Mindfulness for All

Mindfulness for All

Adapted from Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction

Cohosted with Azrieli Centre and Collaborative Learning College at CAMH

Mindfulness doesn’t have to be sitting still for long periods and feeling our bodies in ways that might be uncomfortable for us.

In this Mindfulness series we will be learning mindfulness together in ways that we can individualize it for our unique selves.

This program will be a chance to learn and practice these adapted mindfulness tools in an inclusive and neurodiversity-affirming setting that is open to beginners and experienced meditators alike.

New mindfulness techniques will be taught each week, in an 8 week cycle. We will have some fun while taking care of our wellbeing. Mindfulness is not therapy- but a set of tools we can access anywhere, anytime, with practice.

The Mindfulness practices we will engage in have been developed over 10 years through research at the CAMH Azrieli Adult Neurodevelopmental Centre. The Azrieli Centre’s research on mindfulness with both caregivers as well as autistic adults has been adapted from the Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) curriculum with Sue Hutton, MSW, RSW (trained with Jon Kabat-Zinn in delivering MBSR) and Dr. Yona Lunsky’s research team.

This program happens in-person required registration.

Step-by-step directions to our space are here: camh.ca/-/media/education-files/camh-pfls-directions2024-pdf.pdf. Please email [email protected] with any questions.

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Weekly schedule: Tuesdays, 1.5 hours, various rooms

Tuesday March 31- Room 1306

Session 1 -Mindfulness: Come to our Senses

We will practice connecting with our senses in our own individual ways, as practices to ground ourselves. These mindfulness tools are easy to use anywhere we are, and are practical ways of getting grounded using the senses available to us: sight, sound, taste, touch, smell.

We individualize the practices to be accessible for each of us.

Tuesday April 7- Room 1306

Session 2 – Mindfulness and Breath: Making it Accessible for me

We will explore ways of being mindful of breath in unique and creative ways. We will explore feeling the breath, listening to the sound of the breath, and even moving our bodies with the breath – in ways that work for us. We are all unique in how we feel the breath – and this practice is individualized to help us all find our personal “sweet spot” to connect with the breath.

Tuesday April 14- Room 1306

Session 3 – Body Awareness – In ways that are Neuro-affirming and self-compassionate

When we pay attention to the feelings in the body with mindfulness practice it is important to be gentle with what we feel inside. Any of us who have backgrounds of trauma, or feelings of sensory overload can actually feel worse when we try just noticing the body sensations in standard cookie-cutter mindfulness practices like the body scan.

In this practice we are compassionate toward ourselves, and practice being aware of body sensations in ways that are comforting for us.

Tuesday April 21- Room 1306

Session 4 - Watching Our Thoughts

Research shows that getting caught in repetitive or “overthinking” patterns (rumination) can increase feelings of anxiety and low mood. While thinking is an important part of daily life, many of us have never learned how to pause or step back from our thoughts. In this session, participants will learn gentle mindfulness practices that help us notice thoughts without getting pulled along by them. We will explore finding our own individual grounding techniques to let go of thought, allowing us to foster living life with more ease.

Tuesday April 28 – Room 1206

Session 5 – Mindful Movement

Mindfulness doesn’t have to be just sitting still. In this session we will explore mindful walking (Please note, we use the term “walking” aware that we adapt these practices for ourselves if we use a wheelchair or mobility device).
We will explore different ways of paying mindful attention to ourselves while walking. These are tools we can use anywhere we go!

Tuesday May 5- Room 1306

Session 6: Deep Compassion

Self-compassion is the heart of all the mindfulness exercises we do. In this session we focus specifcally on this part of the mindfulness path. We will explore a few different ways of cultivating compasison for ourselves and others. The great thing about this practice, is it can be developed like a muscle! The more we practice it, the more compassion we will develop for ourselves and others.

Tuesday May 12 - Room 1306

Session 7: Working with Difficult Emotions

Life brings a full range of emotions. The techniques practiced in this week explore turning our loving attention toward the difficult emotions in our lives. This is not a therapy group to discuss emotions – but rather an opportunity to learn and practice some gentle mindfulness tools to tend to our emotions. We start slow and go gentle, and keep the tone of the group focused on compassion.

Tuesday May 19 – Room B409

Session 8: Mindfulness and Art: Mini Retreat

In our final session, we explore simple creative activities as a way to connect with breath, body, and present-moment awareness. No artistic experience is needed — only curiosity and openness to trying something new.

Participants will also be guided through a sequence of mindfulness practices from the program, creating a brief “mini-retreat” experience. This session offers an opportunity to slow down, reflect, and practice self-care in the presence of a supportive community.

Our Facilitators:

Sue Hutton (she/her) MSW, RSW

Caregiver Mindfulness, Neurodiversity-informed Mindfulness Teacher

CAMH Azrieli Adult Neurodevelopmental Centre - Toronto, Canada.

Sue’s passion for making mindfulness accessible for caregivers, support staff and neurodivergent minds comes from her unique path of 38 years of unifying disability rights advocacy for neurodevelopmental differences in a committed social work career, with a deep dedication to formal mindfulness training. ​

Sue has taught mindfulness through groups, one-on-one sessions and presentations to over a thousand people over the years in health, education and mental health settings.

Sue teaches mindfulness with a focus on compassionate inclusion at the CAMH Azrieli Adult Neurodevelopment Centre, where she has worked with the research team adapting mindfulness for neurodivergent minds, as well as caregivers for over 10 years.

[email protected]

Bartholemew (Bart) Campbell (he/him) l M.Ed, WRAP@ALF l Let(s) Lead Mentor

Program Engagement Co-Facilitator, Collaborative Learning College (CLC)

Centre for Addiction and Mental Health

Bartholemew (Bart) Campbell (he/him) joined CAMH as Program Engagement Co-Facilitator with the Collaborative Learning College and a mentor for Yale University Let(s) Lead program. He studied HR Management at Toronto Metropolitan University and holds an M Ed. in Adult Learning from Yorkville University. He was a management professional for over 25 years until he was derailed by mental illness. Upon recovery he became a trained a peer support specialist and a wellness educator, utilizing his lived experience, training and his certification as an Advanced WRAP facilitator to partnered with Hope+Me (MDAO) and several community agencies to inspire people affected by mental illness, break free from self-stigma to enjoy a better quality of life.

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