Contemplative Therapy

I completed my master's degree in contemplative psychotherapy (now titled Buddhist Psychology) at Naropa University. This included a great deal of study beyond traditional therapy programs to learn Buddhist philosophy and practice meditation and mindfulness techniques. We embodied these practices beyond just intellectual understanding by undertaking two-week-long meditation retreats every semester, during which we would implement what we were learning to better understand it within ourselves.

Masters of Clinical Mental Health - focus on Contemplative Psychotherapy and Buddhist Psychology

Jodi is a graduate of Naropa's Contemplative Psychotherapy Graduate Program. Naropa University’s concentration in Contemplative Psychotherapy & Buddhist Psychology master's degree is a counseling program that grounds itself in the Buddhist contemplative wisdom tradition and includes current humanistic psychological approaches to give insight and skills to show up fully for one's self and others.

Buddhism + psychology is an incredibly powerful combination for personal growth. Buddhism provides the analogy and wisdoms for living a life free from suffering — we are lotuses that transform the murky mud of our world and its challenges into nutrients for growth — psychology provides insight and guidance into the process of human development and offer tools for change. Up for the challenge? I will dive deep with you to tackle the most fundamental questions about life and who we are.

Contemplative practices include contemplation, meditation, and yoga, and are usually part of a larger worldview and way of life, optimizing well-being. These practices offer psychological and psychosomatic benefits. Through contemplative therapy, we can train and develop the mind, resulting in enhanced mental capacities, well-being, and maturity. This training therapy can heighten calm, concentration, insight, and joy.

I received my Masters in Psychology with a focus in Contemplative Psychotherapy. My program focused on how to encourage a deeper connection between the client and their mind. There is a large emphasis placed on the client's experience and this can be forwarded by this cultivation of one's awareness of how their mind works.

Just as the breath calms the body, meditation calms the mind. Meditation has physical, emotional, mental and spiritual benefits. Elizabeth guides her clients in different styles of meditating to determine which form is most effective in giving them the deepest sense of wellbeing, maintain equanimity and handle difficult situations. Meditation has been proven to change the brain in ways that correlate with less stress and depression, less pain and anxiety, and a stronger immune system.

Contemplative psychotherapy operates on the belief that all people have natural wisdom within them, and this wisdom can be used to achieve healing and self-awareness. I believe that all people are gifted and creative beings, but sometimes those gifts get buried under years of trauma or other pain. It is my great privilege to help you heal your pain and tap into that inner wisdom for optimal living.

Contemplative therapy promotes qualities of mindfulness and compassion in order to help clients access their fundamental goodness and natural wisdom.

Joining of both eastern and western approaches to working with the mind and body, so we can feel what we feel and begin know what we know more completely.

Practice in contemplative psychotherapy and related interventions since 2014.

My master's degree focused exclusively on contemplative, or mindfulness-based, therapy. My work integrates a lot of mindfulness skills and coping skills. Many forms of visualization, relaxation, meditation, mindful movement, are ways that we can reconnect, ground, and center our lives. Some primary contemplative therapy models I use are dialectical behavior therapy and acceptance and commitment therapy.

Jodi is a graduate of Naropa's Contemplative Psychotherapy Graduate Program. Naropa University’s concentration in Contemplative Psychotherapy & Buddhist Psychology master's degree is a counseling program that grounds itself in the Buddhist contemplative wisdom tradition and includes current humanistic psychological approaches to give insight and skills to show up fully for one's self and others.

As I am animated by the contemplative traditions, my intention for you is no less than that you learn to live in an abiding awareness of your own preciousness.

I am a trained spiritual director, and I have been formed in both the Christian and Buddhist contemplative traditions.