Sign up for the Devon Wellbeing Hub’s new Introducing Mindfulness Course

Posted by Devon Partnership Trust in News, Recovery and wellbeing on 7th July, 2023

The Devon Wellbeing Hub are pleased to offer a free, virtual ‘Introducing Mindfulness’ course for colleagues working in healthcare, social care and the police across Devon.

The three-week course, led by Senior Colleague Wellbeing Practitioner, Anna Croucher, will provide an introduction into mindfulness theory and practice. It will explore key themes to support you in both your professional and personal life. You will discover how to train your attention, learn different ways of ‘being’ and recognise the difference between ‘reacting’ and ‘responding’.

What happens during the sessions?

The sessions are group-based and will involve a combination of teaching, mindfulness practices and discussion. Each session builds on learning and experience from the previous session.

You will also be encouraged take part in home practice between the sessions. This will involve listening to a short recording of a guided practice each day, as well as more informal mindfulness practices.

The course will take place virtually on MS Teams and each session will run for an hour. Please note, you will need to be able to attend all three sessions.

The current dates available are:

• Tuesdays at 12pm: 12,19 and 26 September (12 spaces)
• Wednesdays at 9:30am: 15, 22 and 29 November (20 spaces)
• Wednesdays at 9:30am: 10, 17 and 24 January 2024 (20 spaces)
• Thursdays at 12pm: 7,14 and 21 March 2024 (20 spaces)

To book your place, visit Eventbrite. If spaces are fully booked, you have the option to join a waiting list.

What are the benefits?

Even though this course involves only three sessions, we hope you’ll experience some of the following within a relatively short period of time:

• A sense of having more space or time in the day
• Greater appreciation of what is pleasant and enjoyable in life
• An ability to resource yourself in more challenging moments
• The skill to respond throughout the day with greater clarity and compassion

Anna said: “Many of us lead such busy lives that it can take time to become familiar with mindfulness practice, which invites us to pause and pay attention to what is happening in any given moment.

“It is often assumed that mindfulness is a great way to calm down or relax. While this can sometimes happen in practice, it can also flag just how distracted, tired, sad or irritable the body or mind may be in that moment. This is quite normal. In fact, recognising how we are, and developing different ways to respond and resource ourselves in these moments is one of the many things mindfulness practice can teach us.

“Like learning any new skill, it can take time to begin to experience any benefits from practicing mindfulness. The invitation is to stick with it, and know that you can always reach out to me for support during and between sessions.”

Get in touch:

Getting support from the Devon Wellbeing Hub is simple. If you work in healthcare, social care or the police and are struggling with any aspect of your wellbeing, or you lead a team who would benefit from support, the Hub can help you today. Please get in touch by emailing dpt.devonwellbeing@nhs.net or by calling 0300 303 5455. You can also fill out the referral form on the Devon Wellbeing Hub website.