Postpartum Mindfulness Group
The Postpartum Mindfulness Group program is designed to help women who are struggling with anxiety, OCD and depression after the birth of their child (0-18mo old). It combines the ideas of mindfulness, self-compassion and meditative practices.
The postpartum period is a particularly vulnerable time for both the development and relapse in mood and anxiety disorders. However, many women feel very alone with their struggles as they feel they should be “enjoying every minute of it”. This group will help build effective skills to manage this high-risk period. Additionally, participants often describe the participation in the group itself—learning that they are not alone in their struggles and building new supportive relationships with each other—to be the most helpful part of the group.
Participants will learn to:
- Step out of unhelpful thinking patterns.
- Recognize and be more aware of potential relapse-related mind-body processes.
- Access new, more compassionate ways to relate to both depression/anxiety-related and other aspects of experience.
- Turn towards, befriend and engage with both difficult and other aspects of experience.
- Build the capacity to be present with and accepting of both one’s own and one’s childs internal experiences
Group Format:
- 90min weekly sessions
- 6 sessions total; closed group format
- Regular attendance and completion of daily mindfulness home practice is essential
- Group size around 12 women
- Babes in arms and precrawling infants are welcome to join
WHEN: 6 Fridays from 9:30-11:00am OR 11:15am-12:45pm
April 5 - May 17, 2019 (*no class on Fri.Apr.19 - Good Friday)
*NEXT SESSION - dates to be confirmed /posted here soon (will be in the fall)
WHERE: Victoria Health Unit - 1947 Cook St
COST: must be referred by GP or midwife - MSP funded
Facilitators
Dr. Joanna Cheek, MD, FRCPC, a psychiatrist and mother of two young children who has completed her formal training in MBCT through the University of San Diego Centre of Mindfulness with MBCT founder Dr. Zindel Segal and leads a variety of mindfulness and cognitive behavioural therapy groups in the community. She was a co-founder of British Columbia Association for Living Mindfully (BCALM) and the Cognitive Behavioural Therapy Skills Groups through the Victoria Divisions of Family Practice.
Stephanie Curran, R.TCM.P, a practitioner of Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine, is a long time practitioner of meditation. She has completed teacher training course work in Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (with Jon Kabat-Zinn), Mindfulness-Based Childbirth and Parenting, Listening Mothers and Mindful Schools. As a parent, Stephanie is deeply moved and inspired to share the benefits of mindfulness with children, families and her community. She leads a variety of courses for parents and educators in Victoria and is a past board member with the BC Association for Living Mindfully (BCALM).
