Talking to Yourself Like You Talk to Your Dog
Self-Compassion for
Positive Reinforcement Dog Trainers
Saturday, 8/1/20, 4pm-5pm via Zoom
“Who’s the best dog? You are! You did such a good job.
I love you so so so so much!”
It’s so easy to say this to our dogs and we often say it in an endearing sweet tone as we lovingly pet them. Let’s compare that to the voice we use to talk to ourselves. Do we choose to tell ourselves similar words when we accomplish a task? Do we use a caring supportive tone with ourselves? It’s not surprising that it is harder to treat ourselves with the same depth of kindness that we can easily give to our dogs.
Engaging with the gift of compassion and kindness that we give our dogs every day is a superpower we all need during this time to keep ourselves mentally and physically healthy. Self-compassion reconnects us to our authentic selves and allows us to be better for our dogs, our shelter-in-place partners, our family, our friends, and our larger communities. Accessing this inner resource can also give us the energy and tools to help lift up others as we collaboratively work toward social justice.
This workshop aims to:
Present the concept of self-compassion as it relates to how we treat our dogs and ourselves.
Lead participants in an experiential group exercise to access the experience of what it feels like to turn our compassion for our dogs toward ourselves.
Answer questions about how self-compassion relates to our daily lives.
Co-Facilitated by:
Liz Michaud, LMFT & Alice TONG Dote, LCSW
Liz is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and provides therapy to help clients strengthen their self-esteem, overcome fears, and deepen their understanding of themselves and others. Liz pairs compassion with empowerment to help people who may be struggling with anxiety, depression, relationship difficulties, social and cultural challenges, or recovery from traumatic experiences. Alice is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker as well as a positive reinforcement dog trainer. Alice enjoys using expressive arts therapy and animal-assisted therapy to help others on their healing journeys.