Cultivating Presence through Mindfulness and Compassion


Self-compassion is a state of warm, connected presence during difficult moments in our lives. It is an inner strength that can be cultivated inside or outside the consultation office. During therapy, self-compassion can help a therapist to recognize and “be with” difficult emotions within themselves and thereby stay in connection with their clients - a key component of therapeutic presence, and a core ingredient of skillful management of the therapeutic encounter. A simple self-compassion practice will be taught to help therapists maintain compassionate presence in therapy.