Christopher Germer & Ronald D. Siegel 
Wisdom and Compassion in Psychotherapy 
Deepening Mindfulness in Clinical Practice

Bringing together leading scholars, scientists, and clinicians, this compelling volume explores how therapists can cultivate wisdom and compassion in themselves and their clients. Chapters describe how combining insights from ancient contemplative practices and modern research can enhance the treatment of anxiety, depression, trauma, substance abuse, suicidal behavior, couple conflict, and parenting stress. Seamlessly edited, the book features numerous practical exercises and rich clinical examples. It examines whether wisdom and compassion can be measured objectively, what they look like in the therapy relationship, their role in therapeutic change, and how to integrate them into treatment planning and goal setting. The book includes a foreword by His Holiness the Dalai Lama.

Table of Content

Introduction, Christopher K. Germer & Ronald D. Siegel

I. What Are Wisdom and Compassion? Why Should We Care?

1. Wisdom and Compassion: Two Wings of a Bird, Ronald D. Siegel & Christopher K. Germer

2. Mindful Presence: A Foundation for Compassion and Wisdom, Tara Brach

3. Building Lives of Compassion and Wisdom, Barbara L. Fredrickson

II. The Meaning of Compassion

4. Compassion in Buddhist Psychology, John Makransky

5. The Compassionate Therapist, Elissa Ely

6. The Science of Self-Compassion, Kristin D. Neff

7. Cultivating Compassion in Psychotherapy, Christopher K. Germer

8. The Neurobiology of Compassion, Richard J. Davidson

III. The Meaning of Wisdom

9. Wisdom in Buddhist Psychology, Andrew Olendzki

10. The Wise Psychotherapist, Ronald D. Siegel

11. The Science of Wisdom: Implications for Psychotherapy, Robert J. Sternberg

12. The Wisdom of Connection, Janet Surrey & Judith V. Jordan

13. Self and No-Self in Psychotherapy, Jack Engler & Paul R. Fulton

14. Neurobiological Foundations of Wisdom, Thomas W. Meeks, B. Rael Cahn, & Dilip V. Jeste

IV. Clinical Applications

15. Wisdom, Compassion, and Suicidal Patients, Marsha M. Linehan & Anita Lungu

16. Substance Abuse and Relapse Prevention, G. Alan Marlatt, Sarah Bowen, & M. Kathleen B. Lustyk

17. Anxiety Disorders: Acceptance, Compassion, and Wisdom, Lizabeth Roemer & Susan M. Orsillo

18. Depression: Suffering in the Flow of Life, Paul Gilbert

19. Working with Trauma: Mindfulness and Compassion, John Briere

20. The Heart of Couple Therapy, Richard Borofsky & Antra K. Borofsky

V. In and Around the Consultation Room

21. Mindful Parenting as a Path to Wisdom and Compassion, Trudy Goodman, Susan Kaiser Greenland, & Daniel J. Siegel

22. Drawing on the Wisdom of Religious Traditions in Psychotherapy, Kenneth I. Pargament & Carol Ann Faigin

23. Compassion and Wisdom: Growing through Ethics, Stephanie P. Morgan

 

About the author

Christopher Germer, Ph D, has a private practice in mindfulness- and compassion-based psychotherapy in Arlington, Massachusetts, and is a part-time Lecturer on Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School/Cambridge Health Alliance. He is a founding faculty member of the Institute for Meditation and Psychotherapy and of the Center for Mindfulness and Compassion. His books include
The Mindful Self-Compassion Workbook and
The Mindful Path to Self-Compassion (for the general public) and
Teaching the Mindful Self-Compassion Program,
Wisdom and Compassion in Psychotherapy, and
Mindfulness and Psychotherapy, Second Edition (for professionals). Dr. Germer lectures and leads workshops internationally. His website is
https://
chrisgermer.com.


 


Ronald D. Siegel, Psy D, is Assistant Professor of Psychology, part time, at Harvard Medical School/Cambridge Health Alliance, where he has taught since the early 1980s. He is a longtime student of mindfulness meditation and is a faculty and board member at the Institute for Meditation and Psychotherapy. Dr. Siegel teaches internationally about the application of mindfulness practices in psychotherapy and other fields, and maintains a private practice in Lincoln, Massachusetts. His books include
The Mindfulness Solution, for general readers, as well as several acclaimed works for professionals.