About us
Greetings colleagues! As mental health clinicians, we’ve chosen to move toward suffering and it's alleviation. As we hold space for others, we ourselves experience the challenges of family stress, professional pressures, vicarious trauma, world events, caregiving and grief. MBSR (Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction) is the comprehensive mindfulness course originally developed by Jon Kabat-Zinn and the global “gold standard” in the clinical research of mindfulness and application in medical, educational and professional settings. It is an evidence-based methodology found to reduce the negative effects of stress and increase insight and emotional resilience. Many participants have found it transformative (myself included!).
The course covers a range of mindfulness practices, allowing you try and find methods that fit your individual needs. This class is a great starting point to establish or strengthen your own mindfulness-based self-care toolkit, prepare for a more intensive mindfulness retreat, and/or to incorporate mindfulness in your clinical practice. Please note: MBSR is designed as psycho-education and a support for mental and physical well-being, not a psychotherapeutic intervention in itself.
Curious? You'll have a no-cost 15 minute Zoom call and 1-hour Zoom orientation to decide before committing. All are welcome whether you’re completely new to mindfulness meditation and allied practices, a long-time practitioner seeking to reinforce their practice, or anywhere in between.
Take care,
Alex Zima, LCMHC
Class structure: No-cost initial Zoom session and 1-hour orientation. 8 weekly classes (2.5 hours/week) and 1 all-day retreat (8am-4pm) retreat on a Saturday between Week 6 and 7. This class does not qualify for clinical CE credits at this time.
The class is highly experiential and clearly structured, including progressive guided practices, gentle movement and instructions for daily home practice (30-45 minutes per day)
Class size: up to 25 students
Fall 2026 class milestones and dates:
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15-minute Zoom call will be scheduled via Doodle to review questions and discuss fit for the MBSR program after pre-registration
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Free Online Orientation via Zoom: Tuesday September 15th 7-8pm, optional Q&A 8pm-8:30pm
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In person: 8 Tuesday’s 7-9:30pm, September 29th through November 17th. (Week of Nov 3rd may be a virtual class via Zoom due to Election Day)
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All-day retreat Saturday November 7th from 9am-4pm (between classes 6 and 7)
Location: Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Raleigh (no affiliation to MBSR), 3313 Wade Ave, Raleigh, NC.
Adaptability for different physical needs is foundational in MBSR. Chairs, meditation cushions, yoga mats will be provided. Feel free to bring your own blankets, bolsters, pillows and other props for comfort. Please see the UU Fellowship of Raleigh accessibility information here: https://archive.uufr.org/buildings-entrances-accessibility/
Cost: -
Early registration before July31st: $325. Registration August 1-Aug 31st: $375
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Fee is highly competitive to reduce barrier to entry for clinicians: (MBSR class fees nationally can range from $500-$1000 or more)
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First come, first served basis. A waiting list will be established.
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If the dates and times work for you and you’d like more information, please click this Link to a brief pre-registration information form -no payment required at this time. I will reach out by email to schedule a 15-minute Zoom session to clarify questions before final registration.
Pre-registration form - https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/22G2XHB
About the instructor, Alex Zima, LCMHC:
I am a Qualified MBSR teacher, having completed my Level 1 teacher training at UMass Center for Mindfulness in 2017, and Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor (LCMHC). I have 30+ years of experience with meditation and yoga and extensive meditation retreat experience. I have been an MBSR instructor and MBI (Mindfulness-based Interventions) facilitator and clinical educator since 2015, including as instructor for 2 NIH-funded studies on the impact of mindfulness interventions on emerging adulthood and cardiac rehabilitation patients respectively at Brown University. I am LGBTQ+ -inclusive and committed to diversity in racial and cultural identity, gender, sexual orientation and life stage.
Please see my professional profiles for more information:
Psychology Today: https://www.psychologytoday.com/profile/830395
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexzima/
For more information on MBSR’s history and structure, please go to: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mindfulness-based_stress_reduction
Details on Student Agreement, payment, attendance and refund policies can be found attached to this email.
Pre-registration form - https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/22G2XHB
Upcoming events
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