Trainer
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Dr Sarah FrancisTrainer | ResearcherDr Sarah Francis is a registered psychologist trained and experienced in mindfulness theory and practice. Sarah has qualifications in both psychology and education holding degrees of PhD., M.Psych., M.A., B.Ed., as well as a Diploma in Psychodynamic Psychotherapy. Sarah has worked as a teacher, human resources manager, general manager of learning and development, business consultant and psychologist. She is the author of Workplace Communication: A Teacher’s Guide (Pitman, 1993) and co-author of The Clinical Handbook of Mindfulness‐integrated Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (Wiley, 2018).
Sarah’s mindfulness training includes training in Mindfulness integrated Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (MiCBT), Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR), Mindfulness-based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). She has researched the measurement of mindfulness and completed her PhD researching the impact of mindfulness on well-being and the effectiveness of group-based MiCBT as a transdiagnostic intervention.
Sarah regularly conducts MiCBT training courses for depression, anxiety and stress and conducts mindfulness training for health professionals, post-graduate students and corporate groups. Sarah is the Melbourne MiCBT Interest Group’s convenor and works closely with Dr Bruno Cayoun and the researcher and trainer group at the MiCBT Institute. Having attended many courses and teachings on Buddhism over the past 25 years and undertaken meditation retreats in Australia and Nepal, she is well equipped to integrate key aspects of eastern and western psychology.
Sarah works in private practice in Melbourne.
The Melbourne Mindfulness Institute provides mindfulness training in a range of contexts enabling people to apply a mindfulness-based approach to daily life while improving their sense of well-being. Our approach uses Mindfulness integrated Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (MiCBT).
Mindfulness for Mental Health and Wellbeing 8-week group training
Overwhelmed?
Anxious?
Stressed?
Low mood?
Eating or drinking too much?
What is Mindfulness Integrated CBT (MiCBT)?
MiCBT integrates traditional CBT with mindfulness methods to help deal with the processes that underlie psychological issues such as anxiety, depression, stress, trauma, attention issues anger management, pain management.
The CBT components enable people to make positive behaviour changes. Mindfulness meditation practices including body scanning are central to the program. The integrated skills help with managing mind-wandering and emotions, awareness of thinking processes, body sensations and self-compassion.
Our research on the effectiveness of the program is published in Frontiers in Psychiatry: https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychiatry/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2022.815170/full
- Participants who practice the skills will be able to:
- Use mindfulness skills in daily life and understand your own mind
- Understand the relationship between mental and physical experiences and reactivity and mood
- Understand how to relax, think more clearly and have more control over thoughts and emotions
- Manage stress, anxiety and depression better
- Apply mindfulness skills to make changes in habitual unwanted behaviours
- Have an improved sense of well-being
- The program provides:
- 8 two-hour group sessions
- Teaching style that is gentle and supportive from a highly experienced trainer
- Program notes and audio instructions
- Free mindfulness meditation support sessions after the program finishes to maintain the gains
This program requires a commitment to daily home exercise practice of mindfulness skills.Individual sessions may be made available to participants during the course where required.
Participants must have a short consult before being accepted on the program. Please email contact@melbournemindfulness.com or call us on 0409 669 688.