I deal with work, they have helped me with pain management and improving my own wellbeing so that I can appreciate and take part in my life rather than just going through the motions without really thinking about what I’m doing. I’ve noticed that I am more tolerant with others and also recognise my own signs of distress early enough to be able to deal with them and prevent things becoming an issue.
Days of mindfulness
Our days of mindfulness practice sessions are included in the eight-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
- Wednesday, 24 August 2022, 10am – 3pm
In-person
- Monday, 1 August 2022, 10am – 4pm, at St Cuthbert’s Centre, Church Hill, Crook DL15 9DN
- Wednesday, 3 August 2022, 10am – 4pm, at St Francis Village Hall, Hutton Henry, County Durham, TS27 4RH
To book a place, please see the ‘Contact us’ section below.
The next round of practice days will be in November 2022.
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 email us at tewv.mindfulness@nhs.net or telephone 01325 552017 so that we can book you a place, availability permitting.
Contact us
To apply to attend any of our sessions or courses, please email us on tewv.mindfulness@nhs.net or phone on 01325 552017.
We look forward to hearing from you!
