Upcoming Workshops:
Check back to find upcoming workshops with Karen Bluth, PhD!
Previous Workshops:
Self-Compassion: Addressing Mental health in teens
Youth are being confronted with tremendous challenges when it comes to wellbeing and mental health. Due to the restrictions during the covid-pandemic, problems of anxiety, depression and suicidality have skyrocketed.
Self-compassion is a method for using own resources to reduce stress, anxiety and depression. Through research, we know that people with self-compassion are better resistant to the harmful effects of trauma and to the impact of emotionally painful life events. Karen Bluth will explain the definition of self-compassion, how self-compassion can be offered to youth, and what is scientifically known about the protective effects. Some practical examples from the Mindful Self-Compassion for Teens program will be introduced.
Presented by Karen Bluth (Virtual)
December 13
SUPPORTING TEENS THROUGH SELF-COMPASSION
This 6-hour workshop is for parents, therapists, and educators – anyone who works with teens or cares about teens. Karen Bluth, self-compassion researcher and teacher, and Marina Barnes, high school wellness coordinator, self-compassion teacher, and director of the youth programs at CMSC, join together to present ways to support teens through what can be a particularly challenging life stage. The workshop will begin with a discussion of why the teen years can be fraught with mental health challenges like depression and anxiety, including internal changes in teens’ bodies and brains, and the stress brought on by their external world – academics, peers, and social media. Self-compassion practices can be instrumental in shifting how teens see themselves and the world, particularly when they grasp that they aren’t alone in their struggles and that this difficult stage is an opportunity for growth. Provided will be a brief overview of the research on self-compassion and teens, including the most recent research on how cultivating self-compassion has helped transgender teens. Experiential exercises and guided meditation practices will be included throughout the workshop.
Karen Bluth and Marina Barnes will be joined by other teachers of Mindful Self-Compassion for Teens (the program formerly known as Making Friends with Yourself), as they discuss their experiences teaching self-compassion to teens. Hear about teens’ responses and reactions to the program, their initial resistance and how it was overcome, and how self-compassion practice can be encouraged and maintained in the busy lives of teens.
Presented by Karen Bluth and Marina Barnes
December 2 and 4, 7 am – 10 am PST
Format: The workshop will be comprised of two separate 3-hour sessions
MENTAL HEALTH AND SELF COMPASSION FOR AYAS ACROSS THE CONTINUUM
FREE SUMMER WEBINAR SERIES
Presentation by Karen Bluth, Ph.D.
Moderated by Amelia Coffaro, C-IYAT
Wednesday, August 25th
12:00pm ET
The American Cancer Society estimates that in the year 2021 there will be 88,260 new cases of Adolescent Young Adult (AYA) (ages 15 - 39) cancers in the United States. In addition to facing key developmental life milestones, AYAs also face a number of health disparities and quality of life issues related to cancer that can affect disease outcome, survival rates and coping with the distressing side effects of cancer. As a result, a growing number of AYAs report access to adequate mental health resources as a top, unmet need to manage cancer related morbidities such as anxiety, depression and post traumatic stress.
The transformative practice of mindful self-compassion offers a new way to embrace healing by teaching us how to be kind to ourselves in moments of difficulty or suffering. Mindful Self-Compassion (MSC) -- developed by Christopher Germer, PhD, a leader in the integration of mindfulness and psychotherapy, and Kristin Neff, PhD, a pioneering researcher in the field of self-compassion -- is an empirically supported program that shows how the development of a compassionate inner voice decreases stress, cultivates resilience and overall contributes to long term well-being.
Please join Dr. Karen Bluth, Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at UNC and MSC Instructor, and Amelia Coffaro, certified Yoga Therapist and AYA survivor, as they explore how self-compassion can support the unique emotional and mental health needs of AYAs across the cancer care continuum. This session will include guided, experiential practice and time for Q&A.
Promoting Wellbeing in Families: The FPG Program on Mindfulness & Self-Compassion
November 6, 2019
12-1 pm
Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute
Bypass Building, Room 203
University of NC, Chapel Hill, NC
This talk will provide an overview of how self-compassion can be beneficial for families and include discussion of the courses that are offered at the new program at Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute.
Self-Compassion Tools
November 16, 2019
Seoul, Korea
Self-compassion has been shown to be associated with less stress, depression, and anxiety. In this day-long interactive workshop, participants learn specific skills to help cultivate self-compassion, build resilience, and strengthening their ability to treat themselves with kindness.
“At long last, a self-compassion training for teens! This delightful, innovative program captures the essence of self-compassion for an age group that needs it the most. Wholeheartedly recommended!”
“This is a brilliant adaptation of the MSC program for adolescents, providing a wide variety self-compassion skills using developmentally appropriate language and activities. Imagine if all teens learned self-compassion early on – so much unnecessary suffering would be prevented! Thank goodness this program is now available.”