Synopses & Reviews
A Clear and Effective Approach to Learning DBT Skills
First developed for treating borderline personality disorder, dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) has proven effective as treatment for a range of other mental health problems, especially for those characterized by overwhelming emotions. Research shows that DBT can improve your ability to handle distress without losing control and acting destructively. In order to make use of these techniques, you need to build skills in four key areas-distress tolerance, mindfulness, emotion regulation, and interpersonal effectiveness.
The Dialectical Behavior Therapy Skills Workbook, a collaborative effort from three esteemed authors, offers straightforward, step-by-step exercises for learning these concepts and putting them to work for real and lasting change. Start by working on the introductory exercises and, after making progress, move on to the advanced-skills chapters. Whether you are a professional or a general reader, whether you use this book to support work done in therapy or as the basis for self-help, you'll benefit from this clear and practical guide to better managing your emotions.
This book has been awarded The Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies Self-Help Seal of Merit an award bestowed on outstanding self-help books that are consistent with cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) principles and that incorporate scientifically tested strategies for overcoming mental health difficulties. Used alone or in conjunction with therapy, our books offer powerful tools readers can use to jump-start changes in their lives.
Find more help online at cbt-self-help-therapy.com. CBT Self-Help Therapy offers web-based treatment for borderline personality disorder (BPD) and emotion dysregulation based on the book The Dialectical Behavior Therapy Skills Workbook. This interactive program can be used by clients working on their own, or their therapists can monitor their work on the secure server. Other modules in CBT Self-Help Therapy offer treatment for stress, anxiety, depression, and anger.
Review
DBT Made Simple is an incredibly useful book that distills key elements of DBT into a clear, concise, and practical guide. Illuminating clinical examples bring to life several DBT strategies and principles, and practitioners will appreciate the many useful forms and handouts provided in this book. I recommend this book to students and mental health professionals seeking a concise, practical introduction to DBT.”
Alexander L. Chapman, PhD, RPsych, author of The Borderline Personality Disorder Survival Guide and associate professor in the department of psychology at Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC, Canada
Review
Over the years, practitioners of dialectical behavior therapy have been searching for different training resources to deliver DBT in the therapy room in an effective way. Van Dijks book provides a fantastic contribution to DBT literature for one main reason: her approach to DBT is hands-on. DBT Made Simple is full of clinical applications, illustrative examples, sample dialogues, and troubleshooting tips. Her style is both engaging and straightforward, making of this book an easy and digestible resource for all clinicians, novice or advanced, who are interested in making a difference in their DBT clinical work.”
Patricia E. Zurita Ona, PsyD, psychologist at East Bay Behavior Therapy Center and coauthor of Mind and Emotions
Review
Sheri Van Dijk has done it again! Her latest work teaches therapists how to use DBT with a wide variety of clients. She has accomplished an amazing featmaking DBT easy to understand without sacrificing its enormous depth. This is the book therapists have been waiting for."
Paula Fuchs, PsyD, assistant clinical professor of psychology in the department of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School
Review
DBT Made Simple provides a well-organized, encouraging model to treat individuals with emotional dysregulation. This book is an excellent resource for therapists wishing to use DBT. It explains the theory of DBT and provides a clear, concise, user-friendly approach for therapists to learn, as well as teach, DBT skills.”
Linda Jeffery, RN, cognitive behavioral therapist with a private practice in Newmarket, ON, Canada
Review
What a wonderful guide to dialectical behavior therapy for therapists, both on a personal level, as well as on a client level. Sheri Van Dijks book gives precise, clear direction for understanding and using DBT.”
Kathy Christie, BA, ADR, mental health case manager
Review
This book is a must-have for therapists interested in developing an understanding of DBT and how they can incorporate aspects of this treatment with a broader client population. Van Dijk provides a clear and concise foundation of DBT theory, complete with helpful strategies and handouts for each of the DBT skills. The book also provides practitioners with the flexibility to choose components of the DBT skills that would help meet their respective clients needs.”
Diane Petrofski, MSW, RSW, Family Health Team
Review
As the demand for dialectical behavior therapy increases from our clients, practitioners need to be more informed about its dynamic process and targets. This book provides both the novice and the well-informed clinician with an uncomplicated review of DBT. A must-have for any therapist, whether they are practicing DBT, or referring to others for this type of therapy.”
Leanne Garfinkel, MA in clinical psychology and DBT-informed therapist
Review
"The individual struggling with overwhelming emotions and DBT therapists will benefit significantly from this workbook. McKay, Wood and Brantley have expanded and translated DBT Skills, making Linehan's iconic work on emotional skill building even more accessible and easy to apply to everyday life."
—Kate Northcott, MA, MFT, is a DBT therapist in private practice with Mindfulness Therapy Associates and is director of New Perspectives Center for Counseling, a non-profit counseling center, in San Francisco, CA
Review
“Russ Harris is an open, centered, and engaged teacher of acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), and, in ACT Made Simple, he succeeds in delivering a transparent account of a complex and powerful treatment. I recommend this book to mental health and medical providers and to their teachers.”
— Patricia J. Robinson, Ph.D., coauthor of Behavioral Consultation and Primary Care and The Mindfulness and Acceptance Workbook for Depression
Review
“ACT Made Simple is simply the most accessible book written to date for therapists interested in learning ACT. Russ Harris explains ACT concepts in a style that is both engaging and straightforward. His advice on overcoming therapy roadblocks is invaluable and will be useful to both novice and experienced ACT practitioners.”
— Jason B. Luoma, Ph.D., psychologist at Portland Psychotherapy Clinic, Research, and Training Center
Review
“Perhaps the most elegant, easily digestible book on using the principles of mindfulness and acceptance to improve your own life and the lives of others. Inside are a litany of creative exercises and strategies that are ready for immediate use. But none of the benefits would be possible without the supportive, entertaining voice of Russ Harris. There is something new to be learned with each reading.”
— Todd B. Kashdan, Ph.D., professor of psychology at George Mason University and author of Curious? Discover the Missing Ingredient to a Fulfilling Life
Review
“ACT aims to increase psychological flexibility. Learn from this book and you'll be doing ACT rather than just talking about doing ACT. And you’ll be doing it with greaterflexibility.”
— Hank Robb, Ph.D., ABPP
Review
“Let’s face it: psychological concerns are complex. If modern behavior therapy is to rise to the occasion of reducing human suffering, it will require a similarly intricate and comprehensive approach. ACT attempts to provide a multifaceted treatment model to address these complexities, and ACT Made Simple has risen to the occasion by reducing the difficulties in understanding the unique ACT approach. Harris’s expressive style is matchless. Comprehensive scientific and clinical literature rarely reads this well. This is a clear, understandable introduction to a powerful intervention approach. Many practitioners who are new to ACT will want to start with ACT Made Simple.”
— Daniel J. Moran, Ph.D., BCBA, coauthor of ACT in Practice
Review
“This much-needed book is a must for mental health clinicians interested in learning ACT. True to his physician roots, Harris has taken a very practical approach to understanding ACT. He does a wonderful job of taking complicated ACT concepts and making them easy to understand. His writing is full of wit, self-disclosure, and down-to-earth communication. Readers of this book will finish it with a much better understanding of core ACT principles and interventions.”
— Kirk D. Strosahl, Ph.D., coauthor of The Mindfulness and Acceptance Workbook for Depression
Review
“For newcomers to ACT, there is no better place to start than with this book. Russ Harris masterfully makes ACT come alive with an accessible writing style and illustrative examples of its application in alleviating a wide range of types of human suffering. Practical tips and homework assignments throughout will actively engage you to go beyond merely reading about ACT and begin to apply it to your own life and in your work with clients. For those who may have been holding out for ACT for Dummies, the wait is over. This book is for you!”
— Robert Zettle, Ph.D., professor of psychology at Wichita State University and author of ACT for Depression
Review
“For those of you who train or supervise nurses, physicians, social workers, or other professionals unffamiliar with psychological lingo, ACT Made Simple is a must. Russ Harris has succeeded in the challenge of translating difficult psychological concepts embedded in ACT into plain, colorful, diverse language that anyone working clinically will understand. Each section is simply organized, easy to follow, and user-friendly. Harris has included highly useful sections of practical tips and common pitfalls that even the trained ACT therapist will find useful. I highly recommend ACT Made Simple as a primer for ACT training.”
— JoAnne Dahl, Ph.D., author of The Art and Science of Valuing in Psychotherapy
Review
“ACT Made Simple is just that. Dr. Harris has, once again, written a very accessible book that should be read by all clinicians wanting to learn, engage, or otherwise implement ACT in their practices. This book is a must for ACT readers. My thanks to Dr. Harris for making ACT so user-friendly and understandable.”
— Robyn D. Walser, Ph.D., author of The Mindful Couple
Review
Sheri Van Dijk has managed to successfully simplify and extend the principles of dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) into a concise, user-friendly format. While highlighting the interplay of one's sense of self and their roles in relationships, the reader is given clear examples and skills to successfully manage their emotions and improve communication. Although the intended audience is adolescents, this book is a valuable resource for parents and anyone working with teenagers.”
Leanne Garfinkel, MA, clinical psychologist and dialectical behavior therapy (DBT)-informed therapist
Review
In this book, Sheri Van Dijk has produced a user-friendly and easy-to-understand workbook for teens struggling with relationships. The skills for healthy relationships are explained and examples given by following several teens experiencing problems. The exercises to practice the skills are presented in a way that is simple and straightforward. I will definitely recommend it to my clients.”
Marilyn Becker MSW, RSW, dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) skills therapist in private practice in Richmond Hill, ON, Canada
Review
Sheri Van Dijk has done it again! As the author of several books, she continues to inspire transformation by encouraging mindfulness, acceptance, and self-compassion. In this book intended to help teenagers with relationship skills, she explains dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) in a well-thought-out, easy-to-read manner with lots of examples. I wish I had known these skills when I was a teenager! As a therapist for over twelve years, I would also recommend this book as a valuable resource to therapists, parents, and others who support teenagers.”
Rennet Wong-Gates MSW, RSW, child and family therapist
Review
Relationships are complicated, and for many teens, the source of much distress. In this very clear and user-friendly workbook, Sheri Van Dijk shares the key components for the development and enhancement of teens self-awareness, emotional self-management, and self-esteemall of which positively impact the success of their relationships and connections to others. I found this workbook easy to read, and view it as a valuable resource for my teenage clients, as well as their parents.”
Pat Counter, BA, DipCS, RSW, social worker in the Disruptive Behaviours Program at Southlake Regional Health Centre
Review
After thirty years of clinical practice, I have finally found a book that helps teens to identify their feelings and learn practical skills for changing behaviors. Sheri Van Dijk offers examples that help readers truly relate to the concepts she teaches. This easy-to-read guide on improving interpersonal relationships is a necessity for any teen that wishes to lead a happier, healthier life. I will definitely recommend it to my clients.”
Francine Mendelowitz, LCSW, psychotherapist and founder of InterACT New York
Review
“A ‘must-read’ for anyone who wants to teach mindfulness in groups. The authors’ experience and talent shine through every page. They spell out for readers what is often implied in hands-on teacher trainings. A special bonus is how mindfulness and compassion are seamlessly woven together. Highly recommended!”
—Christopher Germer, PhD, author of The Mindful Path to Self-Compassion, coeditor of Mindfulness and Psychotherapy, and clinical instructor in psychology at Harvard Medical School
Review
"What a beautiful, wise, and user-friendly handbook on how to teach mindfulness. I also appreciate how the authors provide clear directions on how to support the clinicians ability to sit in the mindfulness teachers seat with greater wisdom and humility.”
Bob Stahl, PhD, coauthor of A Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Workbook, Living with Your Heart Wide Open, Calming the Rush of Panic, A Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Workbook for Anxiety, and MBSR Every Day
Review
I cant imagine a more ideal how-to-teach-mindfulness manual! This book offers clear and comprehensive support in learning to lead meditations, offer beginners classes, and respond to the natural challenges and questions that arise in introducing mindfulness to clients. Keep this guide close at handit will enable you to bring your full intelligence, heart, and confidence to sharing these life-transforming practices.”
Tara Brach, PhD, author of Radical Acceptance and True Refuge
Review
What a practical, thorough, extraordinary book. Wolf and Serpa give a crystal clear road map for any professional wanting to teach mindfulness in clinical settings. Their detailed lesson plans and voice-of-experience guidance are infused with their own deep practice of mindfulness, encouraging support, and clinical acumen. Highly recommended.”
Rick Hanson, PhD, author of Buddhas Brain: The Practical Neuroscience of Happiness, Love, and Wisdom
Review
Broad in scope, yet practical,
A Clinicians Guide to Teaching Mindfulness can serve as a resource for secular mindfulness teacher training programs. Clearly the result of years of experience, this book provides especially good support for new instructors, while those with experience will appreciate its clarity and fresh perspectives.”
Sharon Salzberg, author of Lovingkindness and Real Happiness
Review
Wolf and Serpa have given us a wonderful gifta clear, complete, and inspiring guide for teaching the basics of mindfulness. The authors deep understanding of this topic from both Buddhist and psychotherapist perspectives is evident throughout, and helps to make this book not only a very practical manual, but also a succinct and direct guide for how to become a more effective and comfortable teacher or facilitator of mindfulness. This book will be highly valuable for anyone interested in this area, regardless of prior experience. Absolutely the best book on this topic I have encountered.”
Bruce D. Naliboff, PhD, research professor of medicine and psychiatry, and biobehavioral sciences director in the pain research program at the Gail and Gerald Oppenheimer Family Center for Neurobiology of Stress at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA
Review
A Clinicians Guide to Teaching Mindfulness is a wonderful guide for far more than only clinicians! There is no one on this lifes journey who cannot deepen their experience and their joy through understanding and practicing mindfulness. When we as clinicians, in the broadest sense of the word, advance our capacity to understand and teach these fundamental concepts, this way of being in the world and in our lives will take root more organically. It will become a fundamental way of being. I would highly recommend this book as a guide to all of us who would like to better help ourselves and others discover, understand, and integrate this way of being.”
Tracy W. Gaudet, MD, executive director of the Office of Patient Centered Care and Cultural Transformation, US Department of Veterans Affairs
Review
Thorough, practical, and full of heart and integrity. I highly recommend this book for anyone who is looking to get started or enhance their ability to teach mindfulness individually or in groups.”
Elisha Goldstein, PhD, author of Uncovering Happiness
Synopsis
In the tradition of ACT Made Simple, DBT Made Simple is a manual for therapists seeking to understand and apply the four dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) skills in individual therapy. DBT is an effective treatment for borderline personality disorder, self-injury, chemical dependency, trauma related to sexual abuse, and various mood disorders.
Synopsis
Originally developed for the treatment of borderline personality disorder, dialectical behavior therapy, or DBT, has rapidly become one of the most popular and most effective treatments for all mental health conditions rooted in out-of-control emotions. However, there are limited resources for psychologists seeking to use DBT skills with individual clients. In the tradition of ACT Made Simple, DBT Made Simple provides clinicians with everything they need to know to start using DBT in the therapy room.
The first part of this book briefly covers the theory and research behind DBT and explains how DBT differs from traditional cognitive behavioral therapy approaches. The second part focuses on strategies professionals can use in individual client sessions, while the third section teaches the four skills modules that form the backbone of DBT: core mindfulness, distress tolerance, emotion regulation, and interpersonal effectiveness. The book includes handouts, case examples, and example therapist-client dialogue—everything clinicians need to equip their clients with these effective and life-changing skills.
Synopsis
By a distinguished team of authors, The Dialectical Behavior Therapy Skills Workbook offers readers unprecedented access to the core skills of dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), formerly available only through complicated professional books and a small handful of topical workbooks. These straightforward, step-by-step exercises will bring DBT core skills to thousands who need it.
Synopsis
Mindfulness-based interventions have exploded in popularity. What was once an ancient practice honed in Buddhist monasteries is now a mainstream, evidence-based, secular intervention employed by trained health and mental health professionals. A Clinicians Guide to Teaching Mindfulness provides professionals with a comprehensive, session-by-session guide, complete with the scripts and training materials needed to teach introductory mindfulness in a wide variety of settings, despite theoretical background.
Synopsis
Mindfulness-based interventions have exploded in popularity due to their success in treating everything from everyday stress to more serious mental health conditions such as depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). This breakthrough book provides professionals with a comprehensive, session-by-session guide to teaching mindfulness, complete with the scripts and training materials needed to teach introductory mindfulness in a wide variety of settings, despite theoretical background.
Mindfulness—once an ancient practice honed in Buddhist monasteries—is now a mainstream, evidence-based, secular intervention employed by trained health and mental health professionals worldwide. The rapid spread of mindfulness increasingly involves psychologists, physicians, social workers, therapists, counselors, spiritual advisers, life coaches, and education professionals trained in their respective disciplines. Additionally, research continues to show that mindfulness is an effective treatment for anxiety, depression, stress, pain relief, and many other illnesses.
If you are a professional interested in teaching mindfulness, this book will provide you with everything you need to get started right away. The introductory, six-week protocol outlined in this book is easy-to-use, and can be implemented in a variety of settings, ranging from an outpatient mental health clinic to an inpatient oncology clinic, from a substance abuse recovery program to educational settings.
In addition, this book will tell you what to bring to each class; provides outlines for each session; offers scripts to help you differentiate the weekly meditative practices; and provides invaluable resources for further study and professional development. If you’re looking to integrate mindfulness into your professional work, this is your go-to guide.
Synopsis
In Relationship Skills 101 for Teens, best-selling author of Dont Let Your Emotions Run Your Life for Teens, Sheri Van Dijk offers teens powerful tools to regulate their emotions and create better relationshipswhether its with parents, friends and peers, or dates. Using skills based in dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), teens will learn to take control of their emotions and reactions in order to respond effectively to peer pressure, bullying, and gossip, and navigate the myriad social issues that make these years so challenging.
Synopsis
In Relationship Skills 101 for Teens, Sheri Van Dijkauthor of Dont Let Your Emotions Run Your Life for Teensoffers powerful tools based in dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) to help you regulate your emotions so you can build better relationships with your parents, friends, and peers.
Do you ever feel like your emotions are out of your control? Is it hard for you to make friends, get a date, or get along with your parents? You arent alone. For some people, good relationships seem to come easily. But if you are like many others, you may need a little help. This book offers evidence-based strategies you can use to take control of your emotions and reactions in order to respond effectively to peer pressure, bullying, cyberbullying, and gossip, allowing you to navigate the many social issues that make these years so challenging.
This book outlines three core skills to help you manage your emotions and create better relationships. First, youll discover how mindfulness can help you face each life experience with awareness and acceptance. Second, youll find more effective ways of communicating with others so you can develop healthier, more balanced relationships. Finally, youll learn powerful skills to regulate your emotions so you dont end up taking things out on the people you care about. With these combined skills, you’ll learn how to act in healthier ways so you don’t end up pushing people away.
Like most teens, you want to make and keep friends. You also want to date! And youd probably like to have a good relationship with your parents. This book will give you the skills to reach these goals and live a happier, more fulfilling lifewell beyond your teen years. Why not get started now?
Synopsis
Internationally-known acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) trainer Russ Harris presents ACT Made Simple, a complete, accessible guide for therapists interested in understanding the ACT model and teaching core ACT principles to their clients.
Synopsis
Why is it so hard to be happy? Why is life so difficult? Why do humans suffer so much? And what can we realistically do about it? No matter how rewarding your job, as a mental health professional, you may sometimes feel helpless in the face of these questions. You are also well-aware of the challenges and frustrations that can present during therapy.
If you are looking for ways to optimize your client sessions, consider joining the many thousands of therapists and life coaches worldwide who are learning acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT). ACT is not just a proven effective treatment for depression, anxiety, stress, addictions, eating disorders, schizophrenia, borderline personality disorder, and myriad other psychological issues that focuses on mindfulness, client values, and a commitment to change. It's also a revolutionary new way to view the human condition, packed full of exciting new tools, techniques, and strategies for promoting profound behavioral change.
A practical and entertaining primer, ideal for ACT newcomers and experienced ACT professionals alike, ACT Made Simple offers clear explanations of the six ACT processes and a set of real-world tips and solutions for rapidly and effectively implementing them in your practice. This book gives you everything you need to start using ACT with your clients for impressive results. Inside, you'll find: scripts, exercises, metaphors, and worksheets to use with your clients; a session-by-session guide to implementing ACT; transcripts from therapy sessions; guidance for creating your own therapeutic techniques and exercises; and practical tips to overcome 'therapy roadblocks.'
This book aims to take the complex theory and practice of ACT and make it accessible and enjoyable for both you, the therapist, and your clients.
Synopsis
Compassion-focused therapy (CFT) is extremely effective in helping clients work through painful feelings of shame and self-criticism. However, the theoretical aspects of this therapy—such as evolutionary psychology, attachment theory, and affective neuroscience—can make CFT difficult to grasp. Using the easy-to-apply tools outlined in this comprehensive guide to CFT, professionals can help clients develop self-compassion and, learn mindfulness skills, and balance difficult emotions for greater treatment outcomes.
Synopsis
For the first time ever, CFT Made Simple offers easy-to-apply tools to help clients develop self-compassion, learn mindfulness skills, and balance difficult emotions for greater treatment outcomes.
Created by world-renowned psychologist Paul Gilbert, compassion-focused therapy (CFT) is extremely effective in helping clients work through painful feelings of shame and self-criticism. However, the theoretical aspects of this therapy—such as evolutionary psychology, attachment theory, and affective neuroscience—can make CFT difficult to grasp. This book provides everything you need to start implementing CFT in practice, either as a primary therapy modality or as an adjunctive approach to other therapies, such as acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), and more.
CFT has unique strengths, and is especially effective in helping clients work through troubling thoughts and behaviors, approach themselves and others with greater compassion and kindness, and feel safer and more confident in their ability to handle life’s challenges and difficulties. This book articulates the theoretical basis of the therapy in simple, easy-to-follow language, and offers practical guidance and strategies on how to tailor your CFT approach to specific client populations.
As a clinician interested in the benefits of CFT but wary of the dense theoretical principles that lay behind it, you need a user-friendly guide that will let you hit the ground running. CFT Made Simple is that guide.
Synopsis
How therapists relate to their clients can have a profound impact on treatment outcomes. Functional Analytic Psychotherapy Made Simple is the first professional resource to offer a practical treatment approach focused on interpersonal relationships. Written by the founders of this evidence-based modality, the book integrates the latest research on the importance of the therapist-client relationship with the new science of social connection into a user-friendly, contextual behavioral framework.
Synopsis
Written by the founders of functional analytic psychotherapy, Functional Analytic Psychotherapy Made Simple is the first professional resource to offer a practical treatment approach focused on client interpersonal relationships.
Functional analytic psychotherapy (FAP) is a proven-effective treatment for mental health disorders, and has been shown to enhance the quality of interpersonal relationships. If you’re a therapist, how you relate to your clients can have a profound impact on treatment outcomes. This book integrates the latest research on the importance of the therapist-client relationship with the new science of social connection into a user-friendly, contextual behavioral framework.
In this book, you’ll find an introduction of the promise and foundation of FAP with an emphasis on practice and reflection, and then dive deeper into each separate element of practice: assessment and case conceptualization, present-moment experience, emotions, self and values, exercises, mistakes in FAP, and getting “unstuck” in therapy. You’ll also learn to help clients implement awareness, courage, and love as the basis of all social connection. Finally, you’ll learn how this treatment model can be used to respond to some of the most challenging issues clinicians face, such as clients who aren’t improving, clients with whom your relationship is very intense or volatile, clients who are hard to like, and clients with whom there is a lot of frustration or unspoken conflict.
No matter your treatment background, this book will provide invaluable strategies for adopting functional analytic psychotherapy in your practice, enhancing relationships with your clients, and improving overall treatment outcomes.
About the Author
J. Greg Serpa, PhD, is a clinical psychologist for the US Department of Veterans Affairs at the VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System. He is honored to teach mindfulness to America's veterans and is the first full-time mindfulness teacher and trainer in the federal system. Serpa is an associate clinical professor in the psychology department at the University of California, Los Angeles, and an associate visiting clinical scientist at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. He teaches intensive mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR), mindful self-compassion (MSC), and introductory level mindfulness classes at four area hospitals, and serves as a trainer, supervisor, and consultant to clinicians at the VA and UCLA. He is currently the director of interprofessional mental health education at the West Los Angeles VA, where he trains psychology postdoctoral fellows, psychiatry residents, social work interns, and nurses in mindfulness and integrative modalities of health and well-being. Serpa is a national mindfulness content expert for the VA's Office of Patient Centered Care and Cultural Transformation, where he and Christiane Wolf are preparing mindfulness toolkits for national dissemination. He is also an active researcher with a number of projects expanding on the evidence basis of mindfulness interventions. This includes a National Institutes of Health-funded biomarker study examining the impact of meditation on brain structure in combat veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan who have traumatic brain injury and post-traumatic headache.Jack Kornfield, PhD, is cofounder of the Insight Meditation Society in Barre, MA, and a founding teacher of Spirit Rock Meditation Center in Woodacre, CA. He is author of many books, including A Path with Heart and The Wise Heart.Trudy Goodman, PhD, is a senior Vipassana teacher in Los Angeles, cofounder of the Growing Spirit program, and contributing author to several books, including