Mindfulness for health and social care staff

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 (now closed) 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
• six-week 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 to 10.30am and Tuesdays at 8.30am to 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 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.

Two-hour taster sessions

The two-hour 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.  You need to attend a taster before applying for one of our 6- or 8-week courses.  Application forms for the courses are emailed out after each taster session and then places on the courses are allocated on a first come first served basis.  It is therefore advisable to attend a taster session as soon as you can.

The dates listed below are open to regional health and social care sector staff only. A staff taster session will provide you with information about all the options available to you including our courses for people with experience of depression and stressed carers/parents of someone with mental ill health or learning disabilities.

Dates:

• Online via Microsoft Teams: Wednesday 7 October 2026, 10am to 12pm
• Online via Microsoft Teams: Tuesday 13 October 2026, 10am to 12pm
• Online via Microsoft Teams: Monday 19 October 2026, 1pm to 3pm
• Online via Microsoft Teams: Tuesday 17 November 2026, 10am to 12pm
• Online via Microsoft Teams: Tuesday 1 December 2026, 11am to 1pm

Future dates to be confirmed. Email [email protected] if you would like these sending to you.

If you would like to signpost patients and/or carers who do not work in the health and social care sector, please direct them to our mindfulness clinical service webpage for information about the taster sessions and courses available to them. 

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

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 health and social care sector staff only, who are new to mindfulness or who only have limited time to attend a course.  If you attend a three-week introductory course, you don’t need to attend a taster session before applying for an eight-week course.

Dates:

• Dates to be confirmed

Six-week course for health and social care sector staff

This course is designed for staff who need a time friendly introduction to mindfulness and compassionate self-care. Participants (usually 10-15) and the teacher meet once a week for six sessions each lasting one and a quarter hours. Practising 15-minute guided meditations daily and cultivating mindfulness in daily life under the guidance of an experienced mindfulness teacher has been shown to be helpful in reducing stress. Learning the skills of self-compassion reduces self-criticism and allows us to be more wisely compassionate to others. This course does not teach you how to teach others about mindfulness.

Dates:

• ONLINE: Mondays, 4 JANUARY to 8 FEBRUARY 2027, 12pm to 1.15pm
• ONLINE: Tuesdays, 5 JANUARY to 16 FEBRUARY 2027, 12pm to 1.15pm

If you have previously attended a taster session / introductory course with us and would like to book a place on a six-week course, please email us at [email protected] or telephone 01325 552017.

Eight-week courses for health and social care sector staff

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 to 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.

Dates:

• ONLINE: Tuesdays, 5 JANUARY to 2 MARCH 2027, 10am to 12.15pm, plus online Day of Mindfulness on 16 February 2027, 10am to 3pm

If you have previously attended a taster session or introductory course with us and would like to book a place on an eight-week course, please email us at [email protected] or telephone 01325 552017.

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.

Days 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.

Dates:

• Online via Microsoft Teams: Thursday 12 November, 10am to 3pm
• York: Monday 23 November, 10am to 4pm (New Earswick Folk Hall, York, YO32 4AQ) (FULLY BOOKED)
• Online via Microsoft Teams: Monday 23 November, 10am to 3pm
• Durham: Tuesday 24 November, 10am to 4pm (Elvet Durham City Methodist Church, Durham, DH1 3HL)
• Online via Microsoft Teams: Tuesday 24 November, 10am to 3pm
• Darlington: Wednesday 25 November, 10am to 4pm (Elm Ridge Methodist Hall, Darlington, DL3 8DJ) (FULLY BOOKED)
• Online via Microsoft Teams: Wednesday 25 November, 10am to 3pm

If you are a course graduate and would like to request a place on a day of mindfulness, please contact us on [email protected] or telephone 01325 552017.

The next days of mindfulness will be approximately March 2027.

Contact us

For any queries or to apply to attend any of our sessions or courses, please email [email protected] or call 01325 552017.

We look forward to hearing from you!