Mindful Self-Compassion (MSC)
Mindfulness asks, “What am I experiencing right now?” Self-compassion asks, “What do I need right now?” This 8-week group program builds on your mindfulness practice to cultivate an inner voice that is warm, supportive and steady - especially when you face failure, inadequacy or pain.
Register Your InterestThe Next Step After MBSR
If you have completed an 8-week MBSR course, you already know how to steady your attention, notice body sensations and step out of automatic pilot. But many people find that when strong emotions, old pain or harsh self-criticism arise, awareness alone isn't quite enough.
Mindful Self-Compassion shifts the focus from mindful awareness of experience to compassionate care for the experiencer - learning to offer yourself the same warmth and understanding you would naturally give a dear friend.
Who Is It For?
This program is for people who have already completed an 8-week MBSR course, with us or elsewhere - completing MBSR is a requirement for joining. It may be especially helpful if you:
- Are hard on yourself or struggle with a loud inner critic
- Find difficult emotions get in the way of your practice
- Care for others and are running on empty
- Want to deepen and sustain the practice you began in MBSR
The Three Components of Self-Compassion
The program draws on the work of Dr Kristin Neff, whose research describes self-compassion as three interconnected skills.
Self-Kindness
Being gentle, supportive and understanding toward ourselves when we struggle or feel inadequate, rather than turning to harsh self-criticism.
Common Humanity
Recognising that suffering, imperfection and difficulty are part of the shared human experience - not something that happens to "me alone".
Mindfulness
Holding painful thoughts and feelings in balanced awareness, so we neither suppress them nor get swept away by them.
Course Outline
Week 1
Discovering Self-Compassion
Moving from observing experience to caring for the experiencer. Treating ourselves as we would a good friend, and the three core components of self-compassion.
Week 2
Soothing the Nervous System
How perception shapes stress, the physiology of threat and care, and calming the body with soothing touch and affectionate breathing.
Week 3
Compassionate Movement & Backdraft
Gentle, non-striving movement and walking practice that respects the body's limits, and understanding the old pain that can surface as the heart opens.
Week 4
Loving-Kindness & the Inner Critic
Finding phrases of kindness that speak to our deepest needs, and learning to turn the inner critic into a compassionate mentor.
Week 5
Core Values & Fierce Compassion
Meeting the Compassionate Friend, and balancing tender self-compassion (soothing, accepting) with fierce self-compassion (boundaries, saying no).
Retreat
Half-Day Silent Retreat
Four hours of continuous silent practice, including body scan, outdoor walking and nature contemplation, mindful eating and a letter to yourself from your Compassionate Friend.
Week 6
Self-Compassion in Relationships
Mindful speaking and listening, caregiver fatigue, and the practice of "one breath for me, one breath for you".
Week 7
Self-Compassion in Daily Life
Working with difficult emotions, life balance and values, and weaving micro-moments of self-compassion into everyday routines.
Week 8
Sustaining Your Practice
Reflecting on the journey, writing a letter to your future self, and building a personal plan to keep self-compassion alive.
What You'll Practise
- Self-Compassion Body Scan and Affectionate Breathing
- Soothing touch to calm the nervous system
- The Self-Compassion Break for difficult moments
- Loving-kindness meditation for ourselves and others
- Meeting your Compassionate Friend
- S.T.O.P. with self-compassion, for everyday stress
- Compassionate movement and walking meditation
Practice Between Sessions
The heart of the program is what you practise between sessions. Each week includes:
- Formal practice: 15–30 minutes daily, supported by Kristin Neff's guided meditations on the free Insight Timer app
- Informal practice: short self-compassion moments woven into your day
- Reflection: simple worksheets and practice logs
In the final weeks you will move toward self-guided practice, so you leave with a routine that is your own.
Program Details & Medicare Rebate
- Duration: 8 weekly sessions of 2 hours, plus a 4-hour half-day silent retreat between Weeks 5 and 6
- Cost: $1,200 (paid upfront at least 2 weeks prior to the start of the programme)
- Medicare rebate (where eligible): $70.05 per eligible group session
- Rebate requirements: Mental Health Care Plan from your GP; referral must be made to Dr Dipti McGowan for "the maximum number of Group Sessions under the Mental Health Care Plan". Eligibility depends on your individual clinical needs, so not every participant will qualify for a rebate.
- Note: Full program fee is payable upfront. Medicare rebates, where eligible, are processed after each session attended and are typically received within 48 hours.
- Prerequisite: Completion of an 8-week MBSR course is required
- Facilitator: Dr Dipti McGowan, Clinical Psychologist
- Ongoing Support: After the program, optional monthly Continuing Practice sessions help you maintain and deepen your practice.
Location & Schedule
- Venue: Burleigh Clinic, Suite 1/19 Park Avenue, Burleigh Heads, QLD
- When: Thursdays 6:00pm–8:00pm, from 8 October 2026
- Retreat: Date confirmed during the course
- Group size: Limited to 10 participants
Register Your Interest
Places are limited to ensure a safe, confidential, and personalised group experience.
- Email: reception@insightworks.com.au
- Phone: (07) 5551 0388
A gentle note: as we open to self-compassion, old feelings of grief or pain can sometimes surface. This is known as “backdraft” and is a natural part of the process. Throughout the program you will learn ways to work with it safely, and you are always free to go at your own pace.
Our Commitment to You & Our Cancellation Policy
Because these group therapy sessions may be partially funded by Medicare for eligible participants, we have to maintain a minimum group size. To help ensure that this requirement is met, we have the following refund/cancellation policy:
Cancellation within 1 week of the start of the first group session: 0% Refund.
Cancellation within 2 weeks of the start of the first group session: 50% Refund.
Cancellation prior to 2 weeks before the start of the first group session: 100% Refund.
If you miss a session once the programme has started, you can join that session with a future group. No refund or Medicare rebate is available in this case.
“You do not have to be good. … You only have to let the soft animal of your body love what it loves.”