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Keynote Address UQ Compassion Symposium 2019

  • UQ Centre (Building 27A) Lecture Theatre (220) Union Road, University of Queensland St Lucia, 4072 Australia (map)

Presented by Dr Christopher Germer

Self-Compassion: What is it? Why Does it Matter?

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Event proceedings:

6pm - Registration opens
6.15pm - Drinks and canapés served
7pm - Keynote address commences
8pm - Estimated end of event

About the Talk

Self-compassion entails responding to our own suffering with the same kindness and understanding as we might respond to a friend in a similar situation. Rapidly expanding research demonstrates that self-compassion is a key factor in emotional health and well-being. As a result, numerous efforts are currently underway to teach self-compassion to the general public as well as specialized populations.  However, the concept of self-compassion is quite subtle and the actual experience of self-compassion remains more elusive than it appears.

This keynote address will describe what we mean by self-compassion, identify common myths, and review the latest research. Obstacles to practicing self-compassion will be addressed along with ways to overcome them.  Finally, important new developments in the field, such as the yin and yang of self-compassion and a re-evaluation of shame through the eyes of self-compassion, will be presented. 

About the Presenter

Dr. Christopher Germer is a clinical psychologist and lecturer on psychiatry (part-time) at Harvard Medical School. He is a co-developer (with Kristin Neff) of the Mindful Self-Compassion (MSC) program which has been taught to over 50,000 people around the world. Dr. Germer is also the author of The Mindful Path to Self-Compassion, co-author of Teaching the Mindful Self-Compassion Program and The Mindful Self-Compassion Workbook, and co-editor of Mindfulness and Psychotherapy and Wisdom and Compassion in Psychotherapy. He is a founding faculty member of the Institute for Meditation and Psychotherapy as well as the Center for Mindfulness and Compassion, Cambridge Health Alliance, Harvard Medical School. Dr. Germer teaches and leads workshops internationally on mindfulness and compassion, and has a private practice specializing in mindfulness and compassion-based psychotherapy.   

About Compassion Symposium

This cross-disciplinary symposium is designed to bring together academics, clinicians, researchers, and students from different disciplines within The University of Queensland and from the community, to present on how compassion is or could be a part of their research, studies, or practice.

The compassion symposium consists of the free keynote address, and the full-day conference (on 7th September 2019, 9:00am-4:30pm, see separate event listing for further information

Later Event: September 7
UQ Compassion Symposium 2019