An Introduction to Contemplative Care

This introductory course is designed for those working in hospice care and with end-of-life patients. This course gives healthcare practitioners guidance in being fully present with patients, and offers guidance to help sustain themselves through demanding work. Meditation in the Zen Buddhist tradition is a key component of this course.

Contemplative care is an approach to care giving that incorporates mindfulness practice, compassionate action, and moment-to-moment awareness while in relationship with the one being cared for. It is rooted in Buddhist practices of meditation and contemplation.

Using these practices, contemplative care seeks to transform palliative and end-of-life care, both at the individual level and system-wide, across communities and healthcare organizations. By shifting the emphasis towards the wellbeing of everyone involved in giving care to the dying, contemplative care calls on practitioners to engage their work as a process encompassing action, reflection, and contemplation.

Objectives

Contemplative Care: An Introduction

Participants will be able to:

  • Understand the concept of Contemplative Care and its application in health care.
  • Describe zen-based ethics and meditation practice as they apply to the implementation of contemplative care.
  • Explore mindfulness exercises and meditation practices.

Death and Dying: A Contemplative Approach

Participants will be able to:

  • Examine ways of alleviating fear and stress surrounding end-of-life care.

Completion Requirements

Complete all the course work and course evaluation. Upon successful completion you will be able to print your general certificate of completion. CE credit is not available. The course length is estimated at 3 hours.

Curriculum

Contemplative Care: An Introduction
Overview of the Contemplative Care process, background, and relevance to healthcare, and introduction to the concepts of mindfulness from the Zen Buddhist perspective.

Death and Dying: A Contemplative Approach
Approaches to death and dying, addressing the unknown, and tools for parting.

Contemplative Care Evaluation
Complete the course evaluation to get your certificate for the course.

Faculty

In Partnership with the New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care, this course was developed with Koshin Paley Ellison, MFA, LMSW, DMIN and Robert Chodo Campbell as lead faculty.


Koshin Paley Ellison
 
Robert Chodo
Campbell

Target Audience

All Health Care Professionals

Enrollment

You will have a maximum of 90 days access to the material from the start date. If you register for the course and pay with a credit card you will have immediate access to the course. Once your registration is complete, logout and log back in and your course will be listed on the campus page. If you cannot remember your account information, click the Forgot Password link on the login page and it will be emailed to you.

Course Fees

Physicians - $70.02
Other Healthcare Professionals/General Public - $70.02
Students - $59.49
The Center (AWCIM) is currently waiving the registration cost!