The Power of Enhanced Awareness:
Mindfulness Training and Practice in the Workplace

This is one of our most effective programs for helping individuals to develop, sustain and benefit from a mindfulness practice, and for integrating mindfulness into an organization and “making it stick.” This strategic curriculum is adapted from the internationally acclaimed Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program and consists of 8 one-hour sessions scheduled over 8 weeks. The course includes clear and pragmatic lessons, a variety of tools and strategies, dialogue, experiential exercises, written and audio resources, regular mindfulness practice, weekly accountability and increased community and collegiality among participants. Topics include: Cultivating attentional focus, stepping out of automaticity, understanding the role of perception in how we experience and relate to life circumstances, stress physiology, neuroscience, resilience, mindful listening and speaking and strategies for integrating mindfulness into work and life.

Data collected from four recent 8-week programs, using surveys with validated research instruments and scales such as the Perceived Stress Scale, Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire, Maslach Burnout Inventory and those designed to measure emotional and physical health, showed strong and statistically significant outcomes on many measures including reductions in stress, anxiety, burnout and reactivity to difficult emotional states.

Mindfulness Champions Training

For employees who participate in either an 8-week workplace mindfulness course or MBSR and are interested in supporting a mindfulness community at work, we offer training to prepare participants to lead short guided meditations for their colleagues at appropriate times during the work week. The goal is to make the mindfulness trainable internally sustainable.

What began as a simple employee request for a mindfulness program has led to five years of amazing and varied mindfulness programs conducted by Brenda Fingold, and a thriving mindfulness community involving employees from all facets of the firm. We now have a mindfulness room in our Boston and DC Offices where people can practice on their own during the day, and we offer two weekly practice opportunities where Mintz employees can come together for a guided practice and sharing. Our most recent program was the largest number yet, and as in prior programs, included attorneys and professional staff. We consider mindfulness training to be a powerful aspect of our workplace well-being strategy and an important part of the Mintz culture.

Laurie Cappello
Mintz, Human Resources Director of Benefits, and HRIS/Payroll

I have had the opportunity to participate in the last four mindfulness series conducted at MITRE. Each time, these have been hallmark events in my life, thanks largely to Brenda Fingold’s expert presentation and facilitation skills. She is adept as a presenter, guide, coach and mentor. I sincerely hope to have the privilege to participate again next year.

Brian
MITRE Corporation workplace mindfulness participant