The Competency of Compassion: A Cornerstone of Healing and Recovery

Berrett, Michael E.

Sunday, March 26, 2017: 8:00 AM-9:30 AM

Estancia Ballroom (Green Valley Ranch)

Background: Compassion is the glue which brings skill, strategy,intervention, and relationship together in successful healing process in psychotherapy, medical care, dietary intervention, and spiritual experience. It is a competency. Compassion as a way of living can begin with truly joining client, imagination of another's experience, and the practice of loving kindness.

Objectives: 1) Following this presentation, participants will be able to identify specific and practical competencies of the practice of compassion 2) Following this presentation, participants will be able to identify ways to join the client and specific practices for application of loving kindness 3) Following this presentation, participants will be able to ask the right questions which will open the door to imagined experience of another's situation and suffering

The Competency of Compassion: A Cornerstone of Healing and Recovery

Content Outline:

1) Definition of Compassion

2) The Spectrum of Compassion: Self Compassion, Compassion for Client, Clients compassion of others, Clients self compassion

Core competencies of Comapssion: 1) Truly Joining Client, 2) Imagination of client experience, situation and suffering, 2) The practice of Loving Kindness

1) Truly Joining Client: a. Joining story and examples, b. joining exerciese with participants, c. practice of liciving in the place of the client

2) Imagination of client experience: a. Questions to oneself to be able to imagine their situation, experience, and suffering, b. exercies with participants on asking those questions with each other, c. reflective/imagery exercise of imagining and becoming more one and understanding of the client by "living in their shoes"

3) The practice of loving kindness: a. Looking at what living kindness is, b. Looking at loving kindness operationalized into practical actions and activiity, c. Sharing of loving kindness experience both given and received by participants - both inside and outside therapeutic practice d. The experience of loving kindness with participants in milling exercise in the moment

The practice of compassion is the infrastructure of and underlying core of skill, strategy, intervention, technique, method, relationship development, and delivery of psychotherapy, medical care, dietary intervention, and spiritual experiecne in the healing arts. It is not just a shared emotional experience, but it is a competency which is critical in the delivery of service in the the work of healing, recovery from illness, and the reduction of human suffering. Compassion has specific competencies which include: 1) The ability to truly join a client and be in the space in which they reside in situation, experience, and suffering, 2) To be able to ask the right questions which create imginative experience and a sharing of experience which allows one to place themselves in the shoes of another, and to increase understanding of what they are going thorugh, what their life and experience is like, 3) The practice of loving kindness, which is not just a value or principles which can guide a life of service, but which includes activities, steps, and actions which are practical application of the principle of loving kindness. This presentation will teach by didactic content and information, use of music and visual images, reflective and experiencial exercise, sharing between participants, group discussion, sharing between partners, and milling excercises with multiple participants. The workshop will utilize the experience of self, past and present, to recognize compassion that is there, to solidifiy intention for compassion, and to practice compassionate compentencies live in the presentation as well as increasing committment and understanding of how to carry that learning forward in the personal and prfoessional life of the praticipants.

Presenter:

Michael E. Berrett, PhD, CEDS

Dr. Michael E. Berrett is a Licensed Psychologist and is CEO and Co-founder of Center for Change, a specialty hospital and program for Eating Disorders.He has been treating Eating Disorders and related mental, emotional and addictive illness for more than 30 years. He is the Author of the APA bestseller "Spiritual Approaches in the Treatment of Women with Eating Disorders" and various other books, book chapters, and peer review professional journal articles. He is a nationally known presenter and clinical trainer. His workshops are engaging, active, practical, and from the heart.

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