Therapeutic presence (TP) and Self-Compassion (SC) are foundational to effective
therapeutic relationships and positive outcomes. They are not simply skills, they are
ways of being that shape the depth, safety, and the impact of our clinical work. In this
half-day masterclass, we introduce their foundational role in creating transformative
therapeutic alliances and emotional change.
Therapeutic presence is a way of being that optimizes the doing and techniques of
therapy. TP provides clients with a sense of safety, allowing them to be seen, heard,
understood, and “feel felt,” while also strengthening the therapeutic alliance. This
allows clients to access and express core emotions and engage in the deeper work of
therapy. This type of relationship helps regulate clients' emotions and supports their
movement towards emotional health and neurophysiological integration. TP also invites
therapists to work on their own balance of presence and compassion with self and
clients, ensuring they remain centered and effective even in the face of difficult
emotions. Practicing TP also sustains clinicians' vitality, connection, and effectiveness.
Self-compassion is a key resource in maintaining therapists’ presence and working with
the barriers to presence. SC involves meeting our emotions and difficult experience with
mindfulness, common humanity, kindness, and warmth. Together, therapeutic presence
and self-compassion are powerful resources for counsellors to maintain emotional
balance in the midst of challenging clinical work, to enjoy their work and their clients
more fully, and to prevent caregiver fatigue and burn-out.
In this introductory masterclass, an empirically validated model of TP will be introduced
as a map to build and strengthen the essential skills of presence with clients. In addition,
the neurophysiological principles to creating safety with therapeutic presence, based on
concepts such as co-regulation and neuroception of safety stemming from the polyvagal

theory (Geller & Porges, 2014) will be touched on. Evidenced-based, experiential
practices from Dr. Geller’s books, ‘A Practical Guide for Cultivating Therapeutic
Presence’ (2017) and ‘Therapeutic Presence: A Mindful Approach to Effective
Therapeutic Relationships 2nd Edition (2022) co-authored with Leslie Greenberg, will be
introduced.
In this half-day masterclass, you will be introduced to:
 an empirically validated model of therapeutic presence along with key skills for
cultivating presence
 the neurophysiological mechanisms and benefits of therapeutic presence
 practices and skills for attuning in the moment with clients
 presence and self-compassion techniques to sustain emotional connection with
clients
 presence and self-compassion skills for self-care and to prevent and alleviate
caregiving fatigue and burnout