Announcing open registration for the January session of the
Mindfulness-Based 2nd-Time Moms’ Group
Similar to the Mindfulness-Based New Moms’ Group,the 2nd-Time Moms’
Groups are a combination of meditation/discussion/support group geared
towards mothers of babies up to 6+ months of age who have one or more
older children. These groups meet for 6 weeks and provide an
opportunity for moms to talk about the joys and challenges of
integrating your newborn into your family and balancing the care needs
of two or more children, yourself, and your partner. We will practice
mindfulness skills, build community, and discuss topics relevant to
mindful mothering. Sample topics include: balancing the needs of two or
more children, helping your older child in the transition to becoming
an older sister/brother, attending to your relationship, and staying
“present” in the midst of the chaos, providing scaffolding for the
development of a positive sibling relationship, and more. While these
groups are only able to accommodate moms with newborns the groups meet
in the morning when older siblings may be in school or with another
care provider.
Having run the first time moms’ groups for 6 years now, I began
offering the 2nd-Time Moms’ Groups after several families had their 2nd
child and requested that such a group form. I participated in both a
!st and 2nd-Time Moms’ Group myself, my children are now 14 and 17, and
found them very useful in helping me stay grounded in the midst of what often felt like a storm.
The format of the group is that we begin with
a 10 to 15 minute guided meditation and then open the group up for
discussion of whatever is on the minds of the moms participating in the
group. The focus of these groups often tend to be more on the older sibling,
for example how to meet his/her needs while
tending to your newborn, but there is also a focus on building healthy
sibling relationships, maintaining connection with your partner, the
juggling act in general, hopefully some humor, and an attempt to
integrate concepts of mindfulness as this perspective can be so very
helpful in parenting and in life in general. Moms have often expressed
that it is nice to have time to connect with their newborn during these
groups since life with two little ones can often be chaotic.
A bit about these groups …
While this is not a therapy group it is a therapist-led support/discussion/meditation group facilitated by Gina Hassan, Ph.D, licensed psychologist and mother, who is an individual & couples therapist specializing in the transition to parenthood as well as a mindfulness instructor.
The group will meet for 6 weeks in Berkeley from 10:00 to 11:45. Most likely date is Monday but Fridays are also being considered.
The cost of the group is $240.00 for the 6 weeks.
Please let me know if you have any questions and/or if you are interested in reserving a space in this group.
Also, please feel free to spread the word to any other moms you may know and/or post on any list-serves you may be on. Many thanks and looking forward to getting our group going. Kind regards – Gina
Gina Hassan, Ph.D.
510.644.1097
www.ginahassan.com