Catherine Place is partnering with the University of Washington, Tacoma, to offer an online well-being training for care-givers who identify as women in March 2021. The CARE (Compassion, Awareness, Resilience, Empowerment) program is an 8-week online course intended to cultivate relaxation, empowerment, and resilience in caregivers allowing them to respond to stressful situations with flexibility and strength. A team of students and faculty at UW Tacoma is working to create an accessible program where women caregivers can develop self-care skills in the context of a supportive community.
Participants will learn about conditions that lead to experiences of emotional strain or burnout. They will be introduced to simple activities to reduce stress and to increase well-being in everyday situations. Listening to our bodies and acting before we feel overwhelmed is part of self-care, and practices grounded in research on mindfulness compassion, and positive psychology help us to do this. Connecting with others who are in similar situations can also be a source of strength and support, and the CARE training will help build these connections. The course will be delivered online, and include some ‘live’ Zoom meetings where participants can interact with each other and the facilitator, Dr. Jane Compson.
The course had four different topics:
- Compassion (developing compassion cultivation skills)
- Awareness (developing mindfulness skills)
- Resilience (building capacity for dealing with challenging experiences)
- Engagement and Empowerment (creating supportive frameworks for sustainable change).
You can learn more on the newly developed website for the course. For each topic participants will learn techniques to build strengths in each area and will be encouraged to spend 10-15 minutes a day practicing them. Participants will have access to many resources, including guided meditations, helpful videos, web resources and discussion areas.
If you are a female caregiver (either professionally or personally) and are interested in taking this course, please register your interest here.
Would you like to help the team develop the course? If so, please consider completing this brief survey, which asks about your experiences as a female caregiver.