Awareness, Acceptance, and Action:
Relating to What Is
Online workshop with Stefan Laeng and Ann Augustine
Saturday, Dec. 5, 2020, 12:30 to 4:00pm US Eastern Time | 9:30am PDT | 5:30pm UK.
Please register at the bottom of this page. You will receive a Zoom link and more information in time before the workshop.
We live in times of great contrast. Every day we encounter incredible beauty and kindness along with intense pain – people dying, environmental devastation, racial and economic injustice, political discord.
How do we live our lives in the midst of this? How do we engage in ways that sustain us and those around us?
In the face of discomfort, let alone pain, we tend to seek escape, to numb out in all the habitual ways we do. And yet, becoming present offers our best hope of showing up to these questions without falling into frustration and hopelessness.
From presence, we have a chance to connect with our experience, open to others, and fully engage with the unfolding of life. This is a stepping-off point to authentic relating and the discovery of true power.
Relating to What Is incorporates the practices of Sensory Awareness, Nonviolent Communication, and Acceptance Commitment Therapy to support increased presence and engagement in moments of difficulty and pain. In Relating to What Is, we will engage in an exploration of a difficult moment, bringing presence and curiosity to clarify what really matters to us and what actions arise naturally from this way of relating.
Ann Augustine, LICSW, has worked as a psychotherapist for over 20 years in community-based mental health with a focus on trauma and substance use. Ann has studied Nonviolent Communication (NVC) since 2002, participating in Bay NVC’s Leadership Trainings in 2005 and 2006. She was introduced to Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) in 2011 and continues to incorporate its teaching in her practice and in her life. Ann currently serves as Director of Clinical Services, overseeing five outpatient clinics in Western, MA.
Stefan’s bio can be seen here.
Cost: Pay what you feel moved to or are able to pay. We suggest an amount between $65 and $125. No-one turned away for lack of funds.