Self-Compassion for Well-being: Mindful Self-Compassion (MSC)
Mindful Self-Compassion (MSC) Courses
Overview
As human beings, it is inevitable to make mistakes or feel a sense of inadequacy. When we are going through difficult times, we may notice we tend to be more critical of ourselves versus how we would treat other people in similar situations. The MSC program is designed to cultivate the skill of self-compassion and teaches core principles and practices that enable participants to respond to difficult moments in their lives with kindness, care and understanding. The three key components of self-compassion are self-kindness, a sense of common humanity, and balanced, mindful awareness. Self-compassion provides emotional strength and resilience, allowing us to admit our shortcomings, motivate ourselves with kindness, forgive ourselves when needed, relate wholeheartedly to others, and be more authentically ourselves. MSC is primarily a compassion training program rather than mindfulness training, although mindfulness is the foundation of self-compassion. Rapidly expanding research demonstrates that 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.
Is This Course For You?
The course is open to the general public and invites anyone who would like to live a life with more kindness, self-appreciation and resilience towards life’s challenges. Attendees will also gain awareness of their deepest-held values and learn to transform their relationship with others. No prior knowledge or, or experience with, mindfulness practices is required. In case you have any acute or chronic mental or physical illness, you are required to approach Mindfulness Initiative @ SMU to arrange a conversation with your course instructor (via email, phone, or face-to-face) to determine whether this course is suitable for you. Instructors may, at their discretion, not accept individuals into the course. In such cases, a full refund of the course fee will be given.
Course Dates & Times
| Course | Weekday | Dates / Times | Location | Instructor |
MSC 2025 Intake 1 | Wednesdays | Jan 8 (Orientation) Weekly Sessions: Feb 22 2024 ( Sat, Day of Retreat) 1.30pm to 5.30pm ( In Person) *Sessions on 15 Jan and 12 Mar will be in person sessions on SMU campus | Hybrid ( 7 Online Sessions, with 3 face-to-face Sessions) | Michelle Mah |
*Note: As part of the course requirements, participants are required to attend the orientation session and complete the pre-course screening questionnaire.
Mindfulness Initiative @ SMU may have to cancel a course if not enough participants sign up. Cancellations will be announced as soon as a cancellation decision has been made and can be made up until the day before the course starts. In case of cancellation, a full refund of the course fee will be given.
SMU is conveniently located in the city centre and easily accessible via public transportation (e.g. MRT stations Bras Basah, Bencoolen, City Hall, and Dhoby Ghaut). In case you intend to arrive by car, feel free to contact us about car parking options at SMU (mindfulness@smu.edu.sg). Depending on the Covid-19 situation and resulting government and university policies, the Mindfulness Initiative @ SMU may move classes to online mode.
Course Format
MSC consists of 10 sessions in total. Interested applicants are encouraged to register only if they can attend all sessions or expect to miss no more than 1-2 session of the course. To ascertain participants' readiness and suitability, applicants will be required to complete a pre-course questionnaire. There may be a one-to-one intake call to be arranged by the instructor(s). Program activities include meditation, short talks, experiential exercises, group discussion, and home practices.
- 1 orientation session
- 8 weekly evening sessions (2.75 to 3 hours each)
- 1 Half-day retreat (DOR)
Attendance to the Orientation Session is mandatory for all applicants to ascertain if the course fits their needs before their application process is completed. The DOR is typically on Saturday or Sunday between Sessions 5 and 6. Please refer to the course dates in the table above. Participants will also be provided with course materials such as audio-guided mindfulness practices and handouts (included in the course fee).
At the end of the course, a Course Participation Certificate will be issued to participants with a minimum attendance of 6 evening sessions and Day of Retreat. The certification for ths 8-week MSC course may serve as a pre-requisite to the MSC Teacher Training programme.
MSC is a workshop rather than a retreat. The goal is for participants to directly experience self-compassion and learn practices that evoke self-compassion in daily life. MSC is primarily a compassion training program rather than mindfulness training, although mindfulness is the foundation of self-compassion. MSC is also not psychotherapy insofar as the emphasis of MSC is on building emotional resources rather than addressing old wounds. Beneficial change occurs naturally as we develop the capacity to be with ourselves in a kinder, more compassionate way.
Compassion is a positive, energizing emotion. However, it is said that “love reveals everything unlike itself”. While learning self-compassion, some difficult emotions may arise. MSC teachers are committed to providing a safe and supportive environment for this process to unfold, and to making the journey enjoyable for everyone.
Learning Objectives
By the end of this course, participants will be able to:
- Practice self-compassion in daily life
- Practice the three components of self-compassion - self-kindness, common humanity and mindfulness
- Motivate yourself with kindness rather than criticism
- Handle difficult emotions with greater ease
- Manage caregiver fatigue (including all those in the helping professions such as social workers, counsellors, nurses, psychologists, etc.)
- Enhance challenging relationships, old and new
- Practice the art of savouring and self-appreciation
- Experience a variety of practices including meditations, experiential exercises, reflective journaling, and group discussions to directly experience self-compassion in-session and learn practices that evoke self-compassion in daily life.
Course Fees
The fee for this course is $695 (inclusive of GST). The fee includes instructions by two instructors, and all course materials such as audio-guided practices and course handouts. An invoice would be sent to you prior to course commencement. Your enrolment into the course is only confirmed after the completion of a pre-course questionnaire and payment. To explore alternative payment options, please contact us at mindfulness@smu.edu.sg.
Large discounts are available for our past mindfulness graduates and the SMU Community. If this applies to you, please contact us at mindfulness@smu.edu.sg for more information. This programme is also approved for claim under the WDA SkillsFuture Credit subsidy scheme subject to all eligibility criteria being met. Click here for more details. If you would like to use SkillsFuture Credit to pay for the course, please contact us at mindfulness@smu.edu.sg.
Cancellation, Refund, Transfer, and Withdrawal Policy:
All cancellations must be received in writing via email to mindfulness@smu.edu.sg before the start of the first session of the course. A refund of the course fee minus administrative charges of $100 will be given if the cancellation is received in writing at the latest four days (96 hours) before the start of the first course session (not including any orientation session). No refunds will be given for cancellations later than four days (96 hours) before the start of the first course session. Processing time of the refund of course fees minus administrative charges would take 6 to 8 weeks. Participants may withdraw from a course at any time. In the case of withdrawal, no refund and no certificate of completion will be given. Sometimes, participants request transfer to a later course or to take specific sessions in a later course. Such arrangements are complicated, partly because most of our courses are fully booked. Therefore, consideration of such requests will be at our sole discretion and participants may not transfer into or take specific sessions during the next course or any later courses unless with our explicit permission.
