CFM

David Spound, MEd is the Director of Valley Mindfulness in Northampton, Massachusetts, a company he founded in 2006. He teaches Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR), Mindful Self-Compassion (MSC), and other in-person and online programs based on these two groundbreaking courses. He also creates specialized programs for individuals and organizations, and he leads silent meditation retreats. David trained, and was certified, as a teacher of MBSR by the Center for Mindfulness at UMass Medical School, the organization founded by Jon Kabat-Zinn. David worked at the UMass Center for Mindfulness from 2006–2013 where he served as a member of the MBSR teaching staff and coordinated the MBSR teacher training and certification program.
David trained, and was certified, as a teacher of Mindful Self-Compassion by the UCSD Center for Mindfulness. Besides teaching MSC, he works on new projects and courses on behalf of the Center for Mindful Self-Compassion, the organization founded by Kristin Neff and Christopher Germer.
For David, his work as a teacher and mentor is a true labor of love. He looks forward to each unique and special opportunity to serve as a mentor for others who feel called to this work. Please feel free to be in touch with David if you have any questions about working with him.

Website: www.valleymindfulness.com

Gulwinder “Gullu” Singh is a mindfulness and Dharma teacher who also practices corporate real estate law. Although he was exposed to meditation as a child, he found his own practice when, after law school, he found himself working at high-powered law firms where the job was extremely stressful.

Gullu completed the four-year Spirit Rock Meditation Center Teacher Training Program and qualified to teach Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction. Gullu is core faculty in the Mindfulness in Law Teacher Training, the Spirit Rock Dedicated Practitioner Program, and a mentor for the Sounds True Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Certification Program. He is also a core teacher and board member for Sacred Mountain Sangha, a senior teacher at InsightLA, and a member of the guiding teacher’s council at Spirit Rock Meditation Center.

Gullu is deeply inspired to share meditation as an antidote to stress, a path to well-being and a way to inject more sanity, compassion, and wisdom into this world.

Korantema Pierce Williams is a Certified MBSR Teacher who has long served as a bridge between traditional and modern practice through consultancy at ConjureWorks, the health and wellness practice she co-owns in Richmond, Virginia. With degrees from Howard University (BS) and Saybrook University (MS, Mind-Body Medicine), Korantema facilitates MBSR training and Mindfulness classes at the InnerWork Center, Richmond, VA where she serves as Board member and faculty. Additionally, Korantema provides teacher trainer facilitation for both MBSR and MBSR Teacher Training at UC San Diego Center for Mindfulness. As a Spiritualist by training, Korantema is also known as Nana Korantema, priest in the Akom Tradition of Ghana, W. Africa for more than 20 years. Through that lens, Korantema offers leadership through healing rites for individuals and collectives; workshop facilitations imparting concepts of self-advocacy; and transformational growth and development teachings for self-preservation in both dominant and marginalized communities. Korantema facilitates audiences young, seasoned, and all ages in between, leaning into mindfulness and MBSR facilitation as impactful approaches to stress reduction, surviving trauma, and disrupting stagnant actions and thoughts.

Dr. Alia Offman, C. Psych is a registered psychologist in Ottawa, providing counselling and professional training services using MiCBT. She is a contract instructor at Carleton University, a trainer at the MiCBT Institute and teaches mindfulness skills to grade school students as a volunteer with the Mindful School Program.

Ikela Moniz-Lewis, MS, is a Clinical Psychology doctoral candidate at the University of New Mexico (UNM) and a National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism Pre-Doctoral Fellow at the UNM Center for Alcohol Substance Use and Addiction. He has over ten years of personal mindfulness practice and many years of experience delivering MBRP in a variety of treatment contexts. His research and clinical work primarily focuses on the processes by which mindfulness-based interventions support recovery for individuals with substance use disorders, particularly those from underserved communities.

Trish Magyari, MS, LCPC is a Certified MBSR teacher, mindfulness-based psychotherapist and Insight Meditation teacher who has taught the MBSR course over 70 times, specializing in trauma, chronic pain, illness, disability, anxiety, depression and grief. Trish completed the UMASS MBSR Teacher Development Intensive (TDI) under the direction of Jon Kabat-Zinn in 2000, as well as MBCT teacher training in 2003 and MSC teacher training in 2015. She served as Director of MBSR at the University of Maryland Center for Integrative Medicine (UM-CIM) and since 2003 has offered a professional MBSR/mindfulness-based therapy practicum, apprenticeship and supervision. Trish has developed the curriculum for and led the MBSR intervention in clinical trials at the NIH, UM-CIM, and Johns Hopkins Hospital for people with chronic pain conditions, for HIV positive urban youth, and for adults with PTSD from childhood sexual abuse. Trish is also a registered yoga teacher and certified LifeForce Yoga practitioner, specializing in yoga for anxiety, depression and PTSD. She has a passion for supporting developing teachers in reaching their professional goals and draws on her experience of providing almost 1000 hours of one-on-one supervision to graduate counseling students at the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health.

Mark A. Lau, PhD, R Psych is a registered psychologist in private practice at the Vancouver CBT Centre, a Clinical Associate Professor of Psychiatry at the University of British Columbia, a Founding Fellow of both the Academy of Cognitive Therapy and the Canadian Association of Cognitive and Behaviour Therapies and a Certified Trainer/Consultant of the Academy of Cognitive Therapy. Mark has over 20 years experience offering MBCT (and Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT)) in both group and individual formats. He has also trained mental health professionals in MBCT & CBT including single and multi-day professional MBCT trainings offered across North America, and abroad including Europe and Australia including. In addition, he has provided MBCT workshops to research administrators, researchers, lawyers and their support staff, academic staff and to the general public. He currently offers (along with Dr. Andrea Grabovac) a longitudinal consultation course for graduates of the 5-day MBCT Hollyhock professional training in Vancouver. He and Andrea have offered similar versions of this course for the past 6 years to mental health professionals looking for additional support in teaching MBCT. Mark was first introduced to MBCT in 1995 when he began working with Dr. Zindel Segal in Toronto to help conduct the first MBCT outcome study. He spent the next 11 years working with Dr. Segal before moving out to Vancouver in 2006. Mark has conducted research into the mechanisms underlying MBCT’s effectiveness, the development and validation of the Toronto Mindfulness Scale, and evaluating effective methods of disseminating MBCT, which has been published in scientific journals. Mark is an Associate Editor of the journal Mindfulness. Finally, he is registered to practice psychology in both British Columbia and Ontario.

Pete Kirchmer is a Life Coach, Mindful Movement Instructor and Meditation Teacher in Encinitas, CA. Pete is the mPEAK Program Director and a lead teacher in the mPEAK program. As the founder of Mindfulness Based Health, he specializes in helping his clients apply the practice of mindfulness to making healthy lifestyle changes as well as improving performance in both work and life. Pete has completed the foundational training as a Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) Teacher through the University of Massachusetts Oasis Institute, holds a BS in Exercise Physiology, and is a Certified Professional Life Coach through the Coaches Training institute, Center for Applied Positive Psychology and Wellcoaches. Pete is also a Master Trainer for efi Sports Medicine and certified STOTT Pilates Instructor. He is a lifetime learner and an active member of the International Coach Federation and the Harvard Institute of Coaching. Currently Pete has a private coaching practice in Encinitas, is a regular presenter at Rancho La Puerta, a world-class wellness resort in Tecate, Mexico and is on the board of directors for the Encinitas Mindfulness Community.

Louije Kim, LMFT is a San Francisco Bay Area based dharma practitioner, teacher and licensed psychotherapist. They have completed dharma study programs including Spirit Rock’s Dedicated Practitioners and Community Dharma Leader programs, and recently graduated from Spirit Rock’s four-year Teacher Training in 2020. Louije has taught in various dharma centers locally and across the U.S. Currently, they are a part of the Asian American Buddhist Working Group, a grant-funded project seeking to promote connections between Asian American sanghas. They have been working in community mental health settings for over a decade, providing therapy to communities that are impacted by collective, political and historical traumas.

Cayce Howe, an authorized teacher in the Theravada Buddhist tradition, brings nearly 30 years of deep practice experience to the field of mindfulness and meditation. Having spent nearly six years living in meditation retreat centers, including a year-long intensive closed meditation retreat within the Karma Kagyu Tibetan Buddhist Lineage, Cayce's approach to teaching is rooted in profound personal immersion and understanding. For nearly a decade, Cayce has also led the InsightLA Long Beach Sangha, fostering a community where practitioners can explore, heal, and grow. His leadership is marked by a unique blend of empathy, wisdom, and dedication, ensuring a nurturing environment for all Sangha members. Cayce Howe's expertise in MBSR extends beyond the conventional teaching methodologies. His approach integrates a comprehensive understanding of mindfulness and meditation, resonating with a diverse range of individuals. This holistic perspective in MBSR instruction is not just about imparting techniques; it's about fostering a transformative experience. Cayce's dedication to this practice is evident in his ability to connect with and guide individuals from various backgrounds, helping them discover the profound benefits of mindfulness in their personal and professional lives.