Finding Peace: A Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Course

It matters that you care. It matters that you feel. It matters that you notice. - From “Hokusai says” Roger Keyes.

This course is based on the work of Jon Kabat-Zinn. It will be offered over eight weeks and is facilitated by Amanda Thiessen, MSW, RSW. The sessions will be approximately 2 hours long and shift between mindful meditations and reflective exercises. The sessions aim to support you in building awareness, gaining insights, and developing mindful-based tools to manage stress more effectively.

We aim to make this training as accessible as possible to anyone who could benefit from the practices. We have learned through past training that participants do best when they have a quiet, uninterrupted space to practice. However, we recognize that this might only be realistic for some, so please assess how you might best (and most realistically) benefit from the course.

We have also come to recognize that there is a depth of learning between participants as the course progresses. To offer both accessibility and holding of a sacred space for learning, participants are invited to drop in to try the technique out for the first two sessions. By the third class, participants are asked to attend the last five sessions if they would like to continue with the course.

The Course is split into the following sessions.

-Weeks 1-3- Designed to assist us in becoming increasingly familiar with the connection between our mind and body.

-Weeks 4-6 - An in-depth look at stress and how we are conditioned to react habitually and often ineffectively to stress and how we can mitigate this reactivity by applying mindfulness to see more clearly, understand situations more fully, and act wisely.

-Weeks 7-8 -we will explore how to apply our learning to bring peace and joy into our lives and explore personal themes throughout the course.

Instructor: Amanda Thiessen, BA MSW 

Amanda Thiessen is a social worker, educator, and coach who works with human service organizations. Amanda believes creating just social change is intimately linked to inclusive, collaborative and empowered organizations. Amanda has worked in the charity sector for over 20 years. She is a certified organizational coach, holds a Master of Arts degree in Theology and a Master of Social Work degree in Leadership in Human Services. She is a registered social worker in the province of British Columbia, Canada.