We welcome you to the 8 week MBSR for parents of Neurodivergent children online journey of discovery.
In term 3, 2026 we are running two courses:
Wednesday evenings 7-9pm
July 29; August 5, 12, 19, 26; Sept 2, 9, 16 (plus a backup date Sept 23rd, if needed)
Friday mornings, 9:30-11:30am
July 31; August 7, 14, 21, 28; to Sept 4, 11, 18 (plus a backup date Sept 25th, if needed)
Please add to your diary a Day or half Day of Mindfulness at home, ideally the weekend of 5/6 September.
NOTE: Zoom opens 10 mins before the first session, 5 m thereafter
Each session will include experiential activities, mindfulness practices, and optional group discussion.
If you can, please join from a quiet, private space with your camera on.
A computer is preferred over a phone, as it allows you to see everyone and get the most from the experience.
For each session, please have:
pen and notebook
And a nice extra: If you are at your desk where you work, each time you do a session put something different than usual on your desk, eg a different cup or vase or picture or etc, to remind yourself you are not in working mode, but a new mode
To Bring to WEEK ONE: A couple of raisins or a small piece of food for an exercise (it may sound unusual, but it will make sense!)
Weekly Materials: We will email the updated (always reviewing our content to keep it up to date) Powerpoint slides and readings a couple of days before each session, so you can see what we will be doing before each session and print that too if you like. However it is not recommended to do the weekly readings before the sessions, as the course is at its heart experiential, with readings etc supporting that. We suggest you print them then read after the session, or read online where the updated materials will be loaded each week.
Joining in: As part of the first session, we want you to feel a safe sense of connection with each other, so to facilitate that safety for all, we will be inviting you to very briefly (ideally around one minute) introduce yourself, your family, and children's diagnoses. If you are feeling unsure about that please be in touch with us.
Group swap guidance - We are running two groups this term, (Wed pm, Fri am) and we want to create a strong sense of cohesive group for each of them. However, note that in rare circumstances someone from another group may join yours. So, if you absolutely cannot attend your group, you can contact us and we will put you in the other group for that week's session, so that you still get the benefit of that week's session. At this stage we have no swaps booked so that will be nice for the first session.
Guidelines / Familiarization with Zoom - if you are not familiar with Zoom you might want to review and experiment with the following:
The Zoom mute button is a simple audio switch that turns your microphone on and off so other people in the meeting can or cannot hear you - it's helpful to have it off if not speaking as it removes background noise from the group.
There is a 'Raise hand' button which is a good way to indicate you would like to speak
Gallery vs speaker view - Zoom view options consist of Gallery view and Speaker view, which change how faces appear on your screen. Gallery view shows everyone in a grid, while Speaker view shows a large image of the person talking. For a group course most people find Gallery view good, you see all the faces
Zoom uses smart audio tools to block out unwanted noise (Dogs barking, typing on a keyboard, fans running, paper rustling,Traffic hums, air conditioning etc,) but it does not generally filter out sudden unique sounds.
– For the first session we will be online 10 mins before the start time to allow time for you all to arrive, sort any tech issues, and get settled in before we start, so feel free to join a few minutes early (ongoing we will be there 5 mins early). If you have problems joining give us a call 021 255 1485
