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  • Compassionate Leadership Training course – Thursday afternoons

    Compassionate Leadership Training course – Thursday afternoons

    30 January at 15:00 to 17:00

    Join our six-week Compassionate Leadership Training designed for all health and social care leaders. Compassionate leadership is linked with improved learning and innovation, and reduced staff stress, injuries and absenteeism, and even reduced patient mortality.

    The course is made up of six weekly two-hour sessions and further consolidation sessions after the course is complete. This course runs on Thursdays from 3-5pm, from 30 January 2025 until 13 March 2025. There is no session on 20 February. Following this, there are several two-hour online consolidation sessions to review practice and learning. All graduates are invited to attend these sessions. See the dates for 2025 below.

    Watch a short (1.5 minute) video to find out more.

    Overview

    At the heart of compassion is the notion that everyone experiences difficulty and that we can all play a role in alleviating our own difficulties and those of others. Whether this is compassion for ourselves or the people we lead, people who lead us, colleagues or service users. We won’t always feel like helping and will sometimes be tired or overwhelmed or unable to connect.

    Although it helps to have positive feelings, we do not have to feel compassion to be compassionate. We can recognise our physical and mental state, resource ourselves as best we can, and respond from our firm compassionate intention, rather than from impulse or intense emotion.

    How does this translate into compassion in health, social care, and other organisations? How might we think about compassionate leadership, working with colleagues, service users and their friends and families? Prof. Michael West has spent his career answering this question, pointing to research that shows how compassionate leadership is linked with improved learning and innovation, and reduced staff stress, injuries and absenteeism, and even reduced patient mortality. In short, compassion is essential to high-quality healthcare.

    Dr Robert Marx and Professor Clara Strauss have designed this innovative training programme of six weekly sessions, each lasting two hours, with an additional follow-on consolidation sessions following the completion of the course. See details below of the dates for optional review and practice sessions.

    Who is the course for?

    The course is for anyone in a leadership role in a health and social care organisation, recognising that leadership occurs throughout health and social care roles, and at different levels of seniority.

    What is the format of the course?

    The course combines in-session mindfulness and compassion practice with reflection and discussion, as well as an invitation for home mindfulness and compassion practice to help cultivate compassion for ourselves and the people we lead and work with.

    Facilitators

    Robert Marx

    Portrait of Robert Marx

    Robert Marx is co-lead for the Sussex Mindfulness Centre and leads the Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) in Talking Therapies in NHS services training centres collaboration. He is a clinical psychologist and psychotherapist and has been teaching mindfulness to patients and staff in the NHS for 18 years. He teaches MBCT and Mindful Self-Compassion. He has been practising Buddhist meditation for over 30 years, initially in the Theravadan tradition and then in the Tibetan tradition. He is passionate about building compassionate cultures in organisations and about integrating relational and mindful approaches to work.

    Ruth Sequeira

    Ruth Sequeira

    Ruth Sequeira is a senior trainer, supervisor, and mindfulness teacher for the Sussex Mindfulness Centre. She is also a psychological therapist and the mindfulness and compassion training and retreat lead at the Mindfulness Network. Ruth has a history of working in mental health services and until recently worked as a Clinical Lead in the Child & Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) in Sussex. Ruth has a longstanding interest in mindfulness, meditation and movement, and is passionate about increasing access to mindfulness courses in different populations.

    Review and practice dates

    We are offering several dates for consolidation of learning, to allow flexibility. Participants may attend as many or as few of these consolidation sessions as they wish.

    Monday 7 April 4.00 – 5.00pm
    Thursday 8 May 4.00 – 5.00pm
    Wednesday 4 June 1.00 – 2.00pm
    Friday 4 July 2.00 – 3.00pm
    Thursday 18 September 4.00 – 5.00pm
    Wednesday 15 October 4.00 – 5.00pm
    Tuesday 18 November 1.00 – 2.00pm
    Monday 8 December 4.00 – 5.00pm

    Apply and book your place

    You can book your place below.

    Please note, we ask all those who book a place on this training programme to fill in an application form that will be sent to the facilitators. If you haven’t already, please head here to fill in the form.


    SMC

    Online

  • Compassionate Leadership Training course – Tuesdays

    Compassionate Leadership Training course – Tuesdays

    15 October 2024 at 15:00 to 17:00

    Compassionate Leadership Training for health and social care leaders. Compassionate leadership is linked with improved learning and innovation, and reduced staff stress, injuries and absenteeism, and even reduced patient mortality.

    Six online weekly two-hour sessions from Tuesday 15 October until 26 November on Tuesdays from 3.00-5.00pm. There is no session on 29 October. There is a two-hour online consolidation session on 4 February 2025 to review learning and practice.

    Overview

    At the heart of compassion is the notion that everyone experiences difficulty, and that we can all play a role in alleviating our own difficulties and those of others. Whether this is compassion for ourselves or the people we lead, people who lead us, colleagues or service users. We won’t always feel like helping and will sometimes be tired or overwhelmed or unable to connect.

    Although it helps to have positive feelings, we do not have to feel compassion to be compassionate. We can recognise our physical and mental state, resource ourselves as best we can, and respond from our firm compassionate intention, rather than from impulse or intense emotion.

    How does this translate into compassion in health, social care and other organisations? How might we think about compassionate leadership, working with colleagues, service users and their friends and families? Prof Michael West has spent his career answering this question, pointing to research that shows how compassionate leadership is linked with improved learning and innovation, and reduced staff stress, injuries and absenteeism, and even reduced patient mortality. In short, compassion is essential to high quality healthcare.

    Dr Robert Marx and Professor Clara Strauss have designed a training programme of six weekly sessions, each lasting two hours, with an additional follow-on two hour session a couple of months following the completion of the course.

    Who is the course for?

    The course is for anyone in a leadership role in a health and social care organisation, recognising that leadership occurs throughout health and social care roles, and at different levels of seniority.

    What is the format of the course?

    The course combines in-session mindfulness and compassion practice with reflection and discussion, as well as an invitation for home mindfulness and compassion practice to help cultivate compassion for ourselves and the people we lead and work with.

    Facilitators

    Clara Strauss

    Portrait of Clara Strauss

    Clara is Co-Lead (Research) for the Sussex Mindfulness Centre. She is a consultant clinical psychologist, mindfulness teacher and clinical researcher. In her research, Clara is particularly interested in developing and evaluating new forms of mindfulness-based intervention, especially for those people who may not be willing or able to access MBCT. Along with other members of her research team, Clara has been evaluating mindfulness courses for people experiencing depression, for people distressed by hearing voices and for people experiencing obsessive-compulsive disorder.

    Robert Marx

    Portrait of Robert Marx

    Robert Marx is co-lead for the Sussex Mindfulness Centre and leads the Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) in Talking Therapies in NHS services training centres collaboration. He is a clinical psychologist and psychotherapist and has been teaching mindfulness to patients and staff in the NHS for 18 years. He teaches MBCT and Mindful Self-Compassion. He has been practising Buddhist meditation for over 30 years, initially in the Theravadan tradition and then in the Tibetan tradition. He is passionate about building compassionate cultures in organisations and about integrating relational and mindful approaches to work.

    Nicky Mouat

    Portrait of Nicky Mouat

    Nicky is a Mental Health Nurse and Mindfulness teacher. She works in the NHS at Pavilions Drug and Alcohol Service, where she has been facilitating Mindfulness Based Relapse Prevention courses, and holding a weekly drop in for Service. Users and Staff. She has been teaching MBCT for the Wellbeing Service, and Recovery College in Brighton. She was also part of the Myriad Mindfulness in Schools Research Project, and was involved in teaching Mindfulness for Life to teachers in Sussex Schools. She has a particular interest in working with Service Users with ‘Dual Diagnosis’ (Substance Misuse and Mental Health Issues), and the way that Mindfulness can be helpful to this client group.

    Apply and book your place

    You can book your place below.

    Please note, we ask all those who book a place on this training programme to fill in an application form that will be sent to the facilitators. If you haven’t already, please head here to fill in the form.

    There are a limited number of free places for staff at the Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust which are offered on a first-come first-served basis. Fill in the form first, and we’ll let you know if you have a free place.


    SMC

    Online

  • Can mindfulness save employees from digital burnout?

    Can mindfulness save employees from digital burnout?

    In the increasingly stressful world of work where digital advances have made us ever more online and available, a new study has shown that mindfulness can help. Lara Alvarez Torres summarises the findings.

    Work has become more computer-based and stressful

    In the post-pandemic world, work has become more home-based and digital, where we’re more dependent on e-mail, instant messaging and smart phones. While it offers flexibility, it also brings challenges like stress, overload, and anxiety—whether you’re at home or in the office. It’s now clear that companies need to equip their employees with tools to cope with digital work. A new study has shown that one powerful tool for this is mindfulness.

    Mindfulness is about staying present and aware, and it’s been shown to help reduce stress and burnout at work. The study explored how mindfulness can help when we’re constantly connected to our emails, instant messaging, and phones.

    Using the Job Demands-Resources (JD-R) model by Arnold Bakker and Evangelia Demerouti, this new research shows that high job demands, and low job resources lead to more stress and burnout. And that mindfulness is one of the key resources that can provide balance.

    The dark side of digital work

    The study looks at five major issues that come with digital work: 1) digital workplace stress, 2) overload, 3) anxiety, 4) fear of missing out (FOMO), and 5) addiction.

    These issues can lead to burnout but are less severe for those who are healthy, mindful, or confident with digital tools. For employees that feel that they must be constantly connected and available, it can become overwhelming, and even become addictive.

    Mindfulness; a positive resource

    Mindfulness is a positive resource that helps reduce the negative effects of the digital workplace and support employees’ wellbeing. The researchers did a series of interviews with employees from the UK who use technology daily and found that anxiety, stress and overload were common factors. They also interviewed other employees who were introducing mindfulness practices in their daily work routine and who felt it helped to reduce the negative impacts of digital work.

    Supporting employees’ mental health is more important than ever

    Mindfulness can be a game-changer in reducing the negative effects of digital work and boosting employee wellbeing. Employees who practice mindfulness tend to experience less burnout and better overall health. As our workplaces become more digital, it’s crucial for companies to support their employees’ wellbeing with resources like mindfulness training.

    As we navigate the digital workplace, it’s clear that supporting employees’ mental health is more important than ever. Mindfulness is a simple but effective way to combat stress and burnout. By incorporating mindfulness and other wellbeing policies, companies can ensure their employees stay healthy and productive in this new digital era.

  • Compassionate Leadership Training course – Tuesdays

    Compassionate Leadership Training course – Tuesdays

    14 May 2024 at 15:00 to 17:00

    Compassionate Leadership Training for health and social care leaders. Compassionate leadership is linked with improved learning and innovation, and reduced staff stress, injuries and absenteeism, and even reduced patient mortality.

    Six online weekly two-hour sessions from Tuesday 14 May until 2 July 2024 (no sessions 28 May and 18 June). There is also a two-hour online consolidation session on 24 September 2024 from 15.00 to 17.00 to review our learning and practice.

    Overview

    At the heart of compassion is the notion that everyone experiences difficulty, and that we can all play a role in alleviating our own difficulties and those of others. Whether this is compassion for ourselves or the people we lead, people who lead us, colleagues or service users. We won’t always feel like helping and will sometimes be tired or overwhelmed or unable to connect.

    Although it helps to have positive feelings, we do not have to feel compassion to be compassionate. We can recognise our physical and mental state, resource ourselves as best we can, and respond from our firm compassionate intention, rather than from impulse or intense emotion.

    How does this translate into compassion in health, social care and other organisations? How might we think about compassionate leadership, working with colleagues, service users and their friends and families? Prof Michael West has spent his career answering this question, pointing to research that shows how compassionate leadership is linked with improved learning and innovation, and reduced staff stress, injuries and absenteeism, and even reduced patient mortality. In short, compassion is essential to high quality healthcare.

    Dr Robert Marx and Professor Clara Strauss have designed a training programme of six weekly sessions, each lasting two hours, with an additional follow-on two hour session a couple of months following the completion of the course.

    Who is the course for?

    The course is for anyone in a leadership role in a health and social care organisation, recognising that leadership occurs throughout health and social care roles, and at different levels of seniority.

    What is the format of the course?

    The course combines in-session mindfulness and compassion practice with reflection and discussion, as well as an invitation for home mindfulness and compassion practice to help cultivate compassion for ourselves and the people we lead and work with.

    Facilitators

    Clara Strauss

    Portrait of Clara Strauss

    Clara is Co-Lead (Research) for the Sussex Mindfulness Centre. She is a consultant clinical psychologist, mindfulness teacher and clinical researcher. In her research, Clara is particularly interested in developing and evaluating new forms of mindfulness-based intervention, especially for those people who may not be willing or able to access MBCT. Along with other members of her research team, Clara has been evaluating mindfulness courses for people experiencing depression, for people distressed by hearing voices and for people experiencing obsessive-compulsive disorder.

    Ruth Sequeira

    Portrait of Ruth Sequeira

    Ruth Sequeira is as senior trainer, supervisor and mindfulness teacher for the Sussex Mindfulness Centre. She is also a psychological therapist and the Mindfulness and Compassion Training and Retreat Lead at the Mindfulness Network. Ruth has a history of working in mental health services and until recently worked as a clinical lead in the Child & Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) in Sussex. Ruth has a longstanding interest in mindfulness, meditation and movement, and is passionate about increasing access to mindfulness courses in different populations.

    Catherine Cameron

    Catherine Cameron

    Catherine is a clinical psychologist working within the community-based persistent pain team within Sussex Partnership. She has a particular interest in mindfulness and self-compassion in pain. She co-facilitates the mindful self-compassion course for staff with Robert Marx having trained to facilitate the Mindful Self-Compassion course in 2014. Before that Catherine ran the mindfulness-based Mindfulness for Pain courses in Hove Polyclinic. She is also involved in the mindfulness all day retreats run for those who have attended the eight -week courses within Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust.

    Apply and book your place

    You can book your place below.

    Please note, we ask all those who book a place on this training programme to fill in an application form that will be sent to the facilitators. If you haven’t already, please head here to fill in the form. If you are a member of staff at the Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, please fill in the form first, before paying. There are a limited number of free places for staff that are offered on a first-come first-served basis.


    SMC

    Online