MBCT for your patients.
NICE-recommended, locally delivered.
A structured eight-week Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy course for patients with persistent low mood, anxiety, or stress. Delivered online via Zoom. Simple to refer, no administrative burden.
Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy is one of the most researched psychological interventions available. It is recommended by NICE for the prevention of depressive relapse and has a growing evidence base for treatment-resistant depression, anxiety, and stress in primary care populations.
The course is delivered by James Wittering, a trained MBCT teacher certified by the Oxford Mindfulness Foundation, in small groups of up to 16 via Zoom. The cost to the patient is £100 for the full eight weeks, around £11 per session, making it accessible to most people. Funded places are available in some circumstances. Contact us to discuss.
We handle all patient contact and onboarding from the point of referral. Your role is to submit the referral form. We take it from there.
As effective as antidepressants.
At under £100 per patient.
A 2024 study published in The Lancet Psychiatry found that MBCT was as effective as antidepressants for people with difficult-to-treat depression, and cost-effective at under £100 per patient. The course used in the study followed the standard Oxford MBCT format: eight weekly sessions, one day of practice, structured home learning, and group facilitation by trained teachers.
Around 50 percent of patients continue to experience symptoms after NHS Talking Therapies. MBCT is an accessible, evidence-based next step for that group.
Read the University of Surrey researchWhat this offers
your patients and your practice
Suitable patients
and those who may not be ready
- Patients with persistent symptoms following NHS Talking Therapies
- Individuals with recurrent depressive episodes seeking relapse prevention
- People experiencing chronic stress or anxiety who are functioning but struggling
- Patients reluctant to begin or continue antidepressant medication
- Those with sufficient stability to engage in a group learning environment
- Patients motivated to practise at home between sessions
- Those in acute crisis or requiring immediate psychiatric intervention
- Patients with active suicidal ideation who have not been stabilised
- Individuals with significant substance dependency that is unmanaged
- People whose current presentation would make group participation unsafe
If you are unsure whether a patient is suitable, email james@witteringwellbeing.co.uk before submitting a referral. A brief conversation is enough to work out the right next step.
What your patient
will experience
The eight-week course follows the standard Oxford MBCT curriculum, adapted for online delivery. Each weekly session combines guided mindfulness practice, a short teaching on that week's theme, and group discussion. The discussion is reflective rather than therapeutic. Participants share what they notice in their practice, not personal histories or clinical details.
Between sessions, patients practise daily using guided audio recordings, typically twenty to forty-five minutes. The home practice is where the neurological change happens. The weekly session provides structure; the daily practice does the work.
The programme includes a five-hour day of practice, typically after week six. Longer periods of sitting, walking, and body scan meditation, mostly in silence. It is the session most participants say they did not expect to value and ended up valuing most.
- Eight weekly sessionsTwo hours and fifteen minutes each, Tuesday evenings via Zoom
- One day of practiceFive hours, typically after week six, via Zoom
- Daily home practiceGuided audio recordings, twenty to forty-five minutes
- Group sizeUp to 16 participants per cohort
- TeacherJames Wittering, Oxford Mindfulness Foundation certified
- Next cohortTuesday 29th October 2026
- Cost to patient£100 for the full course
James is qualified as an MBCT teacher through the Oxford Mindfulness Foundation and has been delivering the Mindfulness for Life programme since 2021. He has worked with self-referrals, NHS referrals, and employer-funded participants across a range of backgrounds and presentations.
He also runs Wittering SUP, a paddleboarding school on the River Avon in Worcestershire, and is a certified Blue Health Facilitator with the Academy of Surfing Instructors. His approach is patient, direct, and accessible to people with no prior experience of mindfulness.
For clinical queries about suitability or the programme format, contact james@witteringwellbeing.co.uk directly.
Ready to make a referral?
The referral form takes two minutes. We confirm receipt and contact your patient directly. If you have questions before referring, email James and he will get back to you.