(Online) Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction: October-December Tuesday Evenings, 6:00-8:30 p.m.
Multi-week Course | Registration opens 7/1/2025 8:00 AM PST
Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) is an eight-week program that introduces you to mindfulness practice in the form of sitting meditation, body awareness and mindful movement, modeled by Jon Kabat-Zinn, Ph.D. This class also includes a 30-minute one-on-one interview with the instructor before Class 1. Confirmation of enrollment in the class is based on the completion of both the registration as well as the 30-minute private interview with the instructor before Class 1. The first and last class may be up to 3 hours. Orientation: October 14, 2025 Class Dates: October 21-December 9, 2025 Retreat: Saturday, November 22, 9:30 a.m.- 4:30 p.m. Instructor: Nichole Proffitt
Attendance: We strongly encourage everyone to attend every class. If you know in advance or anticipate that you will need to miss two or more classes (between Class 1-Class 8), we strongly recommend that you join and register for a different cohort that works best for your schedule. (Note: The online classes are not recorded for confidentiality reasons).
Discount: UCSF faculty, staff, students, and UCSF Osher MBSR Alumni are eligible for a $35 discount and will be charged $360. Please reference our MBSR FAQ page to learn how to receive the discount. A Public-Classes scholarship may be available if you meet the financial eligibility requirements for the Community Care Fund (CCF).
- Workbook and Guided Meditations Audio Files (included in materials fee): After the Orientation session, you can expect to receive an email with information on how to access the workbook and guided meditation audio files.
Recommended Reading: We recommend reading Full Catastrophe Living (Revised Edition, 2013) by Jon Kabat-Zinn.
Home Environment: Please find a quiet, distraction-free area in your home with space for some light movement.- If you are unable to find a quiet area, using headphones may help you focus.
- Wear comfortable, loose-fitting clothing that does not bind or restrict breathing.
- Bring blankets, pillows, cushions, and a yoga mat if possible. These items are optional.
Nichole Proffitt
Nichole Proffitt, SEP, CMT-P, has been practicing and studying mindfulness and meditation since 2000, and she has been teaching mindfulness since 2006, with a focus on the cultivation of self-awareness and wisdom, stress and pain management, and loving-kindness and compassion. At the foundation of her meditation practice and her teaching is the belief that mindfulness helps us grow a more skillful relationship to the present moment, thereby allowing us to show up more fully for the joys and sorrows of our lives, equally.
In addition to teaching Mindfulness and Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) throughout UCSF, Nichole works in private practice as a Somatic Experiencing Practitioner and Certified Mindfulness Teacher, offering trauma-informed and mindfulness-based interventions to clients addressing a range of wellness issues, including acute anxiety and stress, addiction recovery, healing from trauma, chronic illness, and grief and loss. She also teaches workshops and retreats and offers mindfulness-based programs at various institutions and organizations throughout the Bay Area.
Education and Training
- Somatic Experiencing and Trauma Therapy (SEP), Trauma Healing Institute
- Certified Mindfulness Teacher-Professional (CMT-P), International Mindfulness Teachers Association
- Certified Mindfulness Facilitator (CMF), Certification in Mindfulness Facilitation
Mindful Awareness Research Center, Semel Institute of Neuroscience and Human Behavior, UCLA - BA, Interdisciplinary Psychology, Fairhaven College, Western Washington University