Mindful Self-Compassion 8-Week Program

By Low Mi Yen

Dates: (Saturday) 2024 June 1, 8, 15, 22, 29, July 6*, 13, 20, 27

Time:
2.30pm-5.30pm (8-Week) & 1.15pm-5.30pm (*July 6, half-day retreat)

Format: Hybrid 
∙  Zoom for online sessions: for attendees from out of Klang Valley
∙  Venue for in-person sessions:​
   InPsych Psychological Services & Training​
   7-3, Medan Klang Lama 28, Jalan Klang Lama, 58200 Kuala Lumpur.

Teacher: Low Mi Yen
Clinical Psychologist & Trained Teacher of Mindful Self-Compassion

Organiser: InPsych Psychological Services & Training
In collaboration with: Malaysia Association for Mindfulness Practice and Research  (MMPR)

Fee:
RM1450 per person or RM2600 for 2 persons
(minimum 5 – maximum 10 participants to run the program) 

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WHAT WILL I LEARN IN MSC 8-WEEK PROGRAM?

  • Identify core MINDFULNESS and SELF-COMPASSION exercises for USE IN DAILY LIFE
  • Build RESILIENCE to increase ability to cope with stress, anxiety, depression or other emotional turmoil
  • Assess and manage one’s DIFFICULT SITUATIONS and EMOTIONS with greater acceptance
  • HEAL THE WOUNDS OF EMOTIONAL TRAUMA – shame, guilt, regret, self-criticism, self-judgment and self-doubt.
  • Respond to feelings of failure or inadequacy with SELF-KINDNESS, a foundation for facing life’s many challenges.
  • Utilize the art of SAVOURING and SELF-APPRECIATION to overcome negative attention bias
  • TRANSFORM DIFFICULT RELATIONSHIPS, old and new, through self-validation, improving one’s relationships with partners, friends, family and others.
  • BE A BETTER CAREGIVER for one’s children, aging parents and clients/patients/recipients of those in the helping professions
  • Identify fierce and tender aspects of self-compassion and their role in WELL-BEING

WHAT MSC 8-WEEK PROGRAM IS…

This 8-Week Mindful Self-Compassion (MSC) is an empirically-supported/science-based program developed by Christopher Germer, PhD, a leader in the integration of mindfulness and psychotherapy (www.ChrisGermer.com) and Kristin Neff, PhD, a pioneering researcher in the field of self-compassion (www.Self-Compassion.org). The emphasis of the program is on building the resources of self-compassion and mindfulness through a process of self-discovery. We begin with mindfulness, through which we turn with loving awareness toward difficult experiences (thoughts, emotions, and sensations). Next, we learn to turn that loving awareness toward ourselves. Together, mindfulness and self-compassion comprise a state of warm, connected, presence during difficult moments in our lives.

As all of us have to deal with challenging and unbearable situations from time to time, thus it is critical to have the coping skills to bounce right back from these challenging and unbearable situations in our lives. Rapid expanding body of empirical research are pointing to self-compassion and mindfulness as two of the most powerful resources to help us meet inevitable crisis and transform our experiences.

WHAT MSC 8-WEEK PROGRAM IS NOT

  • MSC is therapeutic, but it’s not therapy.
  • MSC is not primarily a type of mindfulness training; MSC is mindfulness-based compassion training in which the quality of warmth is emphasized more than awareness itself.
  • MSC is not a substitute for medical or mental health care.

WHAT MSC 8-WEEK PROGRAM OFFERS…

  • in-person and online (hybrid) 3 hours session weekly for 8 weeks with short talks, experiential exercises, meditative practices and group discussion, plus a halfday silence practice between Week 5 and Week 6 of the program.
  • in between sessions, home practices with reading materials and audio files.
  • email contact with the teacher in between sessions if have questions or need clarification on one’s practice.
  • upon completion of program, to join a monthly online group practice (“Tuesdays with Miyen”) to motivate and maintain one’s on-going practice.

WHAT IS “SPECIAL” ABOUT MSC 8-WEEK PROGRAM?

It is a journey of acquiring coping skills and developing into available resources that will support you at any time you need it especially during challenging times. When considering registering for 8-Week MSC, we encourage you to make a courageous move to commit the time and also taking a dive, as it is a unique opportunity to experience MSC’s transformative potential.

Because self-compassion has the paradoxical effect of both soothing our emotional distress as well as opening us to the pain that we may have been unconsciously holding inside, difficult emotions are likely to surface during the program, including past traumas, we strongly encourage you to speak to your MSC teacher whenever you experience emotional challenges during the whole duration of the program. MSC teacher is committed to helping participants feel safe and supported during the program. However, participants agree at the outset that they will take primary responsibility for their emotional wellbeing. If you are unsure, please contact the MSC teacher for further discussion on your particular circumstances. MSC teacher can be contacted at miyenlow@gmail.com.

To create an optimal learning experience, all participants are encouraged to engage actively in the program to the extent that they feel comfortable, and not more, e.g. choosing not to speak/share or stepping out of the session awhile whenever need to take a breather, etc.

No Pre-requisite

This program is designed for members of the general public, as well as for professionals who wish to integrate self-compassion into their work. No previous experience with mindfulness or meditation is required to attend MSC. To insure safety, participants are asked to provide background information when they register for the program. This program consists of 8 weeks of 3 hours per class/week and 1 week of half-day silence practice, which will fulfill one of the pre-requisites for application to attend the MSC Teacher’s Training for those interested to pursue further training to be a MSC teacher or participation in the SCIP (Self-Compassion in Psychotherapy) certificate program under Center for Mindful Self-Compassion. For more information, please visit https://centerformsc.org/teach-msc/

Special Arrangement

Those who have attended “Mindful-Spa: Introduction to Self-Compassion & Mindfulness (1 day workshop)” will be given 10% discount when registering for MSC 8-Week program, as part of the teacher’s effort to encourage participants to deepen their learning and practices by going through an intensive program.

Link to Mindful-Spa: Introduction to Self-Compassion & Mindfulness (1 day workshop) > Click here

Teacher

Teacher
Low Mi Yen

Low Mi Yen, a clinical psychologist and one of Malaysia’s foremost proponents of the application of psychology, mindfulness and self-compassion, for individual, couple, family, workplace and community, for more than 28 years.  Pioneered Employee Assistance Program (EAP) in Malaysia since 1999, written 3 articles on EAP Development in Malaysia for an international publication, providing EAP, corporate training, coaching, crisis intervention, psychotherapy, psychological assessment, ad hoc lecturing and supervision, mindfulness and self-compassion interventions in managing stress, burnout and enhancing resilience and wellness.

She has professional memberships in Malaysian Society of Clinical Psychology, Employee Assistance Professionals Association, Asia Pacific Employee Assistance Roundtable and Malaysia Association for Mindfulness Practice and Research. Also a trained teacher of Mindful Self-Compassion with Center for Mindful Self-Compassion, USA and an apprentice teacher of Mindfulness-based Cognitive Therapy with Oxford Mindfulness Foundation, UK. Currently, the President of Malaysia Association for Mindfulness Practice and Research (MMPR). Her work has been featured by various local newspapers, magazines, radio and TV over the years.

Fee

Individual
RM 1450 Per Person
  • 8 week - 3 hours
  • 1 Half-day retreat
  • Hardcopy Handout
  • Light Refreshment
  • Attendance Certificate for 100% completion
Bring a friend
RM 2600 For 2 Persons
  • 8 week - 3 hours
  • 1 Half-day retreat
  • Hardcopy Handout
  • Light Refreshment
  • Attendance Certificate for 100% completion
Normal Fee
RM 988 MSC 8+1 Week Program
  • 8 week - 3 hours
  • 1 Half-day practice
  • Hardcopy Handout
  • Attendance Certificate​

Registration Fee and Cancellation Policy

1.     This 8-Week MSC caters to a maximum of 10 participants only. Registration will be closed 3 weeks before commencement of Session 1 and the registered participants will make payment at that point.

2.     No cancellations will be accepted before the program. If you are unable to attend, a substitute participant is welcome at no extra charge by informing us in writing 1 week before the program, but the MSC teacher needs to assess the suitability of the substitute participant. The substitute participant is required to fill-in the registration form (with important medical and mental health information).

3.     In the unlikely event of program cancellation by the organizer, we will refund 100 percent of registration fees paid. The organizer assumes no liability for any incidental costs (travel cost, etc.) that a participant might incur as a consequence of a program cancellation.

Frequently Asked Questions

Certificate of Attendance will ONLY be awarded for 100% of live attendance of either in-person or online. There will be 2 groups of participants with different needs, as below:-

1) Those who wish to learn the MSC skills and practices for personal reasons (e.g. building emotional resilience, stress management, managing challenging relationships, etc.) and do not need the Certificate of Attendance.

Even though 100% attendance is not a compulsory for this group, you cannot miss the 1st and 2nd week/session as they are foundations for subsequent sessions. As the hybrid format is made available, including the recording of each week/session using Zoom, if you cannot attend 1st week/session, you must view the recording within 3 days after the live session and do the home practices assigned for that week/session before attending the 2nd week/session. Please attend the next batch if based on the current scheduled dates, you will not be available to view the recording of 1st week/session within 3 days after the live session and do the home practices assigned for 1st week/session before attending the 2nd week/session and/or not available to attend the live session of 2nd week/session.

If you miss other session(s) (3rd-8th weeks and half-day practice) due to unexpected but unavoidable situations (family, work or others), you must be able to view the recording within 3 days after the live session and do the home practices assigned for that week/session before attending the following week/session, to be able to catch-up.

2) Those medical or mental health or social work professionals intending to pursue further after this 8-Week program to become a trained teacher of MSC

You will need to attend this 8-Week MSC program fully (100% attendance of live session either in-person or online) as one of the pre-requisite that satisfies the application for MSC Teacher’s Training. You cannot miss the live session either in-person or online of the 1st and 2nd week/session as they are foundations for subsequent sessions and also cannot miss the live half-day practice. Please attend the next batch if based on the current scheduled dates, you will not be available to attend several of the live sessions (either in-person or online).

In the event of the MSC teacher is suddenly unwell or affected by any infectious diseases or any health threatening situation, the organizer will inform the participants of the postponement of that specific session to the following week or in a situation that requires more than 1 week break, the organizer will coordinate with the participants to set replacement dates and timings that will be most suitable/workable for all or the sessions will be postponed until the teacher recovers fully.

Yes. MSC was designed for people to explore their own relationship with themselves, and to learn how to treat themselves with more kindness especially when they are suffering. Naturally, mental health professionals saw the potential benefits for their clients, and most programs have a number of mental health professionals attending. However the program is first and foremost for personal development.

Please email more details of your conditions to the teacher at miyenlow@gmail.com and the teacher will assess the suitability to attend this 8-Week program.

There is no prerequisite for MSC program to know how to meditate or to observe silence. Other than the half-day practice after the 5th week, where it is encouraged to have silence-practice with several of the MSC exercises, before discussing/revising with the MSC teacher, there is not a lot of silence in the other weeks of MSC program.

We strongly suggest that you practise these exercises yourself first for a period of a year and contact your teacher if you have any questions or concerns about your own practice and using the materials/workbook. After a year of self practice, you can consider using selected exercises with your individual clients/patients and use your wise discretion in doing this. We also ask that you attribute your work to the MSC program developers, Dr Kristin Neff and Dr Christopher Germer. However, you are NOT allowed to teach/train a group of people using any of the MSC exercises/materials, as that required a professional to undergo and complete the MSC Teacher’s Teaching pathway

Yes, attending this 8-Week MSC program fully (100% attendance of live session either in-person or online) is one of the pre-requisite that satisfies the application for MSC Teacher’s Training program. The shorter program like a 1-day or 2 half-day Introduction to MSC program or if you did not attend 8-Week MSC program fully, it does not satisfy the criteria.   

For more information, please visit the Center for Mindful Self-Compassion’s website at https://centerformsc.org/teach-msc/

There are MSC teachers all over the world teaching MSC. You can check out the MSC Teacher and Program Directory on the Center for Mindful Self-Compassion’s website at https://centerformsc.myshopify.com/pages/teacher-directory

CPD Points from KKM, Malaysia
  1. PENOLONG PEGAWAI PERUBATAN – 15 points
  2. AHLI PSIKOLOGI KLINIKAL – 15 points
  3. AHLI DIETETIK – 15 points
  4. PEGAWAI PENDIDIKAN KESIHATAN – 15 points
  5. PENGAJAR – 15 points
  6. PEGAWAI SOSIAL PERUBATAN – 15 points
  7. AHLI PEMAKANAN – 15
  8. PEGAWAI PERUBATAN-MMC – 5 points
  9. AHLI TERAPI CARA KERJA – 15 points
  10. PEGAWAI PSIKOLOGI (KAUNSELING) – 15 points
  11. PEGAWAI PSIKOLOGI (UMUM) – 15 points
  12. AHLI TERAPI PERTUTURAN – BAHASA – 15 points
CPD Points from Ministry of Health (KKM) for healthcare professionals below:

Eligible for 4 points for every half-day training for healthcare professionals stated below:

  1. Assistant medical officer
  2. Clinical Psychologist
  3. Dietitian
  4. Health Education Officer
  5. Instructor
  6. Medical Social Officer
  7. Nutritionist
  8. Occupational Therapist
  9. Psychologist (Counseling)
  10. Psychologist (General)
  11. Speech-Language Therapist
CPD Points from Lembaga Kaunselor Malaysia (LKM) for registered counsellor KB.PA.

Eligible for 1 point in “Kategori 4 – Ilmu dan Kemahiran” for every half-day training, upon LKM’s review after your submission of CPD in the system. Each class to be submitted as individual entry  – updated on 11 Jul 2023

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