Upcoming Courses
Online classes:
Mindful Self-Compassion for Teens classes
Teachers are Jamie Lynn Tatera, Marina Barnes, Lea Christo, and Karen Bluth.
The Parenting Teens Community is excited to be teaming up with the leaders is adolescent self compassion work to bring two classes for your teens and tweens.
For 13 - 16 year olds:
Wednesday nights from 7-8:30pm ET.
From Oct 23 - Dec 11, and Saturday November 16 at 2pm ET
11 - 14 year olds
Tuesday nights & Saturday mornings
Nov 19, 23, 26; Dec 3, 7, 10, 14, 17
Tuesday nights are 6:45-8:15 ET and Saturday mornings are 12:00-1:30 pm ET
Pay What You Can
We recognize that families can go through challenging financial times and we want to support you. Please pay what you can to help support our teachers and programs. If you need additional scholarship support, please email michaeld@supportingteens.com
Lauren Gibson
(thenourishedfolk@outlook.com) is offering ongoing MSC-T classes. She is based in Adelaide, Australia, and is offering ongoing in-person programs for high school and middle school students in Adelaide and surrounding suburbs, as well as online programs for students living interstate or in remote areas.
Lauren has an advanced certification in guiding mediation and mindfulness, has completed a 200hr yoga teacher training, and is a Bachelor of Secondary Education Student.
You can find out more about Lauren here:
https://thenourishedfolk.com/
Anna Alkozei, Ph.D. (aalkozei@wavemindclinic.com) and Jessica Emde, MA are offering an online MSC-T class for 12-14 year olds on Mondays from September 25 - November 12, 5-6:30pm PST.
More information can be found here: https://wavemindclinic.com
Dr. Melanie Gregg
is offering ongoing classes
Melanie Gregg, licensed psychologist, (mgregg@drmelaniegregg.com; 713.408.2414; https://drmelaniegregg.com/)
& Elizabeth Strelow (elizabethsarah4@gmail.com);
Ongoing Classes
Dr. Melanie Gregg, licensed psychologist, offers ongoing courses for high school students, middle school students, young adults, and parents and counselors. For more information, contact: hello@bwellcounselingcenter.com, or 713-364-9317, or go to https://bwellcounselingcenter.com; Dr. Gregg also holds classes for gender diverse teens
Marina Barnes, Self-Compassion Teacher & Coach, Bainbridge Island, WA (marina@marinabarnes.net; 408-656-8811) &
Lea Christo, Associate Professor of Practice, Department of Human Services and Rehabilitation Studies Assumption College, Worcester, MA (l.christo@assumption.edu; 508-335-3487);
We offer the eight week Mindful Self-Compassion for Teens program.
Please visit: https://www.marinabarnes.net/self-compassion-classes/ for more info or to register for our upcoming MSC-Teens course.
Heather Montague, MS (she/her) Learning Specialist, Certified Trauma-Sensitive Mindfulness Practitioner & MSC-T Teacher (heatherleemontague@gmail.com, 202-427-3394) & Kristie Engel, PhD (she/her) - Licensed Psychologist, Certified Trauma-Sensitive Mindfulness Practitioner & MSC-T Teacher (kengel@hopeandwellnessrising.com, www.hopeandwellnessrising.com, 512-572-4673) offer courses for high school students.
As recovering perfectionists, Heather and Kristie have found self-compassion to be invaluable and often wonder how much easier life might have been had they learned these skills decades ago. They have devoted their professional lives to serving teens and love empowering high school students across the globe with these tools. Visit: https://formfaca.de/sm/edJif184B for more info on classes.
Kristie and Heather's next course will take place Wednesdays, October 2 through November 20, from 7:30-9:00 pm Eastern / 4:30-6:00 pm Pacific.
In person classes:
Dr. Melanie Gregg conducts in-person programs in the Houston area. Contact Dr. Gregg at: mgregg@drmelaniegregg.com
Workshops:
Jamie Lynn Tatera, (jlt@jamielynntatera.com)
is an MSC-T teacher who offers free parent-teen workshops for families who would like to learn more about the Mindful Self-Compassion for Teens program. Jamie Lynn is an educator with extensive experience teaching self-compassion to children, teens, adults, and families.
Visit: https//jamielynntatera.com to register for a workshop and learn more about MSC-T.
"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!”
- Christopher Germer, Ph.D
Mindful Self-Compassion for Teens (formerly Making Friends with Yourself) is an empirically-supported 8-session program designed to cultivate the skill of self-compassion in teens. Mindful Self-Compassion for Teens teaches core principles and practices that enable teens to respond to the challenges of these critical years with kindness and self-compassion.
Adolescence is a time of change and growth. It is the period of life reserved for rebellion and self-discovery, but as the demands in life increase for teens, this time is often fraught with confusion, anxiety or depression. For many teens these challenges lead to disconnection and isolation.
In this 8-session long course which meets weekly for 1.5 hours, teens engage in developmentally appropriate activities and carefully crafted practices and meditations, which provide them with the opportunity to learn how to navigate the emotional ups and downs of life with greater ease. Backed by research, findings indicate increases in emotional well-being and greater resilience after taking the course.
“So like stressful situations and stuff happens... I’m able to handle it more easily and more quickly, and able to, I don’t know, to calm myself down and put it into perspective.”
– Teen participant
Following in the footsteps of the adult MSC program, MSC-T is rooted in the three key components of self-compassion: self-kindness, common humanity and mindful, balanced awareness. These elements serve to open the hearts of teens to their own suffering, so they can learn to give themselves what they truly need, recognize that they are not alone in their suffering, and encourage an open-minded acceptance of the struggle they are facing.
This curriculum was adapted from the adult Mindful Self-Compassion created by Drs. Kristin Neff and Christopher Germer, and has been endorsed by the founders.
Find all the Mindful Self Compassion for Teens audio meditations and video resources here:
“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.”
Testimonials
““It’s cool to see after we took [the class] how much life in general has improved, like not necessarily the situations, but the ways I can handled it. This is so important, so I’m going to take it again and then maybe make it even better.” ”
““Stressful situations and stuff happens… I’m able to handle it more easily and more quickly, and able to calm myself down and put it into perspective.”
““My child loved this class from the first night. He told me about a guided meditation where he was to imagine his perfect friend in a perfect place – that really hit a chord and made him tear up. He wasn’t that excited about going before that – I think he was going because I told him he should – but that first night he was immediately hooked. Every day he told me ‘it was great!’””
““My daughter absolutely was dreading attending. By the end, she was really upset that she couldn’t be there for Tuesday night due to travel. She LOVED it.””
frequently asked questions for msc for teens
What is this program about?
It’s about learning ways to not be so hard on yourself, and still be motivated and get things done.
What actually happens in the class?
We talk about what mindfulness and self-compassion are, we watch short videos, play a few games, learn how to do a music meditation, do a little bit of mindful art at the beginning of each class, and learn ways to de-stress in the moment when we start feeling overwhelmed.Do I have to participate in everything?
No. You never have to participate in anything that you don’t want to.Am I going to have to talk about my feelings? What if I don’t want to?
You never have to talk about anything that you’re not comfortable discussing. FIRST AND FOREMOST, this program is about being kind to yourself. So, if it doesn’t feel like you’re doing something kind for yourself, you don’t have to do it.I think you’re just saying that. I think once I get there, you’re going to find ways to make me participate.
Nope! We’re serious. This isn’t school!How do you know that this program will help me not stress as much?
Through a number of research studies, we know that when teens are kinder to themselves, they have less depression, anxiety, and stress. So in this program, we “build” the self-compassion muscle. Just like lifting weights builds arm muscles, learning self-compassion builds resilience de-stress muscles.My parent/therapist/coach/teacher thinks I should take this class but I don’t trust them. They’re an adult and they think they know me but they don’t really. Why should I take it?
Well, certainly don’t take it to make them happy! Take it to make you happy, because lots of teens have talked about how it has really helped them, and they don’t feel as stressed as they used to. Watch the Benji Project video to see what teens say about the program!
Listen to what teens themselves have to say about
Mindful Self-Compassion for Teens (MSC-T).