Mindful Self-Compassion Program
“Compassion is not an emotion, it is a motive,” Paul Gilbert, founder of Compassion Focused Therapy.
Mindful Self Compassion (MSC) is an 8-week training program designed to cultivate the skills and practices of self-compassion. Based on the groundbreaking research of Kristin Neff and the clinical expertise of Christopher Germer, MSC starts with this understanding that compassion is more than an emotion or the feeling of kindness - it also requires wise effort and response, including what Neff refers to as the Yin (for example, friendlier self-talk) and the Yang (such as deciding to end a harmful relationship or have a tough conversation if our boundaries have been crossed). Over the 8-weeks you will learn core principles and practices for responding to external and internal stress and difficulty with more awareness, kindness and wisdom, in ways that benefit ourselves and those around us.
While self-compassion is a central part of mindfulness practice, many of us bypass it because we don’t actually know how to practice it! We’re kind to others but we struggle to extend this to our own selves, and instead accidentally ‘practice’ harsh self-talk or thinking patterns that are critical, shaming or ruminative, especially when we’re going through tough times. Unlike self-esteem, self-compassion supports, motivates and connects us, no matter where we are in comparison to others, or what challenge, failure, loss or struggle we may be experiencing. For those of us who are health professionals, carers, parents or teachers, self-compassion has also been shown to protect from fatigue and burn out.
This 8-week course will include theory and practices for cultivating compassion. Research demonstrates self-compassion is strongly associated with emotional wellbeing, less anxiety, depression and stress, maintenance of healthy habits such as diet and exercise, and satisfying personal relationships. The course is a great follow up for people who have completed the Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction Program, or have some other mindfulness practice experience, but is also suitable for beginners.
MSC includes 8 weekly sessions of 2.5 hours each, in addition to a full or half-day retreat. Participants are encouraged to plan to attend every session if possible, and to practice mindfulness and self-compassion for approximately 30 minutes per day throughout the program.
Mindful Self Compassion Online
The next Mindful Self Compassion training will be online (live) and commence Term 4, 2026 from Wednesday 8th October. MSC includes 9 sessions: 8 x 2.5-hour classes, plus Retreat.
8 x 2.5 hour sessions
6:30-9pm Wednesdays, beginning Wednesday 8th October 2026
Plus: Retreat Half-Day 9:30am - 1:30pm Saturday 14th November (TBC)
VENUE
Online (including Retreat Saturday 14th November - date TBC)
FEES (prices inclusive of GST)
Full Fee Earlybird $560 (before 1st October if paid in full) / $590 (after 1st October)
Concession Card Holder Earlybird (before 1st October if paid in full) $460 / $490 (after 1st October)
Repeating MSC with Maggie $390
2 X $295 instalments also possible
Fees include: 24 hours class time, 80 page Coursebook/Journal and Full Set of MSC recorded practices for daily home practice.
Program
Session 1: Discovering Mindful Self-Compassion, Wednesday 8th October
Session 2: Practicing Mindfulness, Wednesday 14th October Session 3: Practicing Loving-Kindness, Wednesday 21st October Session 4: Discovering Your Compassionate Voice, Wednesday 28th October
Session 5: Living Fully, Wednesday 5th November Session 6: Meeting Difficult Emotions, Wednesday 11th November Retreat Day 9:30am - 1:30pm, Saturday 14th November
Session 7: Exploring Challenging Relationships, Wednesday 18th November
Session 8: Embracing your Life, Wednesday 25th November
REGISTRATION
To secure your place, please enrol by filling in the enrolment form below, and pay your nominated amount via direct deposit to:
Bank Account Name: Margaret O'Shea
BSB: 633 000
Account number: 145643953
Reference: Your initials plus “MSC”
More about Maggie and her teaching
Maggie found herself in her first 10-day silent Vipassana meditation retreat in 1994, during a period of burn-out, health break-down and grief. The retreat was brutal, but somehow, despite little understanding of the practice, she realised afterwards that she was no longer experiencing the flatness that had set in some time after the sudden death of her dad. When the same pattern started emerging soon after the equally sudden death of her mum, she signed up for another 10-day retreat, and once again found this profoundly helpful in navigating how to fully experience the pain of traumatic loss, without succumbing to depression. Working in palliative care social work a few years later, she came across the groundbreaking Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) work of Jon Kabat-Zinn, and undertook her first MBSR teacher training with him and Saki Santorelli at a residential retreat in 2009. From 2010-2017 she taught MBSR groups in Melbourne each school term for Openground, Australia’s leading Mindfulness Teaching Training body, as well as many local groups in Castlemaine. She has also facilitated many groups of Mindful Self Compassion (MSC), and is registered to teach with the CenterforMSC. in the U.S. She is an accredited Brené Brown Daring Way, Wholehearted Living and Rising Strong facilitator, a registered Yoga teacher with Yoga Australia (350 hrs), and was approved by Rick Hanson to teach his Positive Neuro-plasticity Training (PNT). She teaches in the Masters of Counselling programs at Swinburne University and Relationships Victoria, and has a part-time private practice in Castlemaine, specialising in relationship therapy.