The Woolf Center Mindfulness Therapy Group

Do you struggle with stress, anxiety, managing emotions, focusing, overthinking, being able to relax, feeling overwhelmed, maintaining relationships, keeping healthy habits, and generally being present to live life fully?

If any of those struggles resonate with you, this group provides a space for participants to learn, share and grow together in the practice of mindfulness.

This mindfulness-based therapy group for adults will meet every Monday from 5:30pm-6:30pm for 8 weeks from March 18, 2024 – May 6, 2024. You may join this group online or in-person at our Rockville office.

Sign up with the Online Booking at the bottom of the page, or email us [email protected] or call us at (240) 630-0393 to establish a new life-changing skill with a certified teacher and connect with a like-minded group.

Why join the mindfulness therapy group?

Mindfulness and/or meditation have been scientifically proven to:

• Reduce symptoms of stress, anxiety and depression
• Improve focus and memory
• Decrease blood pressure
• Lessen chronic pain and illness
• Slow the effects of aging
• Increase levels of self-control
• Limit addictive habits
• Improve sleep
• Improve reported happiness
• Change the physiology of the brain through increased grey matter and neuroplasticity.

What is mindfulness and mindfulness meditation:

Mindfulness means simply being aware of our present moment experience. Often included in this description are elements of a non-judgmental, curious, accepting, attitude towards phenomena such as thoughts, feelings, sounds, and/or body sensations (often the breath).

Meditation is the deliberate use of attention on a particular subject. So together, mindfulness + meditation is the deliberate practice of paying attention to our present moment experience.

The Mindfulness Group participants will learn tools and techniques to address the following:

• Coping with overwhelming anxiety, stress and worry
• Dealing with difficult emotions
• Fostering self-compassion and self-forgiveness
• Unwinding addictive patterns
• Establishing healthier communication habits
• Finding presence in your body and mind
• Increasing focus and decisiveness
• Developing positive habits
• Calming and understanding the mind
• Navigating life transitions
• Developing greater self-awareness and self-acceptance
• Regulating emotions through breathwork practices
• Learning a new framework for finding purpose and meaning in life

About the Mindfulness Therapy Group leader:

Jason Waterman is passionate about helping people deal with issues of anxiety, screen addiction, habit change, self-compassion, shame, and finding purpose.

He completed the two-year Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Certification Program led by renowned teachers Tara Brach and Jack Kornfield, certified by University of California Berkeley’s Greater Good Science Center and International Mindfulness Teachers Association.

Jason has taught meditation to individuals and groups in settings ranging from schools to Fortune 500 companies. His passion for meditation grew after living in Southeast Asia for 18 months, originally going there on a US Fulbright Grant but staying to practice meditation in intensive Buddhist retreat settings throughout the region. He has continued practicing stateside in a variety of communities, completing courses such as Compassion Cultivation Training and Mindful Self-Compassion, as well as attending silent retreats lasting up to 42 days at a time.

He currently offers meditation teaching to incarcerated populations for the DC Department of Corrections, in hospice care for Montgomery County Hospice, and in a DC women’s shelter.

Testimonials from Jason’s previous mindfulness offerings:

“Thank you Jason! I loved the program. It made me less reactive and helped me realize more when I was overthinking things.”

“I actually felt physically better after sessions and more conscious of my body state in between.”

“I regained my ability to be in the present and control any emotions that passed.” 

“I now have more peace of mind. More awareness of who I am. More control over the emotional experience.”

“Thank you so much for your dedication to this! It helped when I was having a panic attack the other day and I thought back to the skills I learned here, thank you!”

“THIS PROGRAM WAS AMAZING, LETS KEEP IT GOING.”

Results

In an 8-week mindfulness meditation course led by Jason, using pre- and post-course questionnaires, participants reporting the following:

Decreases in overthinking (-21%), finding it difficult to focus (-19%), and feeling overwhelmed at work or at home (-17%).

Increases in being able to forgive yourself for mistakes (+23%), having the tools to deal with stress (+19%), ability to relax (+14%).

Mindfulness Therapy Group Details:

Time and Dates: Every Monday from 5:30pm-6:30pm from March 4th, 2024 – April 22nd, 2024.
Cost: $200 total for the 8 sessions
Where: Online or In-person at 932 Hungerford Dr., Suite 35B, Rockville, MD 20850
Sign up: Call us at (240) 630-0393, email us at [email protected], or use the Book Now button (follow directions at bottom of the page) to sign up or ask questions.
Who is it for: Any adult interested in the therapeutic benefits of mindfulness/meditation.

See more details below.

FAQs:

• • Is mindful therapy group right for me?
    A mindfulness therapy group can benefit people with a wide range of goals and issues, but certain acute issues and diagnoses may require alternate interventions. Call us at (240) 630-0393 or email us at [email protected] to speak with our intake specialist or a licensed therapist to decide if this group is right for you. Our team of mental health professionals can help answer your questions.
  • Does mindful therapy group replace the need for individual therapy?
    While the group will empower participants with the tools to work with many of the same issues as individual therapy, we will not be able to provide the individuated attention that can be necessary to fully address the root causes of issues. Speak to your mental health care provider or our team at the Woolf Center if you are unsure about what you need at this time.
  • How does a mindful therapy group relate to other therapy such as cognitive behavioral therapy, dialectical behavior therapy, or somatic experiencing?
    Mindfulness is a modality that overlaps with many other forms of psychotherapy. Mindfulness based practices helps amplify the effectiveness of other modalities that you may have done with mental health therapists in the past by increasing your capacity for self-awareness, introspection, emotional regulation, self-compassion and more.
  • What if I miss a session?
    It is understandable if you cannot make every session, but we ask that you commit to attending as many sessions as you can to get the most benefit and provide a stable environment for fellow group members.If you know that you will have to miss two or more of the sessions, we ask that you consider alternative offerings at this time. The sessions will build on each other and the experience with the group is a critical component.
  • What is The Woolf Center?
    The Woolf Center is a private practice offering an array of individual, couples and group counseling services both in-person and via telehealth.
  • How is this group different than a support group?
    While this group will offer space for members to share and connect around the personal issues they are working on, this is more education-focused than a typical support group and not oriented towards one specific area of support.
  • Does it matter if I have experience with mindfulness or not?
    No. This group welcomes any adults with an interest in learning or growing their mindfulness practice, whether they have ever tried it or not.
  • What does each session entail?
    Each session will include discussion, teaching, reflection, and practice.
  • How does a hybrid mindfulness group work?

You may join each session either in-person or online. The primary teacher will be leading on Zoom, but the Woolf Center will have another facilitator in-person at our Rockville office to run the Zoom call and will help guide discussion and practice. This helps create the in-person benefits of practicing a group with the accessibility and convenience of virtual to help give all participants an option that is best for them.

To book online, click the Online Booking button below. Select Jason Waterman, Service: Group, Location: Video Office, Date: March 4, 5:30pm, and then fill out your personal information. You will receive an email confirmation later.