Stress Reduction

Through a grant from the Robert Ellis Simon Foundation, the Achievable Foundation, in collaboration with Westside Regional Center and InsightLA, is pleased to offer a Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Program for Parents and Caregivers of Individuals with Developmental Disabilities.

Mindfulness Practice

The practice of mindfulness is a well-researched approach to addressing stress and its negative health consequences.  Mindfulness is about embracing all of life’s experiences, including all past and present experiences, past and present relationships, hopes and fears, and perceptions of current experiences.  It is about experiencing the present moment with kindness and without judgment.

Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction

The original Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) curriculum was developed as an eight-week course at the stress clinic at the University of Massachusetts in 1979.  Since that time, over 17,000 participants have completed the course at the stress clinic and at over 240 medical centers, hospitals, university health centers, and clinics, worldwide.  It is also the subject of Jon Kabat-Zinn's best-selling book, Full Catastrophe Living: Using the Wisdom of Your Body and Mind to Face Stress, Pain, and Illness.  The materials have been used with a broad range of participants, including parents.

Benefits

Parents of children with developmental disabilities trained in mindfulness techniques have reported an increased ability to manage their children’s behavioral issues, increased satisfaction in their own parenting skills, more satisfaction with their relationships with their children and their spouses/partners, and lower caregiving stress.

Class Structure

Our MBSR program will follow the general structure of the eight-week program, but is tailored for the specific time demands and needs of parents and caregivers.  Our program includes eight two-hour class sessions, which will include practice in meditation and gentle stretching, and discussion of issues related to caregiver stress.  In addition to the classroom time, participants will be asked to practice mindful meditation techniques at home with a guided CD.  Participants will also attend a half-day silent retreat during the 6th week of class.
 
We are now recruiting for the 8-week MBSR class!  See below for details!                         

Before you sign up for the full course, you will need to attend an introductory MBSR class!The next introductory classes will be offered on Wednesday, July 16th and Wednesday, August 20th.  Please RSVP with Steven Wang at (310) 258-4252 or Erica Schuster at (310) 258-4204 to secure a spot!

Click here to see the program flyer

Instructor's Bios:

Christiane Wolf, MD, PhD	Danise Lehrer, LAc, LCSW	Maria Enriquez, MSW
Christiane Wolf is the Instructor of Achievable’s MBSR course.  She is a board-licensed obstetrician/gynecologist in Germany and holds a PhD in BodyMind Medicine from Humboldt University in Berlin, Germany.  She is also a trained teacher of the MBSR program from the University of Massachusetts. Christiane teaches MBSR, meditation and mindful parenting classes with the Los Angeles based non-profit organization InsightLA.  She is the mother of three young children, so mindful parenting is both a personal and professional interest of hers.	Danise Lehrer is the Project Director and Co-Facilitator of Achievable’s MBSR program, as well as the Director of Health and Medical Services at Westside Regional Center.  She is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, psychotherapist, and Licensed Acupuncturist, who has extensive background and training in meditative practices and mind/body medicine and therapies.  As the parent of a child with a developmental disability and having trained to teach MBSR classes, she is uniquely qualified to lend her expertise to this program.	Maria Enriquez is the Spanish-language translator for Achievable's MBSR program.  She currently works at the Venice Family Clinic providing a variety of mental health services and has acted as a Spanish-language interpreter for their MBSR program with Christiane Wolf.  Maria has been practicing meditation and mindfulness principles for the past four years and has participated in several courses, retreats, and on-going sitting groups guided by experienced instructors.

Partner Organization

InsightLA

InsightLA is dedicated to teaching mindfulness and compassion to cultivate liberating insight, love and service in the lives of individuals, communities and institutions.

Courses, workshops, and retreats for the integration of mind, body, heart and peaceful, happy living. Buddhist wisdom is at the heart of all our contemplative programs. Trudy Goodman is our Founder and Guiding Teacher.

Our commitment is to provide a warm, supportive learning environment, fostering mindfulness and compassion in all our relationships – with ourselves, with others and with our world. We create collaborative alliances in Los Angeles, nationwide, and internationally to open new opportunities for study, practice and service.

InsightLA was founded in 2002 and is supported by philanthropy and program revenues. We have worked with groups as diverse as health care professionals, neuroscientists, artists, actors and studio executives, corporate employees, CEOs, youth and adult prison inmates, families, children, graduate students in business and mental health, and members of the clergy.