As therapists we aspire to treat all of our clients with skill and compassion.  Despite our good intentions, sometimes it is difficult to find the experience of compassion within ourselves toward some of our clients.   In this workshop we will draw on traditional Buddhist practices for cultivating “bodhichitta” or “awakened heart.”  These practices are designed to help us uncover our natural loving-kindness, compassion, sympathetic joy, and equanimity.  Tuning into these natural capacities lets show up more fully with our clients and allows us to be more skillful in responding to them.

In addition, an exercise called The Empty Mirror, provides an opportunity for participants to explore experientially what makes it difficult to feel their natural compassion with some clients and perhaps discover some softening toward them.

The workshop will include guided contemplations and interactive exercises.

Learning Objectives

1. Engage in one or more practices to cultivate “awakened heart” in oneself and in one’s clients.
2. Recognize and assist clients in developing loving-kindness, compassion, sympathetic joy, and equanimity.
3. Use both bodhichitta practices and the Empty Mirror as methods of            supervision with oneself and with supervisees.