Course Description
Initiating and maintaining behavior change is key to healthy living, even though we all know it can be difficult. We may need to make adjustments to our daily routines in order to prevent or manage many chronic medical and mental health conditions. The Mindful Behavior Change (MBC) program can help participants to become curious about and aware of their autopilot mode and come into a relationship with reality that allows for the possibility to emerge in a healing direction.
MBC is an 8-week group program developed by faculty at the Center for Mindfulness and Compassion (CMC). Inspired by Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) and other 8-week mindfulness-based programs, MBC was developed with a trauma-informed approach and includes specific components for applying mindfulness to support health behavior change. It has also been shown to reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety in studies, and can help people increase self-compassion, reduce self-criticism, reduce stress, and restore a trusting relationship with their body. MBC uses a gentle method, explicitly focusing on cultivating mindfulness as it enhances inner warmth and self-compassion. This program also trains participants to use mindfulness interpersonally to support behavior change.
*See our research studies based on this curriculum and find the course overview below.
Each session will be experiential, involving group time with video on, as well as individual practice time with a choice for video off to support less screen time during the session together. We ask that you make a commitment to be present during the full 2 hours on most or all of the weeks so that your presence can be part of a consistent practice and community “container” for yourself and others. We look forward to our journey in living well together!
Meet your teachers:
Richa Gawande, PhD
Jorge Armesto, PhD, EdM, C-IAYT
Additional Course Date:
2026 date TBD; tends to be January-March timeframe
We only offer this program through CMC once per calendar year. Additional offerings outside of CMC will be posted after registration for this program has closed.
8-Week Course: Live online via Zoom, taking place in the Eastern Time Zone
Dates: Weekly on Wednesdays; January 15, 22, 29, February 5, 12, 19, 26, and March 5
Time: 5:30pm to 7:30pm, Eastern Time
Silent Guided Retreat: Live via Zoom from the comfort of your home, Sunday, February 23, 2024 from 10am to 2pm.
Sliding Scale Rates: We are part of the Cambridge Health Alliance which is a non-profit healthcare system. By paying what you can afford, you help others who are less financially able to do so.
$540 Regular Price: You are resourced enough to pay the standard rate for this program
$360 Equitable Access Price: Your resources are limited and prevents you from paying the standard rate.
$725 Supporting Tier: You are well resourced and would like to contribute to ensuring we can offer equitable access to others.
You can also choose to pay the equitable rate for this course and then make a tax-deductible donation to help support the center. If you live in Massachusetts and would like to join mindfulness groups that are insurance billable, please visit our Mindful Mental Health Service.
No refunds after class starts.
Open to all, no prior mindfulness experience is necessary.
MBC meets CMC’s professional level training prerequisite for:
Mindful Behavior Change - Group Leader Training: We are now accepting applications for our November 2025 program!
Register by selecting your pricing option below.
Note: You will see this course referenced in some articles and published studies as Mindfulness Training for Primary Care (MTPC), Mindful-PC, and/or Mindfulness Training for Living Well (MTLW). The program’s curriculum has not changed, but the names of the different formats of the program refer to how the curriculum was adapted to be delivered in different contexts. Now all formats have been consolidated under MBC.
Course Overview
Session 1: Discovering Mindfulness & Autopilot
Session 2: Perception, Interpretation, and Re-Discovering Beginner’s Mind
Session 3: Finding Freedom Through Feeling Tone
Session 4: Allowing What Is: Staying Present Through Pain And Stress
Session 5: Kindness and Coping
Retreat: Deepening Practice, Savoring What’s Here
Session 6: Accessing Core Values: Choice, Aspiration, and Change
Session 7: Living Well Through Wise Action
Session 8: Connection, Communication, and Community
Participant Testimonials
"This course has felt so relevant and revelatory."
"It’s really helped me change my relationship with myself and my experiences, which in turn impacts my relationship with others."
Refund Policy
No refunds once class begins. Full refund will be issued, minus $100 processing fee, for cancellation made up to two weeks before the start date of the training or course. 50% refund will be issued for cancellation in the period between two weeks and two working days before the start of the training or course. No refund is available if cancellation is within 2 working days before the start of the course or training or once program training materials are received.
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