Skills training in contemplative care - a two day training seminar for healthcare professionals.

Forty-Five health care professionals and volunteers attended the Compassion and Presence training in Boulder, Colorado. Family Hospice, one of the event sponsors, was incredibly supportive of the event and sent several of their staff to the event, including two certified nursing assistants, the medical director, two nurses and a social worker.

The feedback was overwhelmingly positive. Many of the participants reported that they appreciated the guidance in meditation and the focus on self care and compassion. Others reported that what they learned has immediate application in their lives and work.

Ilona-Steur Smith, the Director of Nursing at Family Hospice in Boulder said, “It exceeded my expectations! I loved the practical aspect of it.”

Jamie Beachy, Director of Chaplaincy Training at St. Anthony’s Hospital in Denver said, “I very much appreciated the conference . . . I was impressed and moved by the authentic teaching of self care and compassion. I am grateful to have been able to learn from you [Darci], Bonnie and Christine.”

Original event details

October 9-10, 2010 | Saturday 9:30am-6:00pm (registration starts 8:45am) | Sunday 9:00am-5:30pm

PAC Auditorium, Naropa University, 2130 Arapahoe Ave. Boulder, CO | Google map

With Christine Longaker , author of Facing Death and Finding Hope, Bonnie Rose Marcus and Darci Meyers

$225

Nursing and other professional CEUs provided | For futher information, please contact us at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

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Responding effectively to the needs of patients remains an on-going professional and deeply personal challenge. Compassion and Presence offers the opportunity to learn contemplative resources that support you in your life and work, and enhance the way you offer care - with a renewed sense of joy, confidence, and fulfillment. Drawing from meditations taught in the wisdom tradition of Tibet, this training focuses on cultivating presence and mindfulness, and deepening the capacity for compassion, so that you can remain present, spacious and loving in the face of suffering.

The training introduces insights and contemplations from Sogyal Rinpoche's groundbreaking book, The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying, and demonstrates in practical ways how to appropriately integrate these practices of meditation, contemplative listening, and compassion in any medical setting.

Compassion and Presence is for anyone who cares for others in hospice, palliative care, critical care, gerontology, oncology, general medicine, nursing, emergency medicine, pastoral care, psychology, social work, health care education, and other allied health professions. It will resonate with professionals and volunteers from diverse cultural and religious backgrounds.

The training focuses on four core competencies:

Holding authentic presence and communication.
Deepening one's ability to extend compassion toward oneself and others.
Developing a personal understanding of suffering, and how to be present with suffering.
Applying contemplative practices for self-care.

Methods of training

Lectures, discussion, writing, reflection, contemplative practice, and interactive methods for integrating learning.

Training Topics

Spirituality and healthcare - an introduction to the spiritual care model of compassionate care
Cultivating presence through meditation and mindfulness practice
Methods for deepening compassion
Responding to suffering
Training in contemplative listening
Creating a sacred environment
Compassionate self-care for alleviating stress, healing burnout, and transforming challenging situations
Caregiving as spiritual practice
Scientific research on the benefits of training in meditation and compassion in medical care work.

Faculty

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Christine Longaker, Education Director, Rigpa's Spiritual Care Education Program.
Former director and staff trainer of the Hospice of Santa Cruz County in California, Christine has provided hospice trainings internationally since 1978. She has been instrumental in developing Rigpa's Spiritual Care Education Program, and serves as its International Education Director. She co-designed and serves as faculty for Naropa University's accredited training in 'Contemplative End-of-Life Care', and is author of Facing Death and Finding Hope: A Guide to the Emotional and Spiritual Care of the Dying, which is translated into nine languages.

Bonnie Rose Marcus, Educator with Rigpa’s Spiritual Care Education Program.
Bonnie has co-facilitated workshops and study groups for health care professionals and volunteers. She is an Instructor with Rigpa and has facilitated courses in Meditation and Dharma Studies in New York City for over 8 years. She graduated from Naropa University’s accredited training in 'Contemplative End-of-Life Care’ and has been a hospice volunteer since 2004. She is presently a volunteer with Doula to Accompany and Comfort, a program under the auspices of the Jewish Board Family and Children's Services, and is the Director of the Readings/Workshop and Writers Exchange Programs. Bonnie is currently completing a book of poetry, inspired by her work in hospice.

Darci Meyers, MA, Founding Director of Dechen Shying Spiritual Care Centre in Southwest Ireland.
Darci has facilitated end-of-life care seminars and workshops in the United States and Ireland. She worked in hospice for 10 years, as Director and Chaplain, and was the National Coordinator for Rigpa’s Spiritual Care Education Program. Darci taught in Naropa University’s accredited training in ‘Contemplative End-of-Life Care’ and is currently the program manager. Darci is an Educator in Rigpa’s Spiritual Care Education Program.

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