Integrating Mindfulness and Mind-Body Principles into Clinical Care A Weekend for Clinicians The relatively simple principles of attention and awareness underpinning mindfulness and similar mind-body programs can be usefully integrated into the process of counselling patients in clinical care - even within the time constraints of a primary care consultation. Clinical trials confirm that integrating these principles into medical care as an adjunct to treatment reduces patients’ stress and anxiety levels and improves their well-being and emotional balance. It has the added benefit of supporting clinicians in coping with the demands of everyday practice - to be compassionately engaged without burning out. The weekend will include • A clear description of the mental functions and skills underlying mindfulness and other mind-body programs; the patterns of attending associated with distress and well-being; the default neural processes that make recognition of these patterns less than natural. • Instruction and an environment in which you can gain experience in or grow clearer in your understanding of these qualities. • Practice and reflection on integrating the qualities into your everyday and clinical life. • Experience in introducing mindfulness and mind-body skills to your patients within the context of a fifteen-minute primary care interview or setting to help them better cope with stress, anxiety, and pain. It is suitable for clinicians new to mindfulness practice as well as those already using it in their clinical work. "Jim Carmody's weekend seminar was an extremely clear outline of the practice of mindfulness - in terms of being given a tool to actually help patients in my work as a GP it is probably the most important seminar I've been to in the last 10 years. It's worth spending the time at the Friary - very restorative and relaxing." Dr B, Auckland James Carmody PhD is an Associate Professor of Medicine at University of Massachusetts Medical School. He researches the neural and psychological mechanisms of mind-body trainings and teaches the use of these principles in clinical settings to medical professionals. He is principal investigator on several NIH-funded clinical trials of mindfulness and other mind-body training programs. Jim is a New Zealander who studied and practiced in mindfulness-based traditions for over forty years. He has been an instructor in the UMass Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction program, and Director of Research for the Center for Mindfulness. His work has been featured in the New York Times, NPR, and Radio New Zealand. His goal is to make mindfulness and mind-body principles straightforward, jargon-free and accessible for both clinicians and patients: http://www.umassmed.edu/behavmed/faculty/carmody.cfm Dates: March 21st – 23rd 2014 Location: Saint Francis Retreat Center, Mt Roskill, Auckland Cost: $500 includes tuition, meals & accommodation; $400 if applying before February 15th $400 if staying off-site; includes all meals. Contact Jim at: [email protected] Endorsed by RNZCGP and approved for up to 14.4 credits CME for General Practice Educational Programme Stage 2 (GPEP2) and Maintenance of Professional Standards (MOPS) purposes.