COURSES :
Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction for Health Care Professionals (2011-2020)
Co-facilitated with Anna Taneburgo of Whole Healing
This 10 week course with full day retreat is geared towards health-care professionals wanting to incorporate mindfulness and mindfulness meditation into their personal lives as well as into their roles as healer and teachers. Participants learn mindfulness techniques and ways to develop a mindful clinical practice.
Offered through the Faculty of Health Sciences, McMaster University, Hamilton.
Transforming Compassion Fatigue ‘Surviving to Thriving’ (2010 – 2019)
Explore the concept of compassion fatigue as it relates to health care professionals and develop self-care plans to minimize the effects of compassion fatigue and improve work/life balance.
Offered through the Faculty of Health Sciences, McMaster University, Hamilton.
Mindfulness Communication: Bringing Intention, Attention and Reflection to Clinical Practice
Co-facilitated with Barbara Smith
This program includes 12 weekly sessions with full day retreat. It is an advanced course geared towards health-care professionals who have already taken a mindfulness course and who have a personal mindfulness practice.
Offered through the Faculty of Health Sciences, McMaster University, Hamilton.
Discovering Resilience through Applied Mindfulness Meditation (2011 – 2017)
Four two day modules for health care providers on mindfulness and mindfulness meditation as it applies to health-care, education and community.
Offered through the Faculty of Health Sciences, McMaster University, Hamilton.
COURSES : single offerings
Mindfulness in Everyday Life (June 3-4, 2017)
Mindfulness in Everyday Life: 16 Guidelines and Equine-Assisted Learning. Co-facilitated with Anne Porteous MScN, EPC sierracres.ca
This series of workshops use the 16 Guidelines tool and are for anyone who is seeking a framework for change and the experiential setting to help shift the way you think, act, relate and create meaning.
In this workshop: Through equine-assisted learning and experiential activities, participants will learn ‘How to Relate’ with compassion and wisdom, as well as ‘How to Create a Meaningful Life.’ By the end of each workshop participants will have the tools and understanding to begin to reclaim those aspects of inner life that shape happiness through wisdom and compassion.
Mindfulness Communication: Bringing Intention, Attention and Reflection to Clinical Practice (May 2015 – April 2015)
Co-facilitated with Anna Taneburgo
This 1 year program in mindfulness includes 8 weekly sessions with full day retreat and continued 10 monthly sessions. It is geared towards health-care professionals.
Offered through the Program for Faculty Development, McMaster University, Hamilton.
The Cost of Caring, Workshop on Compassion Fatigue, (may, 2014)
Wishing Well Sanctuary, Bradford, Ontario
I had the pleasure of leading a full day workshop on Compassion Fatigue for the wonderful people who look out for the welfare of our animal friends. Please visit the Wishing Well Sanctuary website for more information about this wonderful organization.
Deepening Practical Meditation
Co-facilitated with Dekyi Lee Oldershaw, Lamp on the Path
This monthly series offered an opportunity to slow down, clear your mind, and strengthen positive energy and inner peace to increase your life force, improve health and touch a peaceful happiness inside. Designed for both beginners and continuing students, the series presented new meditations and practical exercises each week that could be used at home and at work.
Mindful Guidelines for Work: Integrating Ancient and Contemporary Inspired Approaches
Co-facilitated with Dekyi-Lee Oldershaw
Two day workshop offered through University of Toronto: Faculty of Social Work
WATERING OUR JOY SEEDS: Cultivating Everyday Happiness (spring 2011)
Buddhist monk, Thich Nhat Hahn, describes our mind like a piece of land with many different kinds of seeds such as joy and love but also of sorrow and fear. The quality of our mind depends on the seeds we choose to cultivate.
This 7 session group focused on cultivating our ‘seeds of joy and happiness’ through the use of tools such as “The Happiness Project” by Gretchen Rubin and a variety of meditations and experiential activities.
Testimonials
From Problems to Progress – Positive Energy for Our Everyday Lives! (winter 2011)
In our western society, we typically spend our time focusing on problems and identifying our negative characteristics so we can work on changing ourselves…bettering ourselves. Indeed, we live in a society that seems to be ‘problem-focused’.
What if instead, we began to identify the positive qualities we LOVE about ourselves? And what if we were able to strengthen these qualities and as a result, re-discover our true selves and increase our capacity for self-healing and well-being? The Dalai Lama has said the fastest and easiest way to build positive energy in this world is to rejoice in positive qualities and actions.
A six-week series where each week you practice a meditation that will enable you to begin to identify and work with YOUR positive qualities. By identifying and enhancing these qualities you may surprise yourself and tap into potential that you didn’t know was there, enhancing these qualities in ways that will enlighten your relationships and everyday lives.
Testimonials
Practical Meditation in Challenging Times.
Co-facilitated with Dekyi Lee Oldershaw, Lamp on the Path, 2009
Living Well: Body, Mind, Spirit, 2009
Testimonials
Transformative Mindfulness Facilitation Training Certificate Program.
Co-facilitated with Dekyi Lee Oldershaw, Lamp on the Path, 2008
RETREATS
Discovering Your Life’s Purpose: A weekend of yoga, meditation, and self-exploration.
Co-led with Alex Bovkis, Shanti Yoga Studio, November, 2010
Sacred Journey of Insight: A weekend of yoga, meditation, and self-exploration.
Co-led with Alex Bovkis, Shanti Yoga Studio, May, 2010
‘No Where Else to be but Here’: A day of mindfulness practice.
Co-led with Frankie Worobec, The Centre for Compassion and Wisdom, August, 2009
WORKSHOPS/ CONFERENCES
Various workshops/ keynotes to groups/ conferences related to Compassion Fatigue, Wellness and Life/Work Balance in relation to those working in the caring professions. Please feel free to contact me about presenting to your group.
Participants have include:
Animal welfare advocates
Charitable organizations
Child Care providers
Child Welfare organizations: managers, staff and foster parents
Educators
Health care providers/educators at McMaster University through Faculty of Health Sciences and Continuing Education
Hospital and Community- based inter-professional health care providers
Lawyers
Long term care facilities
Mental health counsellors
Probation and Parole officers
Palliative Care providers- Inter-professional
Social service organizations
Contact Valerie for more information
Choose Wellness 