Dr Alison Evans

I discovered mindfulness back in 2004, when working within NHS psychological therapy services in Devon. This way of ‘being’ in the world seemed an attractive idea. It became obvious as I began to move into practice, that I wanted to spend time in my life cultivating a mindful way of living. I find that mindfulness helps to bring a clarity to life – both in awakening to the detail and colour, and also the clarity that comes with a decrease in reactivity. I wanted to find ways to share mindfulness with others.

Since 2004, my work has centred around mindfulness. Teaching courses and supporting others to develop their practice is at the heart of my work. I continue to teach courses as an associate through the AccEPT clinic, based at the University of Exeter, Devon. As well as teaching mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT), I have also been teaching mindfulness-based compassion living courses (MBCL) since 2018. Over the years my mindfulness work has expanded and to include training others to teach mindfulness with a number of leading training centres in the UK and supervising mindfulness-based teachers through The Mindfulness Network.

Mindfulness-based supervision has been a particular passion for me. My research for my MSc in MBCT was on mindfulness-based supervision, which led to a published paper outlining a framework for supervision. My research for my Doctorate in Clinical Research was also about mindfulness-based supervision. Since 2015, I have been immersed in developing supervision training, supervising and supra-vising (in conjunction with The Mindfulness Network and Bangor University).

Engaging in this work in ways that are safe and maintain integrity has been important to me. Therefore, I adhere to the good practice guidelines of the British Association of Mindfulness-Based Approaches (BAMBA) and am a registered teacher with them. I am dedicated to making mindfulness-based spaces as diverse and inclusive as possible and aim to bring this commitment into all aspects of my work.  

I live and work from a small village in north Devon. I love the space and connection with nature that surrounds us in this beautiful part of the world. In many ways, this environment also supports a mindful way of living and mindfulness supports an appreciation of this place and all that it offers. I am also fascinated about bringing mindfulness right into the midst of life – into those moments of stress, busyness, along with the challenges that we face. How then does mindfulness support clarity, vividness and compassion? I continue to learn, explore and love doing this with others through my teaching, training and supervision.