Education:
- Bachelor of Social Work (1993) and a Master of Social Work (1996) from Southern Illinois University.
- Licensed Clinical Social Worker in Oregon since 2003.
Mindfulness Training and Experience:
- Certified Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) Teacher through the Center for Mindfulness at UMass Medical School. Certification (historically through UMass, now through Brown University) is — by design — a lengthy process, one you can learn more about here.
- Teaching Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) 2002, starting a DBT program in Columbia County, Oregon.Additional Training and Experience:
- 7-day MBSR in Mind-Body Medicine, a Professional Training with Jon Kabat-Zinn and Saki Santorelli in 2007. Center for Mindfulness, UMass Medical School.
- 9-day Practicum in MBSR with Florence Meleo-Meyer and Melissa Blacker in 2008. Center for Mindfulness, UMass Medical School.
- Supervision and consultation with Florence Meleo-Meyer 2010 – 2014. Center for Mindfulness, UMass Medical School.
- Teaching mindfulness workshops and one-day events since 2009.
- Teaching MBSR since 2009.
- 5-day training in Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) with Zindel Seigel, Sarah Bowen, and Steven Hickman. January 2013. Center for Mindfulness, UCSD.
- 8-day Teacher Development Intensive in 2014. Center for Mindfulness, UMass Medical School.
- MBSR Certification in February 2015.
- Organized MBSR Teachers of the Pacific Northwest, and yearly Gathering 2015 – 2018.
Zen Study and Experience:
- Completed a 3-year intensive study program for Community Zen Leaders in 2013.Practicing with Zen teachers Chozen and Hogen Bays in the Zen Community of Oregon since 2004.
- Attended over forty 6-day or 9-day silent, teacher-led meditation retreats at Great Vow Zen Monastery since 2007. I continue to attend these 2-4 times per year when possible, and also attend retreats by other teachers from other lineages when possible.
- Became a Dharma Holder in 2016, which confers some teaching permission and leadership responsibility.
- Teacher Transmission conferred by Roshis Chozen and Hogen Bays, 2019.Member of the Lay Zen Teachers Association (LZTA)
Anti-Racism:
The work of anti-racism is a lifelong commitment. I include this with the recognition that much of what I have accomplished above has been accomplished within the context of white privilege. I have, and will always have, more to learn and do.
- Organized and began offering Awakening to Whiteness through the Zen Community of Oregon, focused on dismantling white supremacy, 2016.
- Ongoing group study and accountability, focusing on the writing of BIPOC authors.
- Financial support of the following organizations:
– Equal Justice Initiative
– The Loveland Foundation
– Liberate
