Information and Available Courses

OXFORD STUDENT MINDFULNESS COURSE

HILARY TERM 2026

STUDENT COURSE FURTHER INFORMATION

This practical eight-week course is based on the curriculum developed to accompany the book, Mindfulness: A Practical Guide to Finding Peace in a Frantic World by Professor Mark Williams and Dr Danny Penman. It is a curriculum that is particularly well-suited to the student population, as it places emphasis on the skills needed for managing anxiety, reducing stress, building resilience, and developing healthy relationships.  You do not need to read the book but if you wish, it can support your learning.

This Mindfulness course has been developed from Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy which is well researched and evidence based. It has been shown to be effective in reducing stress, anxiety, helping prevent relapse in recurrent depression, and promoting wellbeing and performance in daily life.

What to expect from the course

The course will consist of 8 weekly sessions of 90 minutes length.  The sessions will involve:

• being taught a series of guided meditations.
• reflection in pairs/threes and in the group.
• some basic psycho-education through interactive exercises drawn from cognitive behavioural therapy.         

Weekly emails will be sent out with summaries of the session and you will be invited to read the relevant chapter from the book. You will also be invited to engage with home practice between the sessions.  This will involve guided meditation practices [of 3-15 minutes’ length, downloadable as MP3 audio files], and informal practices during your day to build a capacity for more sustained awareness during the experiences of daily life.

Committing to the course

In order to benefit fully from the course, please aim to attend every session, as each class builds on the learning and meditation practices from the week before. It is best not to miss more than 1 or 2 sessions.  You will be sent relevant information if you have to miss a session.

If you have any questions or you wish to sign up for this course, please contact Susie Stead at  mindfulness.sstead@gmail.com

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VIDEO INTRODUCTION TO MBCT (MINDFULNESS BASED COGNITIVE THERAPY)

I also teach Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy, the flagship mindfulness course created or people with experience of depression but also found to help with a number of other areas, including: anxiety, stress, chronic pain.

Here is a link to a 23 minute video introduction to the 8-week MBCT course that I teach. My husband Tim kindly volunteered to be participant on this 🙂

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/u8361v9ar4l86rf3ayn7v/Intro-to-MBCT-course-23mins-Susie-Stead.mp4?rlkey=7wps52s11l2kqtiqsqlztes9m&st=qumfbtvu&dl=0

AUDIO MEDITATIONS

Here is a 10 minute ‘anchors’ practice’

Here is a 9 minute ‘anchors’ meditation with less instruction

What is Mindfulness?

Mindfulness is a meditation-based life practice.   Sometimes described as ‘awareness with compassion’, mindfulness is a way of resourcing ourselves and seeing more clearly what is happening in our lives, which in turn can give us more choice about how we live.  So much of the time we are on ‘autopilot’ and reacting automatically in habitual ways, some of which do not serve us and can leave us feeling trapped and powerless.

Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy, combines the mindfulness practices with cognitive exercises and together this has proved a powerful combination. Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy  is well-researched and evidence based, and has been shown (amongst other things) to alleviate depression, stress, anxiety and chronic pain.  

The key thing for me is that mindfulness practice together with the cognitive element provide us with skills to look after ourselves and also to unpack habitual reactivity and increase our sense of agency, freedom to choose.  Increasingly we can act in ways that are consonant with our deeply held values, becoming more and more authentically who we are.  

 

PREVIOUS COURSE

Feedback from previous participants:

‘It has helped me to feel more grounded, calmer, peaceful, joyful even!’

‘I really appreciated Susie’s presentation of the course material and her holding of the space, making for both a clear and focused, and an open, light-hearted and relaxed experience throughout.’

FALLING AWAKE

In 2011, I read Jon Kabat Zinn’s comment that mindfulness was “falling awake”. I decided I wanted to fall awake to the rest of my life however it panned out. After that I discovered that mindfulness is also about compassion and non-judgement and these two elements have transformed my life.

MY PRACTICE

I began my mindfulness practice in November 2011 when I attended an 8 week Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction Course (MBSR) with Kate Carne. (http://mindfulnessworks.co.uk). I continued the practice and then began to attend a local Tuesday drop-in set up and run by Tim Stead. I joined the team to support this and eventually began to lead mindfulness practices and half-day retreats.  Since April 2019  I have taken over as the lead for the drop-in and retreats.

MY TRAINING

MBCT TEACHER TRAINING – In 2017 I completed the Foundation Training for teaching Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) at the Oxford Mindfulness Centre (now the Oxford Mindfulness Foundation) certificate

The Oxford Mindfulness Centre/Foundation is internationally recognised for Mindfulness teaching and training and has been connected to the University of Oxford Psychiatry Department since 2007. https://www.oxfordmindfulness.org/

COMPETENCY ASSESSMENT – In December 2019, I passed a rigorous assessment  for teaching MBCT at the Oxford Mindfulness Centre.

SUPERVISION TRAINING – In March 2022 I completed a 3 day supervision course with the Mindfulness Network.

I have now taught a number of courses and I follow the mindfulness good practice guidelines, which include a regular personal meditation practice, supervision and annual silent retreats. 

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

I have attended a number of masterclasses at the Oxford Mindfulness Foundation :

Training to teach Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy for Life

Training to teach in a Non-Clinical Setting: Finding Peace Course

Training to teach Mindfulness and Creativity

Masterclasses in ‘Diversity’ and ‘Enquiry’.

I have completed on-line training in Trauma Sensitive Mindfulness with David Treleaven (2021)

Other Relevant Training

CBT Training – Autumn 2018 – I completed an ‘Introduction to CBT’ course run by the Oxford Cognitive Therapy Centre which consists of 8 full days of training.

MHFA Training – June 2022 – I completed a second 2 day Mental Health First Aid Course for Adults on-line via the OMF

PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIP

I am a member of BAMBA – British Association of Mindfulness Based Approaches and I can be found there under the name Susan Stead. http://www.bamba.org.uk

I am also a teacher and part of the teacher partnership with the Oxford Mindfulness Centre https://oxfordmindfulness.org/people/page/4

8 WEEK COURSES THAT I TEACH

I teach the 8-week course in Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) 

Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy for Life (MBCTL)

Finding Peace in a Frantic World (based on the book by Mark Williams and Danny Penman) 

I teach Oxford Student Mindfulness Courses (Based on the Finding Peace book mentioned above)  as part of a small group of teachers.  I have been teaching students since 2020.

I have taught the Finding Peace course on-line to specific groups:  Junior Doctors, Parents and a Forest School Association group.  Please contact me if you are part of a group who would like to train in mindfulness. 

Finally, I’m interested in combining Forum theatre with mindfulness so do get in touch if you like the sound of this 🙂

If you’d like me to come and run a course in your area, please get in touch.

QUOTES FROM PARTICIPANTS

It has helped me to feel more grounded, calmer, peaceful, joyful even! Participant MBCT Summer 2025

It has helped me to become less of a hard taskmaster (work in progress..! Participant MBCT Summer 2025

The space Susie created felt compassionate and safe, and I appreciated how she held the group with attentiveness and care, making sure everyone felt heard. Participant MBCT Summer 2025

MINDFULNESS MORNINGS

I also run half-day mindfulness mornings in Oxford and on-line, which offer a rare opportunity for some quiet reflection and a chance to either re-start or deepen your mindfulness practice

They are suitable for anyone who has completed a mindfulness course or is familiar with meditation.  I am happy to run one in your area if you’d like to get in touch.

STRUCTURE:  The morning consists of a mix of guided meditations including an opportunity for mindful eating & drinking of coffee/tea, cake/fruit and a chance to go outside if wished.   A gentle silence is kept by participants  and there is an invitation to share reflections at the end of the morning.