About us
We aim to make mindfulness accessible to as many people as possible. Through teaching, training and research we aim to share the life-enhancing benefits arising from mindfulness with integrity, innovation and passion.
Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) has a promising evidence base for a wide range of physical, emotional and mental health problems. It is recommended as a treatment for depression in NICE Guidelines (2004, 2009).
At the Nottingham Centre for Mindfulness (NCM), we have been providing MBCT to people accessing our clinical services since 2007. Our teachers offer this intervention in a wide range of clinical settings.
We are committed to increasing availability of MBCT through the delivery of high-quality training and supervision of MBCT teachers, so that as many people as possible benefit from this intervention. Graduates of our foundation training in MBCT are now running groups across the East Midlands and the UK.
We also provide mindfulness drop ins, workshops and courses to healthcare staff as part of initiatives to increase wellbeing, resilience and stress management in the workplace.
We are a member organisation of the ‘British Association of Mindfulness-based Approaches (BAMBA)’. Click here for details about this organisation.
We contribute to the International Mindfulness Integrity Network Working Party, an international collaborative network of mindfulness-based teacher training organisations committed to maintaining integrity and upholding training standards of mindfulness-based programs supporting transformative inner work that allows all beings to flourish in our diverse world through the practice of mindfulness. Click here for details about the IMI Network.
NCM Team
Dr Tim Sweeney
Tim Sweeney is a mental health nurse and accredited CBT therapist, completing his Postgraduate Diploma in Cognitive Therapy at Oxford Cognitive Therapy Centre in 2006. He is an experienced MBCT teacher and trainer and is employed in Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust as the clinical lead for MBCT. Tim has run MBCT groups in primary care and specialist mental health services since 2008 for people with depression and other mental health problems.
In 2016 Tim completed a PhD with the University of Nottingham focusing on the relationship between mindfulness and depression and since then has continued to work as a researcher in the mindfulness field. Tim is also a teacher & trainer with the University of Oxford’s Mindfulness Foundation. He has extensive experience of MBCT training and supervision both in the UK and internationally. He was the chair of the British Association of Mindfulness-based Approaches in 2018-19.
Liz Garner
Liz Garner is a Mindfulness Based Advanced Practitioner at the Nottingham Centre for Mindfulness, (NCM). She completed her MBCT training in 2012 and facilitated MBCT groups for patients with recurrent depression for 9 years prior to her current role. She is the MBCT Foundation Training Lead for NCM and co-created the mindfulness for Staff Wellbeing Service in Nottinghamshire Healthcare Trust. She teaches MBCT for depression, MBCT for Life and Mark William’s new course ‘Feeling Tone: Deeper Mindfulness’. In addition to her work in NCM Liz also runs MBCTL courses for Sussex Mindfulness Centre and is an experienced MBCT supervisor.
Liz is a Registered Mental Health Nurse and an accredited Mentalisation Based Treatment (MBT) Practitioner, offering MBT in secondary care adult mental health services.
Sonia Moratto
Sonia Moratto has a Master’s degree in Teaching Mindfulness- based Approaches via Bangor University. She works within Nottinghamshire NHS Trust as a Mindfulness practitioner. She is an Occupational Therapist by background and has extensive mental health experience.
Sonia has taught MBCT in secondary mental healthcare, since 2007. She now teaches mindfulness programmes primarily in Staff Wellbeing, including MBCTD and MBCTL, plus a range of short mindfulness - based courses and tailor-made workshops.
Sonia is also a trainer within the MBCT Foundation Training and a mindfulness-based supervisor. She is interested in the breadth of mindfulness- based teachings and how they can be applied both therapeutically and in a wider social context.
Ruth Crichlow
Ruth is a mindfulness teacher, trainer, BABCP accredited Cognitive Behavioural Psychotherapist and registered mental health nurse by profession. Ruth has been practicing mindfulness meditation for around 10 years following training in teaching MBCT with Oxford Mindfulness Centre. Within the NHS Ruth has run MBCT groups both in IAPT and specialist mental health services for individuals with recurrent depression. As well as her mindfulness work, Ruth continues to work as a CBT therapist within specialist mental health services primarily with individuals with complex anxiety disorders.
Kate Feenan
View media Kate began practising mediation in 1997, she trained as a mindfulness teacher in 2014 and is now an experienced MBCT teacher. She is employed in Nottinghamshire Healthcare Trust as a Mindfulness Based Teaching Practitioner and works with the Nottingham Centre for Mindfulness. This post involves delivering training and supervision of MBCT to trainees as well as providing mindfulness groups and workshops for staff wellbeing.
Kate also provides MBCT groups for specialist mental health services, she is a registered general and mental health nurse and has a Masters’ degree in Cognitive Behavioural Psychotherapy, she continues to work as a BABCP accredited
psychotherapist across a range of clinical presentations in secondary care adult mental health services.
Joanne Lee
Jo is the Secretary for the Nottingham Centre for Mindfulness. She attained an NVQ Level 3 in Business Studies in 2013 and has twenty-four years’ service within the NHS. She is the Team’s Course Administrator and Organiser for MBCT Courses.
Associates
Jake Dartington (Teacher of mindfulness and meditation)
Jake Dartington has been practising meditation since 1995 and completed a three-year training to lead retreats with Christina Feldman.
Since 2007, he has led silent retreats at Gaia House, where he is a member of the Teacher Council. He has also trained to teach MBSR and MBCT with Bangor University (TTR 1 and 2). Jake is a retreat leader with the UK Network of Mindfulness teachers and also teaches with Bodhi College, London Insight Meditation and other organisations throughout the UK.
Since 2012, he has taught eight-week mindfulness courses for the general public in Nottingham and has also led training in a range of organisations. A former college teacher, Jake has a master’s degree in philosophy and Buddhist Studies.
Andy Phee (Mindfulness teacher)
Andy Phee is a mindfulness teacher, trainer and supervisor with a background in community mental health nursing.
He has a particular interest in mindfulness based approaches for distressing psychosis and has previously taught mindfulness in criminal justice system settings over several years.
More recently he has been teaching the Mindfulness for Life and Deeper Mindfulness courses and training people to teach the various MBCT derived curriculums.