This opening module builds foundational awareness of how anxiety and depression manifest across thoughts, emotions, body sensations, and behaviors. Helping professionals will explore the common syndromes and overlapping features of these conditions while learning to identify and describe moment-to-moment experiences. This awareness forms the basis for integrating mindfulness practices into both personal and client work.

Learning outcomes:

• Identify overlapping features of anxiety and depression across cognitive, emotional, somatic, and behavioral domains.
• Describe and label internal experiences with clarity.
• Apply foundational mindfulness practices to build present-moment awareness.

Resources & Practices: 

• Video lessons:
  • Foundations and common elements of mindfulness training
  • The elements of depression and anxiety - overlapping syndromes
  • Recognize, name, and parse the components of experience
• Practice: Web of Reactivity (with downloadable worksheet).
• Practice: 3-Minute Breathing Space (guided and self-directed audio).
• Reflection tools: Practice Check-In and Learning Check-In.

In this module, you will learn how experiential avoidance—while providing short-term relief—can reinforce distress and limit growth in people struggling with anxiety and depression. You’ll explore the concepts of psychological flexibility and decentering, gaining tools to step back from overwhelming thoughts and emotions and to guide clients in doing the same. You’ll also learn how to distinguish between narrative and experiential self-referencing, and why this distinction matters for reducing rumination and cultivating presence. Using the window of tolerance framework, you’ll practice mindfulness and grounding strategies that expand your own capacity for regulation and prepare you to introduce these same practices to clients in safe and effective ways.

Learning outcomes:

• Recognize the role of experiential avoidance and its impact on mental health.
• Apply principles of psychological flexibility and decentering in clinical or therapeutic contexts.
• Identify when clients are inside or outside their window of tolerance and apply grounding strategies accordingly.
• Practice responsive breathing for regulating reactive states.
  

Resources & Practices:

• Video lessons:
  • The power of experiential avoidance
  • Psychological flexibility and de-centering
  • Window of tolerance
  • Narrative and experiential self-referencing
• Practice: Challenging Sensations Exercise.
• Practice: Responsive Breathing Space (guided audio).
• Reflection tools: Practice Check-In and Learning Check-In.

In this module, you’ll learn how resistance to painful experiences can intensify suffering, and how compassion can ease and transform it. You’ll explore the role of self-compassion in reducing harsh self-criticism, rumination, and rigid self-views. Through guided reflections and compassion-based practices, you’ll strengthen your own capacity for acceptance and learn practical ways to help clients facing anxiety and depression cultivate the same skills.

Learning outcomes:

• Define compassion and self-compassion and articulate their clinical benefits.
• Apply compassion-based practices to reduce resistance and self-criticism.
• Support clients in cultivating attitudes of kindness, acceptance, and care.
• Experience compassion as both a personal resource and a relational practice to model in client work.
  

Resources & Practices:

• Video lessons:
  • Describing compassion and its benefits
  • Decreasing resistance can reduce suffering
• Practice: “How Would You Treat a Friend?” reflection.
• Practice: Self-Compassion Break (guided audio + self-guided).
• Practice: Giving and Receiving Compassion (guided audio + self-guided).
• Reflection tools: Practice Check-In and Learning Check-In.

In this module, you’ll learn how to help clients identify and strengthen the internal and external resources that sustain resilience over time. You’ll explore practical strategies for nervous system regulation and long-term integration of mindfulness tools. Through guided breathing, intention-setting, and resourcing practices, you’ll build your own capacity for stability while gaining approaches to support clients in maintaining progress beyond treatment.

Learning outcomes:

• Identify internal and external resources that support resilience and regulation.
• Apply breath-based and grounding practices to balance nervous system states.
• Integrate mindfulness tools into daily life and professional practice through intention and goal-setting.
• Support long-term resilience in yourself and your clients by sustaining mindfulness as an ongoing resource.
  

Practices:

• Video lessons:
  1. Identifying and using resources for anxious or depressive states.
  2. Describing compassion and its benefits
  3. Decreasing resistance can reduce suffering
• Practice: Prolonging the Exhale & Conscious Connected Breathing (guided audio).
• Practice: Intention and Goal-Setting.
• Practice: Resourcing Yourself.
• Reflection tools: Practice Check-In and Learning Check-In.
• Closing summary & integration guidance.

• Access to a member library that includes comprehensive video modules providing learning and practices in mindfulness-based anxiety and depression care.
• Experienced instructor with a specialized focus on MBSR and mindfulness.
• A digital library of practices, transcripts, readings, and reference materials
• Certificate of completion and digital credential validating your skills and knowledge gained from the course

With any course or membership purchase, we have a 30-day refund policy from the day of purchase.

While the Mindfulness Tools for Anxiety and Depression course is not a facilitator training course, it does provide you with a digital credential acknowledging that you have learned the theory and have experienced the practices. After taking the course, you can use the practices and activities in your work.

Yes, you have access to Mindful Institute’s team of experts in mental health and mindfulness.

No. While this course covers material helpful for health professionals, coaches and practitioners, this course is accessible to anyone interested in learning more about mindfulness for supporting anxiety and depression.

Many of our courses, workshops, and events qualify for continuing education requirements and have been accepted by various professional associations as CEUs. We recommend checking with your association to see if this course qualifies. We are happy to provide any supporting information.

This is an on-demand course that provides indefinite access. You can start or finish the course whenever you choose, and there are no time restrictions.

Since the course is on-demand and online, participants can take it from anywhere in the world at any convenient time.

Upon completion, participants will receive a certificate of completion and have the option to obtain a digital credential.

A digital credential is a digital confirmation of your accomplishments. It will enable you to showcase your achievement to your network, validate your qualifications to potential employers, and communicate a detailed description of the work involved in earning your certification.

The 60-day free trial membership provides access to 300+ on-demand course and workshop CE hours, live events, resources and member community.

After the 60-day trial period, the membership switches to a monthly subscription for continued membership access. There is no commitment, so you can cancel anytime.

The monthly membership subscription provides access to 300+ on-demand course and workshop CE hours, live events, resources and member community. There is no commitment, so you can cancel anytime.

For those who purchase a course, you have lifetime access to the course and a membership is not required.