Functional brain imaging (fMRI) and transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) to study affective touch and pain; neural mechanisms of pleasant touch, deep pressure, and endogenous opioid modulation; massage, osteopathic manipulation, guided imagery, and weighted blanket interventions for pain.
Laura Case, PhD, is Associate Professor in the Department of Anesthesiology at UC San Diego. Her research uses functional brain imaging, pharmacology, and sensory and behavioral testing to probe peripheral and central mechanisms of pleasant touch and pain perception. She is PI of an NCCIH R01 on mechanisms of affective touch perception, Co-I on the Neurons_MATTR U24 grant to advance the neuroscience of massage and manual therapies, and PI of a VA MERIT Award on weighted blankets for pain and sleep.
Bio
Laura Case, PhD, is Associate Professor in the Department of Anesthesiology at UC San Diego, where she directs the CASE (Case Affective and Somatosensory Experience) Lab. Her lab uses cognitive and affective neuroscience methods to understand how we experience touch as pleasant or painful, using transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), fMRI, and psychophysical testing to identify the brain areas causally involved in perceiving the affective components of C-tactile touch.
Dr. Case's research has demonstrated a role for endogenous opioids in modulating pleasant touch perception and characterized the pathways involved in affective perception of pressure, as found in hugs and massage. Her current research examines the modulatory effects of affective touch and pressure on perception of acute and chronic pain. She is PI of an NCCIH R01 on mechanisms of affective touch perception, Co-I on the Neurons_MATTR U24 grant to advance the neuroscience of massage and manual therapies, and PI of a VA MERIT Award studying weighted blankets for pain and sleep in Veterans with chronic pain.
Dr. Case is very interested in mechanisms of mind-body and touch-based therapies including massage, OMT, bioenergy healing, and guided imagery, and has a strong desire to contribute to bridging the worlds of research and complementary/integrative health practices. She received her PhD in Experimental Psychology and Cognitive Science from UC San Diego and completed postdoctoral training at the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH), NIH.
Parenting is a journey filled with joy, and it also brings moments of real emotional challenge. This first-of-its-kind online program is designed for parents and children (ages 8–12) to strengthen connection and build practical skills for meeting stress and difficult emotions with greater awareness, kindness, and resilience.
By integrating core principles of mindfulness and self-compassion, participants learn to create more space in the moment and shift from impulsive reactions to thoughtful responses.
What You’ll Learn
Create a lasting foundation of warmth, security, and trust.
Build resilience through practical self-care skills for both parent and child.
Meet difficult emotions with greater awareness, kindness, and respect.
What Is Mindfulness
Mindfulness is moment-to-moment, non-judgmental awareness. It is learning to pay attention to experience as it is in each moment. Much of our stress occurs when we operate on autopilot, which can lead to rumination and worry. Through simple practices, mindfulness can strengthen emotional resilience and support more skillful responses to life’s challenges.
Schedule and Registration
Note: CFM requires a minimum of 10 registrants per program. Classes with fewer than 10 registrants will be cancelled and provided a refund. Please be aware of this when making arrangements to attend this program.
Please note: The child must be between the ages of 8–12. If you have more than one child who wishes to participate, you must register them separately. One to two parents may attend with their child.
Cancellation Policy
A refund (minus your $50 non-refundable/non-transferable deposit) will be made for cancellations submitted in writing up to 7 days prior to the event start date by emailing mindfulness@.ucsd.edu. No refunds will be allowed within 6 days of the event start date.
Please be aware that the registration fee, deposits, and funds are non-transferable to other programs.
In the unlikely event that the course is cancelled, UC San Diego Center for Mindfulness is responsible only for a full refund of the registration fee. In regards to in-person programs, the center is not responsible for any refunds to transportation, hotel accommodations, or any miscellaneous expenses.
Refunds are processed using the same method as the original payment (unless past 180 days).
A 6-week online mindfulness and self-compassion journey for parents and children ages 8–12 to build emotional awareness, resilience, and more skillful responses to stress together.
Mariana Ampudia is a certified mindfulness instructor for kids and teens with training through the UCSD Center for Mindfulness and experience teaching school-based mindfulness programs and supporting mindful and compassionate parenting workshops.
Bio
Mariana is a certified Mindfulness Instructor for kids and teens. She took a mentoring and certification training program at the UCSD Center for Mindfulness. She also completed an intensive teacher training in the Mindfulness in Schools Education Project (MiSP .b program), a program launched in the UK, having obtained a certification to teach this dynamic, classroom-based program to middle and high school students. She is currently working to become certified to teach the Making Friends with Yourself Program, which is a Self-Compassion curriculum for teens based on the ideas and research of Kristen Neff and Christopher Germer taught at the Center for Self-Compassion. Since 2015, she has been working with the Youth and Family Programs Division at the UCSD Center for Mindfulness.
At this time, Mariana provides support in Mindful and Compassionate Parenting Workshops and will start offering training on this to parents in Mexico. Mariana strongly believes in the power of Mindfulness. This has inspired her to concentrate her studies on helping children and teens develop self-regulation, resilience and social-emotional skills that they can use for the rest of their lives. Her passion for teaching children and teens has inspired her to pursue further training in the Little Flower Yoga Program. This also motivated her to start a Stress Reduction Program where she applies her knowledge to teach in economically underdeveloped areas in Oaxaca, Mexico, where she has been teaching a multiage group of teens and pre-teens.
Mariana is a multicultural woman. She spent eight years living in Europe. This has helped her better understand how different societies work. Her native language is Spanish and she also speaks English, French and German. She spends her free time traveling and producing wine at her vineyards in Ensenada, Mexico with her husband.
Megan Prager, MA, is the Compassion Programs Director at the UC San Diego Center for Mindfulness and a certified teacher of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction and Mindful Self-Compassion. She develops and leads mindfulness and compassion-based programs for universities, healthcare systems, and organizations, with a focus on practical, evidence-based applications that support well-being and resilience.
Bio
Megan Prager, MA, serves as the Compassion Programs Director at the UC San Diego Center for Mindfulness and is the co-founder of Mindful Labs. She is a certified Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) teacher, a certified Mindful Self-Compassion (MSC) teacher, and a certified Compassion Cultivation Training (CCT) instructor. Megan is also an adjunct faculty member at San Diego State University and a lecturer at the UC San Diego Rady School of Management.
In addition to teaching mindfulness-based programs, Megan specializes in designing and delivering mindfulness and compassion trainings for Fortune 500 companies as well as for educational, healthcare, and academic settings. She currently collaborates with universities to develop and teach mindfulness and compassion courses at the collegiate level. Across all of her work, Megan is driven by a clear mission: to empower individuals to cultivate compassionate awareness and recognize their capacity to shape their own well-being.
The Short Course in Mindful Self-Compassion (SC-MSC) is a six-week adaptation of the empirically supported eight-week Mindful Self-Compassion (MSC) program, designed to introduce the core skills of self-compassion with a reduced time commitment. Developed by Kristin Neff, PhD, a pioneering researcher in self-compassion, and Christopher Germer, PhD, a leader in mindfulness- and compassion-based psychotherapy, SC-MSC offers a focused and accessible entry point into this work.
Most of us readily offer compassion to close friends when they are struggling. SC-MSC invites participants to explore what it might be like to extend that same care and understanding to themselves. Self-compassion involves learning to comfort and soothe ourselves, and to motivate ourselves with encouragement rather than self-criticism, particularly when we experience suffering, failure, or feelings of inadequacy. By recognizing our shared humanity, we learn to include ourselves in the circle of compassion we naturally offer to others.
The program draws on mindfulness skills and emphasizes cultivating self-compassion as a resource for emotional wellbeing. Research increasingly shows that self-compassion is associated with greater emotional resilience, improved coping with life challenges, lower levels of anxiety and depression, healthier habits, and more satisfying personal relationships. It is an inner strength that allows us to respond to difficulty with greater clarity, balance, and care.
Self-compassion is a learnable skill, even for those who did not develop these capacities earlier in life. Program activities include short talks, experiential exercises, group discussion, and home practices. Participants will explore habitual responses to difficulty and learn practical tools for becoming a warm and supportive companion to themselves. Meditation experience is not required. This program is open to the general public and welcomes participants of all backgrounds. You must be 18 years or older to enroll.
Note: A minimum of 10 registrants is required to run the program. Programs with fewer than 10 registrants will be cancelled and refunded.
Megan Prager, MA, is the Compassion Programs Director at the UC San Diego Center for Mindfulness and a certified teacher of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction and Mindful Self-Compassion. She develops and leads mindfulness and compassion-based programs for universities, healthcare systems, and organizations, with a focus on practical, evidence-based applications that support well-being and resilience.
Continuing Education
Continuing education credits are available for an additional $15 fee. Participants must attend all sessions to receive a certificate.
Psychologists: UC San Diego Center for Mindfulness is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. The Center maintains responsibility for this program and its content. 6.0 CE credits.
California-licensed MFTs, LPCCs, LEPs, and LCSWs: This activity is approved by the American Psychological Association. Credit hours may be applied toward license renewal through the California Board of Behavioral Sciences. 6.0 CE credits.
Nurses: UC San Diego Center for Mindfulness is approved by the California Board of Registered Nursing to sponsor continuing education. Provider Number CEP16351. 7.0 contact hours.
Cancellation Policy
A refund (minus your $50 non-refundable/non-transferable deposit) will be made for cancellations submitted in writing up to 7 days prior to the event start date by emailing mindfulness@ucsd.edu. No refunds will be allowed within 6 days of the event start date.
Please be aware that the registration fee, deposits, and funds are non-transferable to other programs.
In the unlikely event that the course is cancelled, UC San Diego Center for Mindfulness is responsible only for a full refund of the registration fee. In regards to the In-Person Programs, the center is not responsible for any refunds to transportation, hotel accommodations, or any miscellaneous expenses.
The refunds are processed in the same method as the payments were submitted (unless past 180 days).
A 6-week online course introducing the core skills of self-compassion to build emotional resilience, reduce anxiety and self-criticism, and strengthen well-being and relationships.
Helen Hyun-Chung Kim is a Certified MBSR and MBCT teacher and former psychiatrist. She brings deep compassion and clinical insight to her mindfulness teaching, supporting healing, awareness, and self-discovery.
Bio
Helen Hyun-Chung Kim is a Certified Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction and Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy teacher. In her previous life she was a board-certified psychiatrist in Korea for 15 years, serving underserved communities. During that time she witnessed profound suffering in her patients and felt drawn toward mindfulness and self-compassion as paths toward healing.
With guidance from founding director Dr. Steve Hickman, Helen joined UC San Diego’s Center for Mindfulness, where she studied a range of mindfulness-based programs with many respected teachers. Through this journey she developed a grounded foundation rooted in awareness, acceptance, ease, and compassion.
Helen is committed to sharing what she has learned with others on their own paths of healing and self-discovery, offering a warm, steady presence shaped by both clinical experience and contemplative practice.
Cheryl Shah is a Certified MBSR and MSC teacher and Workplace Program Co-Director with more than 20 years of corporate leadership experience. She brings mindfulness and self-compassion into real-world professional settings, helping individuals build resilience, clarity, and balance.
Bio
Cheryl has over 20 years of finance and corporate experience in leadership roles, working in a high-demanding career while raising two daughters. The daily stress she faced led her to conclude there must be a better way to live and work. She witnessed firsthand the negative impacts of long work hours, stress, and pressure on individuals and the emotional and mental pain suffered in the workplace.
Her extensive professional background informs her teaching, making her an accessible and compassionate guide who translates mindfulness and compassion into language that feels relevant and practical.
Cheryl first discovered meditation in college when her wandering mind created difficulties in her studies. She later learned about mindfulness through Mindful Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) in 2005 and pursued Mindful Self-Compassion (MSC) in 2010. She attended a 10-day silent Vipassana retreat in Joshua Tree in 2013 and continues retreat practice annually.
She embodies mindfulness and self-compassion through daily practice, emphasizing the power of pausing to respond with intention. Cheryl ultimately left her finance career to launch Simply Pause, supporting others in changing their relationship with stress and cultivating wiser, more compassionate lives.
Cassandra Vieten, PhD, is Clinical Professor and Director of the Center for Mindfulness at the Centers for Integrative Health in the Department of Family Medicine at UC San Diego. Her research focuses on mindfulness-based interventions, spirituality and health, and transformative experiences that support emotional well-being.
Bio
Cassandra Vieten is Clinical Professor and Director of the Center for Mindfulness at the Centers for Integrative Health in the Department of Family Medicine at UC San Diego. She is also Director of Research at the Arthur C. Clarke Center for Human Imagination and Clinical Psychology Director at the Psychedelics and Health Research Initiative at UCSD. She is Senior Advisor of the John W. Brick Mental Health Foundation where she served as Executive Director from 2019-2023, and a Senior Fellow at the Institute of Noetic Sciences, where she served as President from 2013-2019.
Her research has focused on spirituality and health, transformative experiences and practices, the development of mindfulness-based interventions for emotional well-being, and development of media technologies to inspire awe. She received her Ph.D. in clinical psychology at the California Institute of Integral Studies, and completed her research training in behavioral genetics at UC San Francisco. She has authored three books, published numerous articles in scientific journals, and is an internationally recognized keynote speaker and workshop leader.
