Instructor

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.

Steven Hickman, PsyD is a clinical psychologist and retired Associate Clinical Professor in the UC San Diego Departments of Family Medicine & Public Health and Psychiatry. He is the Founding Director of the UC San Diego Center for Mindfulness and the Executive Director of the non-profit Center for Mindful Self-Compassion. Dr. Hickman teaches Mindful Self-Compassion around the world and trains teachers of that program and Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction, in addition to speaking and teaching on the topic of teaching mindfulness-based programs. Steve is particularly interested in supporting men in developing greater self-compassion and mindfulness and is involved in projects to develop these capacities in Olympic-class athletes, first-responders and active duty military.

Gabrielle Hammond (Movement Teacher | Qigong) has been practicing as an acupuncturist and doctor of Taoist and Traditional Chinese Medicine for past 28 years, under the tutelage of a 64th generation Taoist Master Chang Yi Hsiang, who initiated her journey into contemplative arts, meditation, and qigong practice at a young age. Gabrielle continues to teach and practice qigong over 35 years later as the bedrock of her healing practice. She loves working with plants, both as an herbalist in healing and in the more subtle and energetic way we are connected with plants as allies. This love of plants has morphed into a love for Meditative Tea Ceremony as a heart practice.

She has been practicing Vipassana meditation for 15 years and practices silent meditation retreats annually. She has completed Spirit Rock’s two-year Dedicated Practitioner Program and Sacred Mountain Sangha’s two-year Dharmapala Training with Thanissara and Kittisaro. Her personal daily practice includes sitting, tea ceremony, qigong, and chanting. She has a particular interest in devotional expression of the Dharma and bringing it alive to people and beings in health or creative crisis.

Joel Grow, PhD is a clinical psychologist at the Seattle Mindfulness Center and lead trainer of Mindfulness-Based Relapse Prevention (MBRP).  His research interests include clinical applications of mindfulness meditation, primarily in the areas of anxiety, trauma, and addictive behaviors.  He has extensive experience teaching in the university setting, and was awarded the University of Washington “Award for Teaching Excellence.”  He co-facilitates MBRP groups in both private and community treatment settings.