Tuesday, March 22, 2011

Taxpayers to fund Buddhist-inspired stress course for civil servants

By Don Butler, Postmedia News March 21, 2011

OTTAWA — Stressed-out employees at Justice Canada in Ottawa will soon be able to seek relief in a taxpayer-funded program that uses the Buddhist concept of mindfulness to help them cope with personal and workplace pressures.  The department invited bids last week for two nine-week "mindfulness-based stress reduction" sessions designed to help up to 40 public servants "learn to relate more consciously and compassionately to the challenges of work and personal life."  According to Justice Canada's request for proposals, the program will help employees "deal more effectively with difficult thought and emotions that can keep you feeling stuck in everyday life.  "The practice of mindfulness can support you to work with and understand the nature of your thought and perceptions so that you can take control and responsibility for your health and well-being," the document says.  The maximum budget for each of the two sessions is $11,000 plus GST. The request for proposals gives the department the option of adding four more sessions later this year, which would increase the cost by up to $44,000.

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