Compassion's Compass: Strategies for Developing Insight, Kindness, and Empathy

Compassion’s COMPASS: Strategies for Developing Kindness and Insight offers a systematic approach to developing compassionate insight that has been adapted from Tibetan mind training strategies, secularized for modern audiences, and supplemented with relevant research, anecdotes, and exercises in accessible language. This book contains easy exercises for regaining composure, boosting compassionate insight, preventing compassion fatigue, and maintaining compassion resilience. “COMPASS” is an acronym for “Compassion and Analytical Selective-Focus Skills”. Selective-focus skills suggest contemplations that can help to generate and enhance compassionate insight. These exercises follow an “emotional logic” in which one step produces a basis for cultivating the next. These skill steps are broken down in detail within each section of the book containing a discussion of the purpose of the skill being presented, supporting research for it, examples of its use, and short exercises for the reader to try in order to cultivate and enhance it. These techniques have been piloted with social workers and therapists-in-training. Details of these pilot studies are included along with a handbook for helping professionals in the prevention and healing of compassion fatigue. The exercises that are presented in each chapter are also compiled in order for easy use in the handbook in back of the book.

Wilson C. Hurley is adjunct professor at George Mason University and a clinical social worker in private practice in Centreville, VA. He specializes in working with children, adolescents and families, but also works with adults in individual and couples therapy. His publications include Enhancing a Positive School Climate with Compassion and Analytical Selective-Focus Skills, IISTE Journal of Education and Practice, and The Water and Wood Shastras, which he co-translated from Tibetan with Yeshe Khedrup. His website is: http://compassmethods.com/