Compassion is often defined as a “sensitivity to suffering in self and others with a commitment to try to alleviate and prevent it.” At the centre of this definition are two basic processes. The first process involves developing courage to see clearly into the nature and causes of suffering—not to shun away or avoid. The second process involves committing to acquiring the wisdom to know what to do.

In this short one-day experiential workshop we will look into the nature of suffering as arising from the evolutionary process itself—the flow of life which all living things are caught up in. We will then consider ways in which compassionate motivation and a compassion-focused approach can improve our own well-being and that of others. We will explore how our inner compassionate selves can help to work with difficult emotions and in particular our self-critical sides. The workshop will consist of some teaching, mindfulness and breathing exercises, imagery and guided discovery.

The workshop is open to those who have an interest in this area. Some knowledge of the contemplative traditions would be helpful but not essential. We will be looking at the implications of having a brain that evolved over many millions, and why the human brain is actually very tricky and can be a source of harm as well as healing through no fault of our own. We will have a taste of how compassion cultivation can help us to stabilise and orientate the mind for the well-being of self and others.

6 hours of APA Continuing Education Credit are available for psychologists. CEs for psychologists are provided by the Spiritual Competency Resource Center which is co-sponsoring this program. The Spiritual Competency Resource Center is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. The Spiritual Competency Resource Center maintains responsibility for the program and its content. SCRC is a California Board of Registered Nursing Provider (BRN Provider CEP11909). The California Board of Behavioral Sciences accepts CE credits for license renewal by LCSWs and MFTs for programs from approved sponsors of CE by the American Psychological Association.

For questions about CE visit spiritualcompetencyacademy.com or contact David Lukoff, PhD at david.lukoff@gmail.com.

Paul Gilbert, FBPsS, PhD, OBE is Professor of Clinical Psychology at the University of Derby and Consultant Clinical Psychologist at the Derbyshire Health Care Foundation Trust. He has researched evolutionary approaches to psychopathology 40 years with a special focus on shame and the treatment of shame based difficulties — for which compassion focused therapy was developed. He was made a Fellow of the British Psychological Society in 1993. In 2003 Paul was president of the BABCP and a member of the first British Governments’ NICE guidelines for depression. He has written/edited 20 books and over 200 papers. In 2006 he established the Compassionate Mind Foundation a charity with the mission statement "To promote wellbeing through the scientific understanding and application of compassion". He has run many retreats for personal practice of developing compassion, rooted in our understanding of our evolved brains and minds. He was awarded an OBE in March 2011.

Brooke D. Lavelle Heineberg is the Co-Founder and Executive Director of the Courage of Care Leadership Council, a non-profit organization dedicated to providing Innate Compassion Training (ICT) programs and support to individuals and communities in education, health care, and other areas of social service. She is also Senior Education Consultant to Mind & Life's Ethics, Education, and Human Development Initiative and a co-developer of the Call to Care program for teachers and students. Brooke holds a PhD in Religious Studies and Cognitive Psychology from Emory University. Her academic work focuses on the confluence of Buddhist contemplative theory and cognitive science, as well as the cultural contexts that shape the transmission, reception, and secularization of Buddhist contemplative practices in America. While at Emory, she served as a lead instructor for several studies examining the efficacy of Cognitively-Based Compassion Training (CBCT), and has helped to develop and adapt CBCT for school children as well as adolescents in Atlanta's foster care system. In 2010, she helped developed the CBCT Teacher Training Program, and served as associate training director.