Training and Workshops

Urban Mindfulness is proud to offer training in mindfulness, meditation, and stress management for companies, non-profit organizations, associations, and colleges and universities. Led by Dr. Jonathan Kaplan, the President and Founder of Urban Mindfulness, these workshops are conducted in your own workplace or office. Over the years, he has trained many different groups of people, including doctors, professors, university administrators, veterans, college students, immigrants, clerical workers, therapy patients, and other mental health professionals. Dr. Kaplan has addressed groups ranging in size from 2 to 200.

Please review the following training opportunities and participant testimonials. Please contact UM to learn more about our programs and discuss your particular needs: kaplan @ urbanmindfulness.org

Urban Mindfulness Program (1 – 6 hours)

The Urban Mindfulness Program is designed to bring mindfulness and meditation into the daily lives of people who live and work in the city. Our urban environment is very stressful; the noise, congestion, and pollution take a toll on our physical, mental, and emotional health. Unfortunately, many of our efforts to feel better—taking vacations, getting a massage, etc.—provide only short-term relief. Sooner or later, we’re confronted again with the stresses and daily hassles of urban living. Therefore, our happiness and productivity depends upon our ability to incorporate relaxation, awareness, and acceptance more consistently into our daily lives.

The Urban Mindfulness Program provides instruction in converting your everyday experiences and challenges into unique opportunities for the practice of mindfulness and meditation. Whether you are at work, home, or on the go, you can apply mindfulness in many ways that do not involve sitting on a meditation cushion. Dependent on the length of the workshop, attendees may receive instruction in such activities as subway meditation, mindful eating/drinking, city walking meditation, and mindful messaging.

Mindfulness for Improved Performance Program (“MIPP”) (1 – 2 hours)

There are times when it’s helpful to think, and there are times when thinking can get in the way of us doing something important. For example, if you need to make a phone call (for sales, consultation, date, etc.), it is not beneficial to spend time ruminating on likelihood of being insulted, rebuffed, or ignored. Such obsessing only gets in the way of making the call, and you end up procrastinating on what you perceive will be an unpleasant experience. Relatedly, if you’re too defensive (based on the expectation that you will be rejected), you will not be able to listen and respond effectively. As a result, you’ll either (1) never make the call, (2) wait too long, or (3) manage the conversation poorly. In such circumstances, we need to learn how to get past our own thinking.

The Mindfulness for Improved Performance Program (“MIPP”) helps participants apply and use mindfulness as necessary. When you recognize impediments in your performance, a dose of mindfulness can be effective medicine for action. A simple breath awareness exercise, for example, can help you focus and disengage from your non-productive thoughts, thus paving the way for you to do whatever you need to do. This course is not about “stress management” or “relaxation”. We need a certain amount of stress in order to perform well, and this program does not try to diminish this competitive edge but rather offers tools for overcoming cognitive and emotional barriers to achieving your goals.

Meditation: What’s OM Gotta Do With It? (2 – 4 hours)

This program introduces participants to the four different kinds of meditation: mindfulness, concentration-based, insight-oriented, and visualization. With specific instructions and in-session practice, this workshop is designed to help participants start meditating right away. Tips and handouts are provided in order to support the development of an at-home or at-work meditation practice. A brief review of the research is also provided, which identifies the various health benefits associated with meditation.

Mindfulness: Just the Facts, Man! (1 – 3 hours)

Designed as an introduction to mindfulness, this training provides an overview of mindfulness, reviews important research findings, and leads participants in both formal and informal practice. Participants will leave with a better understanding of mindfulness, its benefits, and how to practice it.

Mindfulness and Meditation in Cognitive Behavioral Therapies (5 hours)

Offered to mental health professionals, this workshop presents the various approaches to mindfulness and meditation in cognitive-behavioral therapies, including Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction, Dialectical Behavior Therapy, Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy, and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy. The theoretical, practical, and empirical foundations are reviewed with in-session examples of specific techniques inherent in each approach. This workshop is ideal for use as continuing education or training of professional staff.

Participants will…
• Learn about the use of mindfulness and meditation in CBT;
• Participate in specific activities that are part of mindfulness-based therapies;
• Learn and practice at least two different forms of meditation; and
• Examine critically the empirical support for mindfulness-based therapies.

About Jonathan Kaplan, Ph.D.

Dr. Jonathan Kaplan, a clinical psychologist, has been active in conducting workshops, writing articles, and teaching on mindfulness, meditation, and stress management for over 10 years. He has been praised for leading workshops that are informative, helpful, fun, and inclusive. Based on his work in promoting mindfulness and meditation in colleges and universities, he won a 2007 Early Career Award from the American Psychological Association for his “impressive contributions to the profession and helping students learn more about the mind-body connection”. For a more complete review of his accomplishments, you can view his CV here: Dr. Jonathan Kaplan.

Comments from Prior Workshop Participants and Students

From Professionals

Dr. Kaplan was knowledgeable, balanced, and able to increase our insight about mindfulness and clinical practice.

I felt much better then I had in some time after leaving Dr. Kaplan’s workshop. It was an excellent way to spend an hour.

Comments from Graduate Students (of a mindfulness-based therapy class taught at the Department of Psychology, New School for Social Science Research):

So great!!! This was the best class ever, completely justifying my doing this M.A. program!!! I am so excited and so inspired to apply all of this stuff (maybe) as a clinician!!! Thank you!

I especially appreciated the experiential component–that of meditating. It was a great class.

For more information on workshops and trainings (including scheduling, pricing, and meeting the specific needs of your group or organization), please contact Dr. Kaplan at kaplan @ urbanmindfulness.org.