February 2023 Workshop

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Compassionate Listening

Thursday February 16, 2023 1:30 pm – 3:00 pm

No matter our profession or role in life, if we are engaged with people, the skill of Compassionate Listening is an essential one to develop and own.

Why Compassionate Listening?

Compassionate Listening is the ability to sustain a sense of caring connection and belonging to others in their experiences of suffering or discomfort. In this class, adapted from the work of Kristen Neff’s and Chris Germer’s Mindful Self-Compassion Program, participants will discover how to listen from the neck down, or what is termed “embodied listening.” With Compassionate Listening, one is mindfully and compassionately present, not only to the client’s experience, but also to the thoughts, sensations, feelings etc. that arise within oneself as the recipient of the client’s story.

Note: This event has passed

Workshop Presenter

Roseann Cervelli MS, LCADC, CCS, CPS
rcervelli@cjfhc.org

Formerly an elementary school teacher of third and fourth grades, Roseann has been involved in the field of addictions for approximately 34 years. She holds an LCADC, CPS and CCS in addition to a Masters in Special Education. She has worked in both inpatient residential as well as outpatient treatment settings, with a special focus on the needs of women, children and their families who have been affected by alcohol and other substance use disorders.

For the past 5 years, Roseann has been teaching, researching and taking classes on Mindful Self- Compassion- developed by Kristen Neff, Chris Germer and many other contributing teachers and researchers.
In 2019, she participated in a week long class at Omega Institute on teaching the Mindful Self-Compassion Course, and in 2020, participated in a nine month certification program entitled, “Self-Compassion in Psychotherapy.”

This work has become her passion, as she saw how essential to our basic human needs the practice of Mindful Self- Compassion and Compassion for Others is. It serves as a comforting and empowering antidote to the many diverse physical, emotional, mental, and traumatic wounds our human family suffers from.

Trauma Specialist Gabor Mate has said, “When we start the journey of being Compassionate with ourselves, not only does it change ourselves, it changes our communities and our society. By being compassionate to ourselves, we can then be even more compassionate to those we love, to our family members, friends and dear ones, to our community, to all the world.

Kristen Neff once said, “ Compassion holds pain with love…” We have all heard that everyone has a story…May I add to that, everyone has a story that deserves to be listened to with Love and Compassion.

Workshop Recording

Resources & Additional Content

Compassionate Listening Presentation [PDF]

How Good a Listener Are You? Assessment

Brene Brown: Sympathy and Empathy

Thich Nhat Han- On Listenin g

Cohen, Andrea. Practicing the Art of Compassionate Listening, The Compassionate Listening Project. Jan. 2011.

Gellar, Shari. A Practical Guide to Therapeutic Presence. American Psychological Association. March, 2017.

Neff, K. and Germer, G. Teaching the Mindful Self-Compassion Program: A Guide for Professionals. The Guilford Press, NY. P. 264-268. 2019.

Treasure, Julian. Conscious Listening.wwwudemy.com/course/conscious-listening