Heart Practices for Couples: Cultivating Mindful Awareness, Compassion, and Emotional Attunement (DC1D26)

Registration closes at 9:00am (Pacific Time) on February 14, 2026. A waiting list will be created if the program fills early. A recording* will be available following the program. Continuing Education credits? (see details below).

BEFORE Registering – please read IMPORTANT NOTE below.

Description:
This Valentine’s Day workshop offers couples an opportunity to cultivate emotional presence, empathy, and shared joy and love. To be intimate, we must learn to be fully present. Through partner meditations, verbal and nonverbal communication exercises, and group discussion, participants will practice the art of intimacy and evidence-informed skills that strengthen connection and emotional understanding to deepen the shared journey. Debra and George, both psychotherapists and married for 44 years, bring warmth, humor, and extensive clinical experience to this exploration of relational mindfulness. This program is designed and appropriate for couples, as much of the day involves partner practices.

Important note: This event is not appropriate for attending alone, as the majority of the day will be spent in partner practice. BOTH partners must register for the program separately, even if you will be sharing a Zoom account. Program rate is per person.

Online Only: We are offering this program online via Zoom.

Sliding Scale: Our sliding scale options for this program include financial support for our teachers. Please consider paying at the highest rate that you can afford: your generosity supports the teachers as well as Spirit Rock and your fellow practitioners who need to pay less.

Benefactor – $175
Sustainer – $95
Basic – $75
Scholarship Rate (BIPOC, M/K) – $45

All are welcome! No one will be turned away for lack of funds as space allows. For more information, please email Registration@spiritrock.org no later than 12:00pm (NOON) PT on the day prior to the program date.

*Recording Note: Registration includes unlimited access to this program’s recording. You must register by the deadline above. The recording will be available in ~10 days after the program.

Important Note for CE participants: If you are interested in receiving continuing education credits (CEs), you must register and pay for CEs prior to the start of the program (no retroactive CEs will be given) and you must attend the entire program. Please review the CE information below.

Cancellation Policy – Online: Drop-ins, Daylongs, Multiday Programs (1-3 days), Family Programs/Series, CE fees:

• NO REFUNDS
• Open Credit, or Donation to Spirit Rock = if cancel by midnight, the day prior to program start (Pacific Time)
• No Open Credit = if cancel day of the program, or beyond

Continuing Education (CE) credit available:
This program offers 4.5 Continuing Education (CE) credits/contact hours for $45, applicable for psychologists and California-licensed MFTs, LCSWs, LEPs, and LPCCs, and may be applicable for other licenses. Please review our Continuing Education information page for provider details, and to determine if your association or board will accept credits offered by Spirit Rock.

Teachings are appropriate for health care professionals who support clients or patients in cultivating healthy relationships, as well as the general public. This program provides psychologists and other healthcare professionals with an experiential understanding of mindfulness-based and compassion-focused practices that can be shared with clients to strengthen emotional connection and resilience in relationships. By personally engaging in these partner practices, clinicians gain embodied insight into the processes of emotional attunement, empathy, and mindful communication—skills that are central to evidence-based couples and interpersonal therapies. Direct experience of these methods deepens the clinician’s ability to guide clients in cultivating awareness, compassion, and presence within their own relationships.

Learning Objectives for participating health care professionals-
At the end of the program, you will be better able to:

• Apply mindfulness and self-awareness practices to help couples improve self-regulation, emotional attunement, and intimacy in their relationships.
• Describe compassion-based practices that enhance emotional safety, openness, and trust, fostering secure attachment within couples’ relationships.
• Explain mindfulness-informed communication practices for couples that increase perceived partner responsiveness and promote constructive dialogue, supporting empathy and mutual understanding.
• Utilize mindful listening practices to enhance empathy, effective emotional repair, and relational resilience in couple interactions.

Continuing Education content level: Introductory

Attendance policy for CE participants:

• Attendance will be tracked automatically and verified as follows:
  • Sign in to Zoom with the same email used for registration, before joining the program, to ensure attendance tracking.
  • Join on time using the Zoom app or a web browser (phone dial-ins are not tracked).
  • Stay logged in and engaged for the duration of the program.
• Internet Reliability – Participants are responsible for a stable internet connection.
• Submit your professional information within one week of receiving the access link. This link will be emailed within 2 business days after the program concludes to all participants who have met the full attendance requirements.

Please note:

• For full Provider information, and additional CE information, including attendance requirements, cancellation, and grievance policies, please visit our Continuing Education information page.
• For those with a different license than listed above, or with a license from a different board or association than listed on our CE info page, please contact your licensing board or association directly to request pre-approval/acceptance of CE credits offered at Spirit Rock. Spirit Rock does not confirm the applicability of credit for those with licenses other than those listed.
• Incomplete attendance nullifies CE eligibility as board regulations prohibit partial credit for partial attendance. Participants cannot join a program late, have gaps in attendance, or leave early and be given “partial credit” for the hours that they were present. Certificates are issued only to those who fulfill the complete attendance requirements—without exception—to maintain compliance with our provider licenses and ensure the continuation of future CE programs.
• Credit is awarded for instructional time only and does not include extended silent meditation, if offered.
• This program is co-sponsored by Spirit Rock and Mindful CECs. Mindful CECs is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. Mindful CECs maintains responsibility for this program and its content.
• Potential Conflict of Interest Statement: This instructor may have authored publications relevant to the subjects covered in this course. The instructor might reference these publications during the course, and they may receive financial compensation if these publications are purchased.