Services and Training Topics
Training for Mental Health Trainees and Professionals
Applied Liberation Psychology
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My main training specialty is immersive training in Applied Liberation Psychology, the perfect complement to any training program or treatment setting hoping for a catch-all approach to cultivating intersectional cultural competence. Treatment adaptations for specific oppressed populations (e.g., people of color, sexual and gender minorities, etc.) always run into intersectionality as a potential complication in considering culturally sensitive treatment, but by training with me, you gain a universal framework and practical in-session techniques. To accomplish this, I rely heavily on mindfulness and self-compassion skills to develop what I call "Energy Literacy". This literacy allows professionals to energetically experience compassion for anyone they work with- and limit rates of burnout.
Core to this approach is the embodiment of non-directive compassionate energy, rather than abstract, what-to-say, generalized scripts for specific populations. As I note frequently in this program, generalized approaches to mental health service for oppressed populations may inadvertently increase our reliance on stereotypes, and pull professionals out of the present moment where compassion is truly contacted. Therefore, I focus on the ongoing psychological development of trainees and professionals, so that they can remain in the present moment while also able to "feel" those moments with sensitivity and compassionate attunement. I also provide energy-psychology-based follow up tools for your organization to use, ongoing access to my Applied Liberation Psychology online share drive, and consultation opportunities.
Treatment for Racial Stress and Trauma
Race-based stress and trauma is a global phenomenon, perpetuated by white supremacist systems. Being that the field of psychology was conceived within a system of global white supremacy, helping clients heal from racial trauma requires that clinicians develop self-awareness, self-compassion, and present-moment attention. In this training, I rely on my dissertation and clinical work to offer an integrative, empowering approach to treating race-based stress and trauma with a mindfulness and liberation psychology-based approach.
While I certainly rely on principles similar to my Applied Liberation Psychology training, I focus much more on the history of global racism, internalized racism, identifying what I call "racial gaslighting", and how racism manifests across a variety of contexts. I accomplish this by educating you on the anthropological roots of racism, whiteness, and strategies to increase what I call "Energy Literacy". These tools work together to override strong, generational cultural conditioning that cause oppressive attitudes and behavior- especially in therapeutic contexts.
Applied Mindfulness and Meditation
Attention is the mental health professional’s most valuable resource. Having a strong, 10-year-long practice in mindfulness, meditation, and Buddhist psychology, I am well equipped to train professionals the art of steady attention, compassion, and how attachment to the mind causes challenges in providing therapy. While treatment protocols are effective, by sharpening attention, increasing patience, and understanding suffering itself, we can develop what I like to call "Moment-to-Moment competence"- allowing us to match the right moment with the right therapeutic tool.
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Compassion Fatigue Training for Healthcare and Non-Profit Professionals
High-Level Compassion Athletes: Mindfulness and Compassion-Based Burnout Prevention
Whether we are physicians, nurses, therapists, social workers, or non-profit employees, relentlessly helping others without burning out is endlessly challenging. Rooted in mindfulness and compassion-based performance psychology, I can train you in the neuroscience of burnout prevention and teach you basic inner engineering practices to bring sustainability to your professional helping activities. As a former college basketball player, I take a performance-based approach to training healthcare professionals in demanding treatment settings.
Rest, Self-Service, Self-Compassion, and Harm Reduction
By helping ourselves, we become better helpers. As high-impact helping professionals, without rest and self-compassion we risk burnout, which can ultimately harm those we serve, and even shorten our careers as helpers. In this training I rely on my mindfulness and compassion-based background to teach the neuroscience and practices of relaxation and self-compassion. Additionally, I will connect the dots as to why high-impact helpers can reduce the amount of harm they cause by practicing restfulness, and how this self-compassionate stance cultivates nourishing relationships with coworkers, improves overall performance, and increases job satisfaction.
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Retreat Services
Meditation and Compassion-Focused Retreats
Meditation is an ancient practice which is designed to help practitioners see reality clearly, and with enough practice, we relax as a byproduct of our newfound ability to see clearly. An additional byproduct of practice is realizing that compassion for all beings is a matter of factual reality- instead of something that must be manufactured. As meditation gains mainstream popularity, these core tenants are diluted, and sometimes forgotten completely. With 10 years of personal practice, I help you deepen your connection with yourself, others, and the world- relying on powerful, ancient practices which open the mind, expand the heart, and connect you to your purpose. Meditation and Compassion-focused retreats span from 3 to 7 hours, with a combination of meditation practices, reflections, and group teachings. In some cases, I offer several-day retreats, which also include one-on-one meetings with me.
Racial Stress and Resilience Retreats
Racial stress is all too common for people from non-white backgrounds (e.g., Black, Arab, etc.). Relying on my dissertation research in mindfulness, self-compassion, and racial stress reduction, during this retreat I help people of color find peace within the present moment, develop mindful approaches to reducing racial stress, and cultivate a compassionate connection to themselves. Racial stress and resilience retreats span from 3 to 7 hours, with a combination of meditation practices, reflections, and group teachings. In some cases, I offer several-day retreats, which also include one-on-one meetings with me.
Buddhist Psychology Retreats
Buddhist psychology is rarely taught in plain-language and grounded in its usefulness for mental wellness, but during this retreat I teach you the basics of Buddhist psychology and daily practice. With 10 years of an immersive daily practice and study in Buddhism, I'm an embodied teacher with plenty to offer beginners and advanced practitioners alike. Buddhist psychology retreats span from 3 to 7 hours, with a combination of meditation practices, reflections, and group teachings. In some cases, I offer several-day retreats, which also include one-on-one meetings with me.
