The Inner Critic Course

Awareness, presence, and working with self-criticism

FULLY BOOKED! Next 8-Week Course Starting January 2027

Why This Course

Self criticism takes many forms. It can be the thought that you should have done more, the replay of a conversation where you feel you got it wrong, or the pressure to keep working because stopping feels unsafe.

These patterns usually serve a function: pushing for improvement, keeping you alert, or trying to prevent rejection. But the effect is often draining. It can create tension in the body, hesitation in relationships, or a constant sense of not being enough. Over time, self criticism becomes automatic, shaping choices and mood before it is even recognised.

This course offers structured time to bring these processes into awareness. By slowing down and studying how self criticism operates – its function, its effects, and the feelings it stirs – you create space to respond differently.

What We Will Work With

Each week focuses on a different aspect of self criticism. The sessions mix teaching, guided reflection, small group dialogue, and experiments. The aim is to move from automatic reaction toward recognition and choice.

1. Noticing self criticism
The work begins by paying attention to the voice of self criticism and how it appears. It can sound blunt and familiar or show up as pressure or comparison. When it is recognised and put into words, it moves from background noise to something that can be worked with.

2. Linking thoughts and the body
Criticism often registers physically: holding your breath before speaking, tightening in the jaw, or a knot in the stomach when recalling a mistake. Noticing these signals provides an early warning that self criticism is active.

3. Tracing origins
Many patterns are inherited. We explore how they may reflect family rules, school experiences, workplace demands, or cultural ideas of success. Placing them in context makes them easier to question.

4. Function and cost
Self criticism often develops to protect: keeping you prepared, accepted, or safe. But the same patterns can also erode confidence or strain relationships. Seeing both sides helps you decide when it helps and when it harms.

5. Experimenting in the group
The group is a place to notice how self criticism sounds when it is spoken aloud. A phrase such as “I should have done better” can feel heavy in the body or tighten the atmosphere of the room. When explored together, it becomes easier to hear and feel the impact.

6. Exploring alternatives
When self criticism is noticed, different words become possible. A harsh line like “You’re useless” can give way to “That didn’t go the way I hoped,” which keeps the fact without the attack. The focus is on language that allows reflection rather than punishment.

7. In relationships
Self criticism often spills into how we hear feedback, how we set expectations, and how we speak to others. Together we look at these dynamics and try more balanced responses.

8. Integration
As the group draws to a close, attention turns to what has become clearer. Patterns of self criticism are easier to recognise, and the space between thought and response has widened. Participants identify what helps them stay aware and what supports them to continue this attention in everyday life.

Outcomes

By the end of the course, participants usually:

  • Recognise self critical thoughts more quickly

  • Notice how these patterns affect the body and mood

  • Understand where the messages came from and what they try to achieve

  • Have practiced interrupting automatic responses in real time

  • Leave with usable ways of responding differently in daily situations

Payment and Practicalities

DATES

8 live online meetings of 90 minutes:

2027

All meetings are from 6.30pm – 8.00pm UK and Ireland time.

HANDBOOK

This course includes a handbook to support your learning and goals.
There is also a workbook you can download for free whether you join the course or not.

LOCATION

Zoom (link on booking)

GROUP SIZE

Up to 20 participants

COST

£240 with payment plans available

Note on pricing:
The group is priced to balance sustainability with accessibility. It recognises the commitment of a facilitated professional space while keeping the cost manageable for those who want to take part. If cost is the only barrier, please get in touch to discuss options.

Commitment and Contribution

This course is participatory, but participation looks different for each person. Sometimes it means sharing a short reflection. Sometimes it means listening with attention. Both are part of the group.

You are always free to choose how much or how little you share. Nobody is expected to go beyond their own comfort level.

We ask everyone to respect the group by listening carefully, not moving into advice or solutions, and being mindful about how personal stories are spoken about outside the sessions. While complete confidentiality cannot be guaranteed, we encourage a spirit of care and discretion.

The strength of the group comes from what we create together. Each person’s presence, whether in words or in listening, contributes to the whole.