Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction
Change your relationship to stress…
Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) for North Carolina Clinicians
Deepen your presence. Prevent burnout. Sustain the work you love. An evidence-based 8-week mindfulness training designed for therapists, psychologists, social workers, counselors, physicians, nurses, and other helping professionals seeking greater resilience, clinical presence, and personal well-being.
Fall 2026 Cohort
Live Online (Zoom) • Tuesdays, 6:30–8:30 PM (ET)
Orientation: Tuesday, September 8 (6:30–8:00 PM)
Weekly Classes: Tuesdays, September 15 – November 3 (6:30–8:30 PM)
All-Day Home Retreat: Saturday, October 24 (8:45 AM–4:00 PM ET)
Limited Enrollment
The Practice of Presence
As clinicians, we spend our days listening deeply, offering care, and accompanying others through moments of uncertainty, change, and challenge. While this work is often deeply meaningful and rewarding, it also asks a great deal of us. In the midst of caring for others, it can become easy to lose touch with ourselves—to move from one session to the next, immersed in the demands of clinical work, with little opportunity to pause, reconnect, or care for our own well-being.
Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) invites us to cultivate a different relationship with our experience—one grounded in present-moment awareness, curiosity, and kindness rather than our habitual patterns of reacting. Through meditation, gentle
mindful movement, and reflective inquiry, participants develop greater awareness of thoughts, emotions, bodily sensations, and behaviors, learning to respond to life's challenges with greater clarity, balance, and compassion.
Rather than adding another intervention to your clinical toolbox, MBSR invites you to cultivate the most important instrument you bring to every therapeutic encounter: your own presence. As your relationship with yourself changes, your relationship with your clients, colleagues, loved ones, and the work itself often begins to change as well. Unlike a typical continuing education course, MBSR is an experiential learning program. Rather than learning more techniques to use with clients, you'll spend eight weeks cultivating your own mindfulness practice—the foundation from which authentic therapeutic presence naturally emerges.
Why MBSR?
Developed by Jon Kabat-Zinn in 1979, Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction is the world's most extensively researched mindfulness program. Research has demonstrated benefits including:
• Reduced stress and burnout
• Improved emotional regulation
• Increased resilience
• Greater self-compassion
• Improved attention and concentration
• Enhanced interpersonal effectiveness
• Better psychological well-being
For clinicians, these changes often translate into greater therapeutic presence, healthier professional boundaries, and a more sustainable career.
This Program Is Ideal For:
Licensed Clinical Social Workers
Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselors
Psychologists
Marriage & Family Therapists
Psychiatrists
Physicians
Nurses
Occupational Therapists
Physical Therapists
Graduate trainees
Other helping professionals
What You'll Learn
• Develop a sustainable mindfulness meditation practice
• Recognize stress patterns before they become burnout
• Respond rather than react under pressure
• Strengthen emotional resilience
• Cultivate self-compassion
• Bring greater awareness into clinical encounters
• Care for yourself while caring for others
Program Includes
• Nine weekly live online classes
• One all-day silent retreat
• Guided meditation recordings
• Home practice assignments
• Individual orientation meeting before the course begins
• Ongoing instructor support
Program Schedule
Format: Live, online (via Zoom)
The program begins with a live virtual orientation, followed by eight weekly live online sessions and a one-day home retreat. Regular attendance is encouraged, as each session builds upon the previous week's learning and practice.
Session Date Time (ET)
Orientation Tuesday, September 8 6:30–8:00 PM
Week 1 Tuesday, September 15 6:30–8:30 PM
Week 2 Tuesday, September 22 6:30–8:30 PM
Week 3 Tuesday, September 29 6:30–8:30 PM
Week 4 Tuesday, October 6 6:30–8:30 PM
Week 5 Tuesday, October 13 6:30–8:30 PM
Week 6 Tuesday, October 20 6:30–8:30 PM
All-Day Home Retreat Saturday, October 24 8:45 AM–4:00 PM
Week 7 Tuesday, October 27 6:30–8:30 PM
Week 8 Tuesday, November 3 6:30–8:30 PM
Attendance: The orientation and all-day retreat are integral components of the MBSR
curriculum. Because each session builds upon the previous one, participants are
encouraged to attend all classes and the retreat to receive the full benefit of the program.
Meet Your Instructor
Qualified MBSR Teacher | Licensed Clinical Social Worker, I'm a bilingual (English/Spanish) Licensed Clinical Social Worker and Qualified Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) Teacher with more than 16 years of experience teaching mindfulness in healthcare, nonprofit, community, corporate, and clinical settings. I completed my MBSR teacher training through the Mindfulness Center at Brown University School of Public Health, one of the world's leading institutions for professional mindfulness teacher education. This training reflects a commitment to the integrity of the MBSR curriculum and to a lifelong path of personal mindfulness practice, professional development, and embodied teaching. I currently teach the internationally recognized eight-week MBSR program with Thriving Hearts North Carolina, supporting healthcare professionals across the state. In addition to teaching MBSR, I practice as a psychotherapist at Birch Therapy, a multidisciplinary group psychotherapy practice in Raleigh, North Carolina. I work with adolescents, parents, families, and adults, integrating mindfulness with evidence-based approaches including Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), and self-compassion practices. My teaching is grounded in the belief that mindfulness is far more than a set of techniques—it is a way of relating to ourselves and others with greater awareness, curiosity, kindness, and compassion. Whether I'm teaching clinicians, healthcare professionals, or members of the community, my intention is to create a warm, supportive learning environment where participants can deepen their own mindfulness practice, reconnect with what matters most, and cultivate the resilience needed to live and work with greater presence and well-being. It is a privilege to accompany participants on this journey, and I look forward to practicing together.
Continuing Education
I am exploring the possibility of offering continuing education (CE) credit for future cohorts. At this time, this program is not approved for continuing education credit.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is this an MBSR teacher training?
No. This is the standard eight-week MBSR participant program, designed to deepen your own mindfulness practice and support your personal and professional well-being. It is not an MBSR teacher training or certification program. However, completion of a full eight-week MBSR course is a prerequisite (Stage 1) for admission into most recognized MBSR teacher training pathways. Participants who successfully complete the course will receive a Certificate of Completion, which may be used to document fulfillment of this requirement when applying to MBSR teacher training programs.
Do I need meditation experience?
No. Beginners and experienced meditators are equally welcome.
Is this therapy?
No. MBSR is an educational, experiential program rather than psychotherapy, although many participants notice meaningful psychological and emotional benefits.
Final Invitation
Invest in your most important clinical instrument: your presence.
Join fellow North Carolina clinicians for an eight-week journey toward greater resilience,
presence, compassion, and well-being.
Program Tuition: $325
A MESSAGE FROM CLAUDIO
Get Started with Parent Support Services in Raleigh, Durham, or North Raleigh Today!
If you are ready to get started with parent therapy/coaching in North Carolina, our team of therapists are ready to connect with you. To get started, follow these steps:
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Other Services Offered at Birch Therapy in North Carolina
At Birch Therapy in Raleigh, NC, we offer more than just parenting support services. In addition to our child therapy services, we also provide counseling for teens, trauma therapy, Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT), Parent Coaching, and parent groups/classes. We offer psychological testing for ADHD, Autism Spectrum Disorders, mood disorders, anxiety disorders (including PTSD), and more. Our services also include neurodivergent affirming therapy, a social skills group for kids, the Girl C.O.D.E program for girls in grades 3-5, community workshops, clinical supervision, the Circle of Security® Classroom, and evidence-based therapies such as Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT) and EMDR. At Birch Therapy, we are committed to supporting children, teens, and parents with a variety of therapeutic options tailored to their needs. We hope to come alongside you and your family, providing the support you need every step of the way.
