Annie Allen, PhD, LSW is a psychotherapist, researcher, and teacher of mindfulness and compassion.
As a psychotherapist, I work at GKSW Psychotherapy with adults and teens struggling with anxiety, depression, grief, relationship difficulties, life transitions, and identity issues.
As a researcher and educator, I have been studying teaching and learning in and out of schools for 25 years, with a focus on how systems can be more humane and informed by expertise from community-based knowledge and research evidence. I have taught on the faculty at the University of Rochester and the University of Colorado Boulder.
As a longtime student of buddhist psychology and wisdom and compassion practices, I am committed to sharing these practical and transformative approaches with others. I am also a Certified Teacher of the Mindful Self-Compassion program.
Individual & Couples Therapy
I view psychotherapy as fundamentally collaborative – our work together is shaped by you and what you bring to each session. I draw from many therapeutic approaches, including psychodynamic, interpersonal, cognitive-behavioral, mindfulness-based, and trauma-informed. Working with couples wanting to improve relationship dynamics, I bring approaches from the Gottmans, and emotionally- and developmentally-focused methods to help you understand your own expereinces and communicate in ways that lead to more healing, connection, and individual and relational growth.
Mindfulness Courses
As a longtime student of buddhist psychology and wisdom and compassion practices, I am committed to sharing these practical and transformative approaches with others. I am a Certified Teacher of the Mindful Self-Compassion program, developed by Drs. Kristen Neff and Chris Germer.
I lead experiential and psychoeducational workshops and courses on mindfulness, loving-kindness and compassion practices.
Fall 2026
Mindful Self-Compassion Program
Annie Allen, PhD, LSW
September 21 - November 9, 6:30—9:00pm, 8 Monday evenings plus half-day mindfulness retreat: October 24th
Location: Summit Presbyterian Church, NW Philadelphia
Investment: $525
Early-bird registration is $495 by 9/8; a limited number of adjusted fee spots available
Open to all, application and registration required
24 CE’s available ((see below)
Mindful Self-Compassion 8 week course
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Overview
The Mindful Self-Compassion (MSC) program is an 8-week group course designed to cultivate the skill of self-compassion. Grounded in the research of Kristin Neff, PhD, and the clinical expertise of Christopher Germer, PhD, the MSC program leads participants through the core principles and practices that help us bring kindness to our struggles, and experience more connection and resilience in our lives.
Self-compassion can be learned by anyone, and provides emotional strength and resilience, allowing us to admit our shortcomings, motivate ourselves with kindness, forgive ourselves when we mess up, relate wholeheartedly and courageously with others, and live more authentically.
Research shows that self-compassion is strongly associated with emotional well-being, lower levels of anxiety and depression, healthy habits such as diet and exercise, and more satisfying personal relationships.
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What will you learn
This program will support you to:
Practice self-compassion in daily life
Understand the empirically-supported benefits of self-compassion
Motivate yourself with kindness rather than criticism
Handle difficult emotions with greater ease
Transform challenging relationships, old and new
Manage caregiver fatigue
Practice the art of savoring and appreciation
With self-compassion, we can motivate ourselves with encouragement, forgive ourselves when needed, face and befriend our shortcomings, care for others while caring for ourselves, and live more authentically.
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Course Details
The Mindful Self-Compassion (MSC) course includes 8 weekly sessions of 2.5 hours , and one half-day mindfulness retreat. Each week builds on the previous one and participants who register for the course should be able to attend all or most of the 8 sessions. Program activities include guided meditation, short talks, experiential exercises, group discussion, and home practices.
The goal is for participants to directly experience self-compassion and learn practices that evoke self-compassion in daily life. MSC is primarily a compassion training program that cultivates mindfulness as the foundation for compassion for self and others.
Prerequisites: The Mindful Self-Compassion program can benefit those we are new to mindfulness practices and also experienced meditators. No previous experience with meditation is required. Registration for the course is required, and participants are asked to provide background information when they register. For more information on MSC, please see www.CenterForMSC.org.
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Continuing Education Units
This course is open to the general public.
If you are a mental health professional, 24 CE credits are available with this course.
Pennsylvania social workers, marriage and family therapists, and professional counselors: This program is approved by the APA through the UC San Diego Center for Mindfulness. The APA is a pre-approved provider of courses and workshops for PA social workers (see PA code Section 47.36), marriage and family therapists (PA code Section 48.36), and professional counselors (PA code Section 49.36).
From UC San Diego Center for Mindfulness
Psychologists: Continuing Education Credit for this program is provided by UC San Diego Center for Mindfulness. The UC San Diego Center for Mindfulness is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. The UC San Diego Center for Mindfulness maintains responsibility for this program and its content. This course offers 24.0 hours of credit.
California licensed MFTs, LPCCs, LEPs, LCSWs: Continuing Education Credit for this program is provided by UC San Diego Center for Mindfulness. The UC San Diego Center for Mindfulness is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. 24.0 contact hours may be applied to your license renewal through the California Board of Behavioral Sciences. For those licensed outside California, please check with your local licensing board to determine if APA accreditation meets their requirements.
Nurses: UC San Diego Center for Mindfulness is approved by the California Board of Registered Nursing, Provider Number CEP16351, for 28.75 contact hours.
Winter 2027
6 week Mindful Self-Compassion course (online)
January 22 - January 26, 2027, Fridays at noon—1:00
Annie Allen, PhD, LSW and Maria Cimino, LICSW
Location: Online by zoom
Investment: $295
Open to all, application and registration required
6 CE’s (APA-approved) available for interested participants with full attendance and processing fee
Mindful Self-Compassion Short Course (MSC-SC)
6-Week
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The Mindful Self-Compassion Short Course (MSC-SC) is a 6-week adaptation of the full 8-week program. Grounded in the research of Kristin Neff, PhD, and the clinical expertise of Christopher Germer, PhD, the MSC program leads participants through the core principles and practices that help us bring kindness to our struggles, and experience more connection and resilience in our lives.
Self-compassion can be learned by anyone, and provides emotional strength and resilience, allowing us to admit our shortcomings, motivate ourselves with kindness, forgive ourselves when we mess up, relate wholeheartedly and courageously with others, and live more authentically.
Research shows that self-compassion is strongly associated with emotional well-being, lower levels of anxiety and depression, healthy habits such as diet and exercise, and more satisfying personal relationships.
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At the completion of this course, participants should be able to:
Articulate the basic theoretical underpinnings and research findings related to self-compassion
Develop and apply self-compassion practices to motivate themselves with encouragement rather than self-criticism
Develop the capacity to contend with challenges and difficulties through awareness of self-kindness, common humanity and mindfulness.
Apply core self-compassion practices into daily lifeThis program is designed for members of the general public, based on the values of equity, diversity, inclusiveness and belonging.
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The Short Course in Mindful Self-Compassion includes 6 weeks of 90-minute sessions. Program activities include short talks, experiential exercises, group discussion, and home practices.
Meditation experience is not necessary to participate in SC-MSC. All are welcome!
SC-MSC is an opportunity to explore how we typically respond when difficulties arise in our lives and to learn tools for becoming a warm and supportive companion to ourselves.
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6 CE credits are available for available for this course.
Pennsylvania social workers, marriage and family therapists, and professional counselors: This program is approved by the APA through the UC San Diego Center for Mindfulness. The APA is a pre-approved provider of courses and workshops for PA social workers (see PA code Section 47.36), marriage and family therapists (PA code Section 48.36), and professional counselors (PA code Section 49.36).
Nurses, Psychologists and MFTs, LPCCs, LEPs, LCSWs:
Nurses: UC San Diego Center for Mindfulness is approved by the California Board of Registered Nursing, Provider Number CEP16351, for 7.0 CE credit
Psychologists: Continuing Education Credit for this program is provided by UC San Diego Center for Mindfulness. The UC San Diego Center for Mindfulness is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. The UC San Diego Center for Mindfulness maintains responsibility for this program and its content. This course offers 6.0 CE credits.
California licensed MFTs, LPCCs, LEPs, LCSWs: Continuing Education Credit for this program is provided by UC San Diego Center for Mindfulness. 6.0 CE credit may be applied to your license renewal through the California Board of Behavioral Sciences. For those licensed outside California, please check with your local licensing board to determine if CE credit is accepted.
Testimonials from MSC course participants
"Annie's MSC course has supported a fundamental, lasting shift in my ability to integrate and deploy a number of central coping skills vital for healthy daily living. The self-soothing, grounding, and perspective-shifting techniques of MSC have become central features in more successful, more sustainable management of multiple chronic health conditions for me. Annie is enormously skilled as a steady steward, gifted at creating and maintaining supportive space for risk-taking, curiosity, and true learning at a pace that supports both integration and exploration of the material. My gratitude for the coursework, and explicitly for Annie's particular teaching style of MSC, is expansive; I encourage everyone who feels drawn to this course to attend. Far from a noun, mindful self-compassion is a powerful verb I wish the entire world could become intimately grounded in."
Greta
“I looked forward to each and every time our MSC group met! I learned the most simple tools for soothing myself in the middle of a hectic day which has been invaluable! The guided meditations are simply blissful and I just can't get enough. Annie and Anne offer such a warm and welcoming presence and did a wonderful job holding space for us participants to share about our experiences safely. It was an incredible and transformative experience and I wholeheartedly recommend this course.”
Pamela
“This course was outstanding and extremely well run - structured with a variety of materials both didactic and active, it never “got old”. As a clinical social worker (therapist), I was delighted by how much the material was both personally and professionally useful.”
Michael
“This class was alive, covering huge topics in human-sized portions. I’ve taken it twice and will probably do it again... The practices, teaching and small group sharing all contributed to shifting my awareness and attitudes. Another layer of the habits of defense, judgment and bracing for the unknown have been peeled away.”
Alisa