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.

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

Christopher Germer, PhD, 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, PsyD, 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.