Join Dr. Shari Geller and the Mindfulness Toronto community for a talk on therapeutic presence (TP), self-compassion, and self-care for therapists. Offering compassionate care, sustained attention, and psychotherapy, without a balance of compassion and care for self, can lead to burnout and exhaustion.
This talk will explore the relationship of mindful self-compassion (Neff and Germer, 2018) and therapeutic presence (Geller, 2017; Geller & Greenberg, 2012, 2023), with a particular focus on effective therapeutic relationships and therapist well-being. Since presence and self-compassion need to be directly experienced to be understood, this will include a brief introduction to the topic and experiential practice.
Dr. Shari Geller is an author, clinical psychologist, and certified Mindful Self-Compassion (MSC) teacher, offering training modules in therapeutic presence internationally as part of a longer-term vision of having presence be a foundational training across psychotherapy approaches. Shari co-authored the book, Therapeutic Presence: A Mindful Approach to Effective Therapeutic Relationships – 2 nd Edition (2022) with Dr. Leslie Greenberg. Shari’s book: A Practical Guide For Cultivating Therapeutic Presence (2017), offers hands on tools and guidance for cultivating and strengthening presence in therapy. Shari is a co-editor on a new book: Grounding Psychotherapy in Self-Compassion (2025).
Shari is the co-director of the Centre for MindBody Health, in Toronto, where she offers training, supervision and therapy in Emotion- Focused therapy (EFT) and Mindfulness and Self-Compassion modalities for individuals and couples. She is a therapist, supervisor, and trainer in Emotion Focused Therapy (EFT). Shari serves on the teaching faculty in Health Psychology at York University and is Adjunct Professor in the Faculty of Music at the University of Toronto, in association with Music and Health Research Collaboratory (MaHRC). She is a co-developer and part of the core faculty of the Self-Compassion in Psychotherapy (SCIP) certificate program and is Membership and Networking Committee Chair for the International Society for Emotion Focused Therapy (isEFT). Shari enjoys playing the HandPan and djembe and founded the Therapeutic Rhythm and Mindfulness Program (TRM™). Her love of nature and her dogs, along with her 35-year personal meditation practice help to keep her present in the moment.
Discover More:
www.sharigeller.ca
www.cmbh.space
