Seminars and Workshops
Buddhist Psychology Lecture Series: Conversations at the Edge
September 2011 - May 2012. Monday Evenings, 7:45 PM - 9:45 PM, Arlington, Massachusetts
Co-sponsored with The Arlington Center.
Returning for a seventh year, this monthly CE program is intended for psychotherapists who are interested in Buddhist psychology, meditation, or mindfulness. Each lecture will address theoretical and clinical issues at the interface of mindfulness and psychotherapy, with topics ranging from trauma treatment to self-compassion to the latest research in neuroscience.
These evenings offer an opportunity to gather with colleagues in an informal setting to explore the leading edges of Buddhist psychology and modern psychotherapy. Most lecturers are long-term meditation practitioners with specific areas of clinical expertise. Didactic presentations will be followed by Q&A and discussion, moderated by Tom Pedulla, LICSW.
2 CE’s are offered each evening to psychologists, social workers, nurses, LMFTs and LMHCs.
See Details.
Buddhist Psychology Film Series
October 2011 - May 2012. Saturday Evenings, 7:00 PM - 10:00 PM, Arlington, Massachusetts
Co-sponsored with The Arlington Center.
This monthly series offers the audience a lively and entertaining learning experience. The emotional challenges of everyday life, especially those found in relationships, will be brought vividly to life through the medium of film. Afterwards, a faculty member of the Institute for Meditation and Psychotherapy will lead a discussion focused on how Buddhist psychology and mindfulness practice can illuminate and alleviate these different forms of suffering. Attendees will learn and understand core ideas of Buddhist psychology, such as clear seeing, interconnectedness, and self-compassion.
3 CE’s are offered each evening to psychologists, social workers, nurses, licensed marriage and family therapists, and licensed mental health counselors.
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Mindfulness and Psychotherapy
February 4 - March 30, 2012
An 8-Week Interactive Online Continuing Education Course sponsored by the National Institute for the Clinical Application of Behavioral Medicine.
This intensive online course taught by Ronald Siegel, PsyD explores the use of mindfulness to enhance therapeutic relationships and enrich psychotherapy. Participants will learn to practice mindfulness themselves; to use mindfulness to work with loneliness, alienation, illness and loss; and to apply mindfulness to the treatment of depression, anxiety, chronic pain, and childhood distress. There will be extensive opportunities for peer and teacher feedback regarding both personal and professional applications of mindfulness practices.
CE’s are offered to physicians (up to 24), psychologists (24), counselors/educators (24), nurses (26.4), social workers (24), and family therapists (24).
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Meditation and Psychotherapy: Practicing Compassion for Self and Others
May 11-12, 2012. Boston Park Plaza Hotel, Boston, Massachusetts
Offered by Harvard Medical School and the Cambridge Health Alliance.
This course will explore how principles and practices of meditation, especially acceptance and compassion, can be integrated into patient care and support the therapist’s own wellbeing. Through didactic lectures, questions and answers, and panel discussions, it will explore conditions that support or hinder compassion in psychotherapy; examine the neurobiological processes of awareness and acceptance; trace the historical roots of compassion mind training; and discuss how to cultivate a compassionate response to suffering and implement self-compassion as an antidote to compassion fatigue. The course will also examine the use of acceptance and compassion oriented approaches, including dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), and internal family systems (IFS) in treating children, adolescents, adults, and couples. It is intended for health and mental health clinicians, researchers, educators, and others interested in learning more about the benefits of meditation for their patients and for themselves.
14 CE’s are offered to physicians, psychologists, social workers, family therapists, nurses, counselors and educators.
The Power of Mindfulness: Inside & Outside The Therapy Hour
January 26-27, 2012. Ann Arbor, Michigan
February 3-4, 2012. Dallas, Texas
March 15-16, 2012. Bloomington, Minnesota
April 12-13, 2012. Raleigh, North Carolina
Sponsored by the Institute for the Advancement of Human Behavior.
Day One: Mindfulness for Personal and Interpersonal Fulfillment is designed to help you to understand mindfulness practice theoretically and experientially and see how it can enrich and enliven your life both inside and outside of the therapy hour. We will explore how mindfulness practice can help us to deal with an ever-changing, uncertain world filled with complicated interpersonal relationships, and investigate the role of mindfulness in working with loneliness, alienation, illness and loss. You’ll gain insights from both scientific and Buddhist Psychology into paths and obstacles to greater well-being.
Day Two: Mindfulness-Based Clinical Interventions will focus on the integration of mindfulness practice into psychotherapy. First we'll examine how mindfulness practice can enhance therapeutic presence and transform understanding of the causes of psychological suffering. We will then discuss when and how to introduce various mindfulness techniques to our clients or patients. Special techniques for treating depression, anxiety, chronic pain, stress-related medical disorders and childhood distress will be introduced.
12 CE’s are offered to psychologists, social workers, nurses, licensed marriage and family therapists, and licensed mental health counselors.
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Mindful Self-Compassion: Core Skills Training
5-day intensive with Christopher Germer, PhD and Kristin Neff, PhD.
February 12-17, 2012. Esalen Institute, Big Sur, California
June 17-22, 2012. Kripalu Center, Stockbridge, Massachusetts
August 19-23, 2012. Hollyhock Learning Center, Cortes Island, BC, Canada
Sept 30-Oct 5, 2012. Omega Institute, Rhinebeck, New York
This workshop is intended for a general audience, although healthcare professionals will learn skills that they can integrate into their clinical work. It is an intensive version of the empirically-validated 8-week Mindful Self-Compassion (MSC) training developed and researched by the teachers.
Self-compassion is the foundation of emotional healing and it’s a skill that can be learned by anyone. Recent research has shown that self-compassion greatly enhances emotional wellbeing, reduces anxiety and depression, and helps individuals maintain healthy life habits. Participants will learn:
- what self-compassion is and isn’t
- how to enhance mindfulness with self-compassion
- self-compassion practices for daily life
- how to motivate yourself with encouragement rather than criticism
- the art of loving-kindness meditation
- how to handle difficult emotions with greater ease
- how to savor your life
CE’s are offered to mental health professionals at all workshop sites.
See details by clicking on the events above.
Mindfulness in Psychotherapy: Cultivating Wisdom and Compassion
April 28, 2012. Massachusetts School of Professional Psychology, Boston, Massachusetts
Daylong Master Series workshop with Christopher Germer, PhD.
Co-sponsored by Harvard Medical School, BI Deaconess and MMHC, BBSI, and MSPP.
What personal attributes and qualifications do we look for in a psychotherapist? When we’re suffering, we’re likely to seek out someone who is compassionate (able to sustain empathic connection in the midst of suffering) and wise (having a deep understanding of how to live life well). Indeed, it’s difficult to imagine benefiting from a therapist who is unwise or uncompassionate. But what exactly are compassion and wisdom in the context of psychotherapy? Can we cultivate these life-enhancing qualities in and outside the therapy hour? And if so, how? This workshop will explore the theory, research, and essential skills, especially mindfulness and self-compassion, for deliberately cultivating wisdom and compassion in psychotherapy.
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Self-Compassion: Essential Skills Training
May 14-15, 2012. 6-9 PM, The Arlington Center, Arlington, Massachusetts
Two evenings with Kristin Neff, PhD and Christopher Germer, PhD.
The workshop is intended for a general audience, although professional participants will learn skills that they can integrate into their clinical work. It is a condensed version of the empirically-validated 8-week Mindful Self-Compassion (MSC) training developed by the teachers.
Self-compassion is an emotional skill that can be learned by anyone. Recent research has shown that self-compassion greatly enhances emotional wellbeing, reduces anxiety and depression, and can even help you stick to your diet and exercise routine. Through meditation, exercises, lecture, and discussion, you’ll learn essential tools for treating yourself in a respectful, compassionate way whenever you suffer, fail, or feel inadequate, and for living your life more fully.
6 CE’s are offered to psychologists, social workers, and licensed mental health counselors.
See Details.
Mindful Self-Compassion: Core Skills Training
May 17-18, 2012. Brattleboro Retreat, Brattleboro, Vermont
Two-day workshop with Christopher Germer, PhD and Kristin Neff, PhD.
Self-compassion is the foundation of emotional healing. This workshop is specifically designed for mental health professionals and presents the theory and core practices of the empirically-supported, 8-week Mindful Self-Compassion (MSC) training program developed by the teachers. Research has shown that self-compassion reduces anxiety and depression, boosts happiness, and helps individuals maintain healthy life habits. Clinicians will learn the art of mindful self-compassion to enhance their own health and wellbeing, and will be able to teach basic skills to patients as an adjunct to psychotherapy.
CE’s will be offered to mental health professionals and teachers.
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Meditation in Clinical Practice: Enhancing Treatment Effectiveness and Personal Wellbeing
August 27-31, 2012. Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts
Five-day program with Christopher Germer, PhD.
Sponsored by Harvard Medical School.
Meditation is currently one of the most widely researched treatment methods. It is a systematic method of regulating attention and emotion—beneficial skills for alleviating mental and physical disorders in patients, and for enhancing the wellbeing of clinicians and cultivating positive attitudes associated with patient care.
But what is meditation exactly? What is mindfulness? How do we integrate meditation into psychotherapy, especially in the treatment of anxiety, depression, trauma, and couples therapy? What scientific evidence supports its use and what are the contraindications? This program is an up-to-date review of the theory and practice of meditation from its ancient origins to modern brain science and psychotherapy. Participants with no meditation experience, as well as seasoned practitioners, will find this course helpful in their clinical work.
CE’s are offered to physicians and mental health professionals.
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Training Compassion: From the Buddha to Modern Psychotherapy
September 7-9, 2012. Barre Center for Buddhist Studies, Barre, Massachusetts
With Christopher Germer, PhD.
As Buddhist teachings and modern psychotherapy converge at an unprecedented rate, the notion of compassion is revolutionizing our understanding of the path to emotional freedom. Compassion may be understood as a quantifiable skill that allows us to handle and hold seemingly unbearable suffering. How was compassion articulated and embodied in early Buddhism and in later Mahāyāna perspectives? How do these interpretations play out in the practice of psychotherapy? And what are we learning about compassion from modern science, especially brain imaging and clinical research? BCBS scholar Mu Soeng will offer teachings on the classical Buddhist perspectives on compassion as part of the program. Participants will also learn practical tools for cultivating the skill of compassion toward oneself and others.
CE’s are offered to mental health professionals.
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Certificate Program in Mindfulness and Psychotherapy
September 2011 - May 2012
Co-sponsored with The Barre Center for Buddhist Studies.
Consisting of a five day-long residential program in a retreat-like setting, a three day-long residential meditation retreat, and weekly classes in the Boston area, this nine-month program will comprehensively explore the integration of mindfulness and psychotherapy. With the guidance of approximately 20 faculty comprised of specialists in their areas, we will examine the application of mindfulness to a wide range of clinical populations and conditions, will compare and contrast Western and Buddhist perspectives on health and healing, and will practice meditation together. The clinical and academic material will be studied in a manner that embodies the qualities of mindfulness, suffusing the inquiry with awareness, insight, and compassion for self and others, engaging both mind and heart. Those completing the course will receive continuing education credits and a certificate from the Institute for Meditation and Psychotherapy.
See Details.
Retreats
Insight Meditation Society (IMS)
Barre, Massachusetts
Meditation is currently one of the most widely used and researched of all psychotherapy methods. The Institute for Meditation and Psychotherapy is currently offering CE’s for the didactic portion of meditation retreats at IMS, to help mental health professionals learn more about practicing and teaching mindfulness meditation.
See Retreat Schedule and Descriptions.
Workshop and Research
Mindfulness Research
Mindfulness Therapists Wanted for Brown University Research Study
The Contemplative Studies Research Lab in the Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior at Brown Medical School is looking for mindfulness instructors for a NIH- funded “Mindfulness Dismantling study”. The design is a 3-armed RCT comparing 8 weeks of Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) vs focused awareness (FA) practice only vs open-monitoring (OM) practice only. The current study will compare standard MBCT with focused awareness on an array of neurophysiological measurements.
The Contemplative Studies Research Laboratory is an interdisciplinary team of neuroscientists, psychologists, Buddhist scholars, and contemplatives. We are currently seeking therapists who have experience teaching MBCT, but will also be seeking instructors for the other arms shortly. If you have any interest in being part of our team, we would love to hear from you.
Conferences
Please check back soon.