*If you are interested in this program, please email us at mindfulness@health.ucsd.edu to be added to the interest list. We will contact you once this program is scheduled.
Course Description
Compassion Cultivation Training (CCT) is an 8-week course designed to develop the qualities of compassion, empathy, and kindness for oneself and others. The course, developed by a team of contemplative scholars, clinical psychologists, and researchers at Stanford University, combines traditional contemplative practices with contemporary psychology and scientific research on compassion.
Compassion unfolds in response to suffering, beginning with our recognition of it, then conjuring change to elicit empathy and concern. This, in turn, motivates us to take action, and help relieve that suffering.
Expanding beyond mindfulness, compassion arises both on the personal level of our individual relationships and on the global level of cultures and nations interacting with one another. His Holiness the Dalai Lama has said that the problems of the world – social, economic, environmental, and so on – are best understood and viewed through the lens of compassion. With compassion, our empathy for the suffering of others can give rise to altruism – bringing immediate and long-term happiness and tranquility to our lives.
Humans have a natural capacity for compassion. However, everyday stress, social pressures, and life experiences can suppress it –potentially resulting in physical and psychological problems. The good news is that we can train ourselves to nurture others while developing our compassionate instinct. This process requires patience, steady care, proper tools, and a supportive environment.
Learning Objectives
At the end of the course, participants will be able to:
- Apply basic mindfulness skills and utilize mindfulness meditation to stay present to self and others
- Apply learned compassion skills as a response to everyday needs and demands in personal and professional settings
- Utilize compassion practice with oneself and others for emotional regulation in the face of distress • Utilize cognitive re-framing with oneself and others from the compassionate stance of common humanity
- Explain the differences between empathy and compassion • Describe how empathetic distress vs. compassion collapse leads to burnout
- Utilize evidence-based self-compassion meditation practices in the context of personal and professional relationships
- List three (3) sources of resistance to the development of self-compassion
- Explain three (3) ways to recognize resistance to compassion for and from others
- Describe current research studies on the effects and effectiveness of compassion practices
Why Enroll?
Compassion training extends beyond helping one feel more empathy and concern for others. It includes the development of:
- The strength to be present with suffering
- The courage to take compassionate action
- The resilience to prevent compassion fatigue
Who We Encourage to Attend
Compassion Cultivation Training is designed to support anyone who wants to cultivate compassion for themselves and for others.
This includes:
- Parents and caregivers
- Educators
- Healthcare professionals and therapists
- Executives and managers
- Public service leaders and employees
- Individuals seeking to increase awareness and mindfulness
People working in a wide range of professions and life contexts can benefit from this program. No previous meditation experience is required, although willingness to practice daily meditation is a key component of the training.
This Training Includes
Mindfulness: Guided daily meditation, visualization, and breathing practices to be done at home to develop loving-kindness, empathy, and compassion
Coursework: A weekly 2-hour class that include lecture, discussion, meditation, and in-class listening and communication exercises with partners and small groups
Assignments: Real-world homework to help you practice compassionate thought and action
NOTE: We recommend that if your schedule will not allow you to attend the first session, or prevents from attending any two sessions of the course, that you consider waiting until the next offering of the program.
Continuing Education
Continuing education credits are awarded in the following categories: American Psychological Association and Board of Registered Nursing ($50 additional charge).
Psychologists: UC San Diego Center for Mindfulness is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. The UC San Diego Center for Mindfulness maintains responsibility for this program and its content. 16.0 CE credit.
California licensed MFTs, LPCCs, LEPs, LCSWs: This activity is an approved continuing education program by the American Psychological Association. Credit hours may be applied to your license renewal through the California Board of Behavioral Sciences. 16.0 CE credit.
Nurses: UC San Diego Center for Mindfulness is approved by the California Board of Registered Nursing to sponsor continuing education. Provider Number CEP16351. 19.0 contact hours.
Cancellation Policy
A refund of your registration payment (minus your $50 non-refundable/non-transferable deposit) will be made for participants who withdraw prior to the start of the 1st class by emailing mindfulness@health.ucsd.edu. If you decide to cancel after the 1st session and before the 2nd session starts, 50% of your registration payment will be refunded. No refunds will be made after the 2nd session starts. Please be aware that the registration fee, deposits, and funds are non-transferable to other programs.
In the unlikely event that the course is cancelled, UC San Diego Center for Mindfulness is responsible only for a full refund of the registration fee. In regards to the In-Person Programs, the center is not responsible for any refunds to transportation, hotel accommodations, or any miscellaneous expenses.
The refunds are processed in the same method as the payments were submitted.
(Note: CFM requires a minimum of 10 registrants per CCT class to hold class. Classes with fewer than 10 will be cancelled with options for rescheduling into open classes.)
