Mindful Self-Compassion in Chicago

03/25/2025

I am proud to say that I just finished teaching our very first 10-week MSC course with 6 lovely participants! It was the same material we teach in the 8-week course with a different format.

We had our final session last Wednesday and it was a heart-warming one. My participants shared some of their take-aways, which included having new skills to protect oneself in relationships, feeling and internalizing the common humanity: "we are all in this together", and choosing oneself over pursuing someone or something that does not feel mutual.

One participant noted that as a psychotherapist, mother, wife, daughter, and friend, she excels at offering compassion to others but often struggles to extend that same compassion to herself. She further said that with all of the skills and tools she learned, she has developed a practice that will enhance her own health and well-being as well as positively impact those she cares about.

It was moving to witness the evolution of the self-compassion practices of each participant and to be connected in this way, on this adventure of learning, experimenting, and internalizing. This work can be a total paradigm shift -- one that we are all worthy of.

May we know our own strength
May we know that we belong
May we feel our inherent worthiness
May we live our lives with ease

❤️

12/30/2024

Hello Community! We are back with our winter 2025 MSC course. Please join us, and remember past participants receive a discount!

12/23/2024

Happy holidays, to our MSC community! 🌟

We will be teaching a virtual 10-week Mindful Self-Compassion course on Wednesdays, starting on January 15th from 12-2pm CST, with a retreat day on February 26th from 12-3pm CST. We would love to have you in our Course! Let us know if you have any interest or questions. Below is an overview of what one can expect. Note that CEs are available.

Mindful Self-Compassion is a skills based course, proven to increase emotional resilience and life satisfaction as well as decrease depression, anxiety and stress. Teachers Colleen O'Brien, LCPC, and Staci Berman, LMFT, are both Certified Teachers of Mindful Self-Compassion, trauma informed mental health therapists, and facilitate this work with intention and thoughtfulness.

Colleen and Staci have taught this course 10 times, to over 100 people from various backgrounds, including people residing outside of the United States. The feedback has ranged from "this was good" to "this was life changing". Scholarships available. No one will be turned away for financial reasons. Join us!

11/07/2023

We had the honor of teaching a 2-day MSC Core Skills workshop this past weekend and it was nothing short of amazing. Our 12 participants were an open-hearted and open-minded group who worked on allowing their hearts and bodies to guide them as we facilitated the work.

May we be happy
May we be healthy
May we be peaceful
May we live with ease.

Until next time!

10/18/2023

Staci and I were on WGN recently to talk about Mindful Self-Compassion and our upcoming workshop -- check it out!

We are often quick to offer compassion to friends and family members but hard on ourselves when we make mistakes or are going through tough times. Here today to teach us how to be kinder to ourselv…

09/19/2023

Hello MSC community!

We will be facilitating a 2-day Mindful Self-Compassion Core Skills workshop on Nov 3+4th at 5-Point Holistic Health in Logan Square.

If you have an interest in this work, or want to refresh your existing skill set, this weekend format is a great way to experience MSC in community.

Early bird pricing through this Wednesday, 9/20!! For more info or to register visit: https://www.selfcompassionchicago.com/general-8

Reach out with any questions.