Description
We are only beginning to explore the integration of meditation and mindfulness techniques into the field of mental health. While meditation emphasizes simplicity, the skillful application of its principles can be complex and nuanced.
Thankfully a teacher by the name of Shinzen Young has gone through great lengths to methodically break down the centuries-old techniques and distill their most relevant and effective principles into an elegant and straightforward system.
This workshop teaches from this framework with a focus on aspects relevant to therapists, mental health workers, counsellors, social workers, caregivers, and coaches. You will learn the core principles of meditation and mindfulness practices and their most effective applications for working with clients. There is also a focus on integrating these skills with trauma-informed and somatic based therapeutic practice.
There will be a mix of theory and practice, with a focus on experiential learning.
What you will learn:
-A comprehensive framework that accounts for how meditation works and how it can be customized to fit different individual needs
-The 3 attentional skills that drive all progress in mindfulness and meditation
-Mindfulness techniques for working with trauma
-The two main styles of meditation and how to know which will be most effective in a given situation
-Simple techniques you can teach clients to:
- build resiliency to better tolerate and process pain, stress, and difficult emotions
- find calm when overwhelmed
- cultivate self-compassion (even for those that find it difficult)
- better cope with addictive behaviours
-Techniques for protecting against burnout (especially relevant to empaths)
-How to measure progress, tell if a technique is working, and why most people get this wrong
This workshop is based on the framework for understanding and teaching meditation developed by Shinzen Young. Shinzen has over 50 years experience in meditation and has studied in many of the major Buddhist traditions. His interest in integrating meditation with scientific paradigms has led to collaborations with neuroscientists at Harvard Medical School, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Yale, Carnegie Mellon, and the University of Vermont. He is working on various ways to bring secular mindfulness practices to a wider audience using revamped terminology and techniques.
Testimonials
“I’m a psychologist and DBT therapist, and had been looking for ways to strengthen my ability to incorporate mindfulness strategies into my work with clients, particularly those in later stages of treatment. I’ve been doing my own mindfulness practice for a few years, and it is part of the DBT framework, however, I was finding that my ability to use mindfulness in-session with clients was limited. The workshop I attended with Jude was incredibly helpful, from both a personal and professional standpoint. He provided some very specific and clear ideas about ways to apply mindfulness strategies with my clients, particularly for clients who experience a lot of shame, or who are highly avoidant of certain emotions. I often find that I leave workshops feeling overwhelmed by the amount of information, and uncertain about how to translate it into practice. This was definitely not the case with this workshop – I left with knowledge and ideas that I was able to start incorporating into my work with clients right away, as well as some ideas about where to go next with my own practice. Jude’s passion about mindfulness, meditation, and their value in therapy was clear, and I feel fortunate to have had the opportunity to learn from him.”
-Dr. Stacey Schell, Clinical Psychologist
“Jude has a way of making the information both approachable and interactive. I appreciate his ability to go off the cuff and roll with the flow of questions from the group. I felt like I took home some manageable skills, and lots of references for future learning. I was able to integrate methods into my own meditation practice and to relate it to the practice of therapy. Given the opportunity I would attend a workshop run by Jude again, as I am sure it would be informative and interesting.”
-Reva, Psychotherapy Student
“Jude is a compassionate guide that takes you on a journey through his wisdom and experience of meditation and mindfulness. His real and down to earth demeanour make this information very accessible and engaging. It is evident that he has passion and knowledge about working with meditation as a personal and professional practice. Whether you are interested in meditation and mindfulness for yourself or in your practice, you are sure to learn something new from Jude.”
-Jenna Street, Intern Psychotherapist
“Incredibly helpful workshop. I’m new to meditation and I want to learn how to teach my patients how to become more resilient. I’ll be applying these valuable lessons into my practice.”
-Matthew Ta, Psychiatry Resident Physician
“Jude is incredibly knowledgeable about mindfulness and meditation. As a therapist who grew up entrenched in Buddhism, he brings a unique perspective for how to use mindfulness to strengthen your therapeutic practice.”
-Michelle, Psychologist