Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) Course

The Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program was originally developed at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center in the late 1970s by Jon Kabat-Zinn, PhD. It is an eight-week, evidence-based, highly experiential course that is currently offered at more than 250 hospitals, universities, and clinical settings in the United States and around the world.

MBSR's primary aim is to develop skills that can be flexibly applied in everyday life to stress, pain, and illness. Through experiential learning and discussion during class, as well as through daily mindfulness practice at home, participants learn and refine a range of self-regulatory skills that involve finely tuned attention to thoughts, emotions, and physical sensations.

The MBSR Program Involves:

• A group Orientation session. Orientations are offered free of charge. The Orientation is required so that you can determine if the MBSR program is a good fit for you, once you have attended an orientation, it is good for any future class with CIM. Orientations are offered in person and virtually (on Zoom).
• An eight-week program that meets once per week (on Zoom or In person) for 2.5-3 hours, consisting of:
  • Instruction and group practice of several formal mindfulness meditation practices: sitting meditation, body scanning, and mindful movement
  • Instruction and group practice of mindful hatha yoga, a series of gentle stretches and postures. Modifications and chair yoga are offered.
  • Discussion of the roles of stress, thoughts, and emotions as they may contribute to anxiety and distress, and chronic pain and illness.Daily Home Practice: meditation practice at home with the guidance of audio recordings (mp3)
  • A Retreat Day in the second half of the course.

Who Can Benefit From MBSR?

According to the American Academy of Family Physicians, up to two-thirds of all office visits to family doctors are for stress-related symptoms. Depression and anxiety symptoms are often associated with chronic illness and chronic pain and should be addressed as part of the overall management of health problems. MBSR may help reduce medical symptoms and psychological distress as well as the need for clinical services.

Potential Health Benefits of MBSR

• Reduced pain
• Reduced medical symptoms
• Improved immune system function
• Improved mental health
• Decreased stress hormones
• Improved sleep

MBSR Research

Mindfulness meditation has been researched in conjunction with:

• Chronic pain
• Anxiety
• Depression
• Cancer quality of life
• Heart disease and risks
• Stress

MBSR

MBSR courses are typically offered in the winter/early spring, summer, and fall.

Upcoming 8-week MBSR Courses

Monday Evenings (in person): 
September 29, 2025 - November 17, 2025
Time: 6:00pm - 8:30pm ET
Retreat day (in person): Saturday, March 29, 2025, 9am - 4pm ET
Teachers: Carol Greco, PhD and Kelly Beck, PhD
Fee: $350
Location: TBD (Center for Integrative Medicine or Shadyside Hospital)

Wednesday Evenings (virtual): 
October 1, 2025 - November 19th, 2025
Time: 6:00pm - 8:30pm ET
Retreat day (virtual): Saturday, March 29, 2025, 9am - 4pm ET
Teacher: Barbara Ivanko, LSW
Fee: $350
Location: Virtual

Orientation Dates

• Monday, September 8, 2025 - Carol Greco or Kelly Beck - 6-7pm In person
• Wednesday, September 10, 2025 – Barbara Ivanko – 6-7pm – Virtual
• Monday, September 15, 2025 - Carol Greco or Kelly Beck - 6-7pm In person
• Wednesday, September 24, 2025 – Barbara Ivanko – 6-7pm – Virtual

To register for one of the Orientation sessions, simply email to mindfulness@upmc.edu.

Continuing Education

Continuing education (CEU) credits (up to 20 Credits or 2.0 General CEUs) will be offered for nurses, psychologists, social workers, and licensed counselors through UPMC Western Psychiatric Hospital. There is a small fee for CEU credits.

MBSR Teachers

Orientation Sessions and MBSR Courses are led by Carol M. Greco, PhD, Barbara Ivanko, LCSW, and/or Kelly Beck, PhD.

Carol Greco, PhD, is a licensed psychologist and faculty member at the University of Pittsburgh. Dr. Greco has practiced meditation for 26 years and is certified as an MBSR teacher by the UMass Center for Mindfulness in Medicine, Health Care, and Society and Brown University Center for Mindfulness. She has taught MBSR courses at the Center for Integrative Medicine at UPMC Shadyside since 2005. Dr. Greco is a member of the Mindfulness Teacher Training Alliance and the Global Mindfulness Collaborative, and is certified to provide the following professional training courses: MBSR Essentials, MBSR Intensive Practice and Teaching.

Barbara Ivanko has been a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) for more than 20 years, and has been teaching MBSR since 2012. She received her Master’s degree in Social Work from Stony Brook University in 1994 and has a post-graduate certificate in East/West Psychology.

Kelly Beck, PhD, has practiced meditation for 10 years and is a qualified MBSR teacher who has completed all teacher-trainings at the UMass Center for Mindfulness in Medicine, Health Care, and Society. She has taught MBSR courses at the Center for Integrative Medicine since 2017.