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Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction: 
A “turning towards” the present moment.

Schedule-Postponed New dates will be posted soon. Thank you for your patience.

Orientation: TBD | 6–7:30 p.m. ET
Classes: TBD | 6–8:30 p.m. ET
Retreat: TBD | 9 a.m.–2 p.m. ET

^{Delivery Method: Synchronous Virtual Classroom via Zoom}

Congratulations! If you are reading this, you are very likely about to participate in an Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program. The MBSR curriculum was originally developed by Jon Kabat-Zinn at the UMass Medical School in 1979 and from the onset it has been subjected to rigorous scientific inquiry.  At this point, tens of thousands of individuals have participated in the program, and it has become internationally recognized as a powerful aid to overall health and well-being.

Perhaps the most radical departure from standard practice is that the MBSR curriculum puts great emphasis on encouraging participants to re-connect with their own inner wisdom and is therefore a highly participatory form of health care.

There is currently a rapidly growing body of research documenting the positive outcomes associated with participating in an MBSR program including changes in brain structure and functionality, increases in stress hardiness, creativity, emotional balance, mood regulation and interpersonal effectiveness. Yet within the course itself, our focus will be much simpler, perhaps deceptively simple.  We will be inviting, and re-inviting ourselves to simply “turn towards” our moment to moment experience without judgment and experimenting, collectively and individually, with many different modalities in which to do so.  The core element running beneath the formal and informal practices is a willingness/intention to offer a compassionate bare attention to ourselves and our moments. Using the raw sensory data of each moment, we will provide opportunities for ourselves to make contact with our lives with a renewed intimacy that is both restorative and regenerative, opening the door, perhaps, for new possibilities to unfold and old habits to dissipate.

The value of your own personal practice during the course cannot be overstated. It is the primary means through which you will come to know the value and relevance of mindfulness for your personal wellbeing and to discover for yourself what it means to cultivate present centered, nonjudgmental awareness in your life in a very real and immediate way.

The more you put into it the more you will get out of it. Yet, paradoxically, it is actually more of a non-doing than anything else.

The MBSR course is best understood as an educational program that is predominantly experiential.  It is not a support group and not a therapy group but will be supportive and therapeutic. Everything that goes on during the course is confidential. Every participant must respect and agree to the condition of confidentiality. This is a program that requires your participation and effort. The more consistently you practice, the more your ability to cultivate mindfulness will grow.

Materials Provided

MBSR workbook, audio files w/ mindfulness practice, weekly homework suggestions and occasional handouts.

Resources Needed

Comfortable clothing (layers), yoga mat or large towel, any other items that you might need to assist you in lying comfortably on the floor. To ensure the best possible experience for all participants, the program relies on online video conferencing. You will need either a laptop or computer with webcam (including microphone), speakers and high-speed internet connection. Mobile devices such as phones and tablets are not recommended,

Continuing Education Credits*

^{The MBSR program is designed as a systematic training and meant to taken as a series (participation in the orientation, classes, and retreat).}
Orientation: 6–7:30 p.m. | 1.5 CEUs
Classes: 6–8:30 p.m. | 20 CEUs (2.5 CEUs/session)
Retreat: 9 a.m.–2 p.m. | 5 CEUs

^{Continuing education credit issued for sessions attended. Continuing education certificates will be emailed following the completion of the program.}

Fee:  $500

• The fee includes the orientation session, eight 2.5 hr classes and retreat.
• No discount or refunds shall be given in respect of sessions not attended by the registrant.
• Our class sizes are capped to facilitate a more intimate group dynamic, and your cancellation means that we cannot fill your seat once the course has started. (see Refund Policy)

Informed Consent Agreement

Registrants will be asked to complete the Informed Consent Agreement after their attendance at the Orientation Session.

Instructor

Dr. Ken A. Verni is a Clinical Psychologist and Director of the NJ Center for Mindful Awareness (). Dr. Verni’s professional work for the past 20 years has been directed towards helping individuals access and use their inner wisdom as a means to experience greater balance and fulfillment in their lives. A long time student and practitioner of mindfulness meditation, Dr. Verni originally trained with Jon Kabat-Zinn from the Center for Mindfulness at UMass in 2006 and is a Certified MBSR Instructor. He facilitates time-limited courses in MBSR in private, corporate and clinical settings. He has taught MBSR programs for the United Nations Headquarters in NYC, Google employees at their NYC office and the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). Dr. Verni received his doctorate in Clinical Psychology from the Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology. His doctoral dissertation entitled “Sitting Still in the Midst of Change” focused on the positive impact mindfulness practice can have on adolescent identity formation and psychological stability. He is also affiliated with Rutgers University as a training and consultation specialist providing trainings throughout the state of New Jersey on Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR). He currently maintains a private practice in Highland Park providing psychotherapy services to adolescents and adults, as well as mindfulness-based stress reduction programs.