Teaching Clients Self-Compassion for Attachment Wounds (3 Hr) Syllabus

I. Foundations of Self-Compassion

• Define self-compassion as treating oneself with kindness, care, and understanding
• Explore the three principles of self-compassion: self-kindness, common humanity, and mindfulness
• Identify leading voices in the field including Kristin Neff, Tara Brach, and Dan Siegel
• Understand misconceptions about self-compassion, including confusion with self-pity, self-indulgence, or self-esteem
• Recognize benefits of self-compassion including increased resilience, emotional regulation, and reduced anxiety and depression

II. Understanding Attachment Wounds

• Define attachment wounds as emotional injuries often originating from caregiver relationships
• Identify causes including inconsistency, neglect, abuse, or separation
• Recognize how attachment trauma may also occur in friendships or romantic relationships
• Explore how attachment wounds show up in relationships through anxiety, jealousy, codependency, or emotional dysregulation
• Understand how attachment wounds show up internally as negative self-talk, shame, and feelings of unworthiness

III. The Role of Self-Compassion in Healing Attachment Wounds

• Rewire the brain to accept kindness as a counter to shame and self-criticism
• Use self-compassion to address and shift negative core beliefs
• Create an internal experience of secure attachment through consistent self-kindness
• Address client concerns about self-compassion such as fears of complacency, selfishness, or inauthenticity
• Apply real-life client examples demonstrating self-compassion in response to shame, anxiety, and criticism

IV. Interventions and Strategies for Clients and Clinicians

• Teach the 4 S’s of secure attachment: seen, safe, soothed, secure
• Guide clients through the RAIN technique: Recognize, Allow, Investigate, Nurture
• Facilitate exercises such as the Self-Compassion Break and the Inner Critic vs. Compassionate Being dialogue
• Increase somatic awareness through body-based tools and grounding techniques
• Use expressive modalities including inner child journaling, guided visualization, art therapy, and sensory integration
• Encourage clinicians to apply self-compassion in their own practice to reduce burnout and model emotional health