Wellbeing course for migrants

Learn skills to manage stress and improve life. Join this free ten-week programme for migrants. The trauma-informed and culturally sensitive course will be held outdoors in a private garden. The course sessions are on Tuesdays from 10am to 12 midday, from 22 July until 30 September 2025 (no session on 23 September).

You can secure your place by filling in this short application form.

Overview

The course includes activities designed to promote wellbeing, and reduce anxiety and stress. These activies include:

• Learning simple skills to help calm the mind
• Gentle movement and stretching exercises (that can be adapted for everyone)
• Using art and and creativity (no experience needed)
• An opportunity to practice English. The course is taught in plain simple English using visual prompts (fluency is not necessary)

The benefits of doing the course include:

• Understanding how the mind works
• Being able to cope better in difficult situations
• Shared sense of solidarity and community

Location

The location will be in an outdoors in a secluded garden. You’ll be sent details of how to get there once you enrol. We will be able to supply bus passes for people who need to travel.

Background to the course

This course enables participants to access the benefits of mindfulness in a way that is is a trauma-informed and culturally sensitive. The Mindfulness Across Borders curriculum was created by Ariana Faris and Sheila Webb with funding from the Oxford Mindfulness Foundation. The design is based on a project piloting courses in trauma-adapted and culturally-sensitive Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy for refugee and asylum-seeking communities in London, Cardiff and Brighton. The curriculum was co-produced with refugees in these cities. It is therefore sensitive to the experience and traumas that individuals may have faced.

The Sussex Mindfulness Centre is offering this course free, as part of its efforts to reach underrepresented communities.

Who is the course for?

All refugees and people seeking asylum in the UK, whatever your current status, are very welcome. This course is open to men and women migrants and other people who identify with refugees and people seeking asylum.

Teachers

Robert Marx

Robert is Co-Lead (training) for the Sussex Mindfulness Centre. He is a consultant clinical psychologist and has been involved in running mindfulness groups for staff and patients since 2006. He also trains and supervises others doing mindfulness work. He is interested in relational mindfulness and in adaptations of mindfulness-based interventions using compassion practices.

Julia Powell

Julia trained to be a mindfulness teacher in 2017, after a career in international development, social justice and human rights, including the rights of people seeking asylum in the UK. Julia runs mindfulness courses and coaching for the public and for refugees and asylum seekers.

Course format

The session provides a range of activities and each session is different. Generally, they start with some gentle movement or stretching exercises. The first four sessions are designed so participants can get an idea of what happens, and decide if the course is for them. From session five, the course is closed to newcomers to create a more intimate and safe space.

There is a tea break in the middle of the sessions.

How to apply

The course is free. If you would like to apply please fill in this short application form here. Or if you want more information please email Lara at spft.smc@nhs.net.