An in-depth guide to integrating Buddhist insights and practices into the work of psychotherapy. For the growing number of professional counselors interested in meditation and Buddhist concepts, this book integrates the ideal of the bodhisattva--one who serves others selflessly with generosity, patience, and diligence--with the principles and ethics of the professional therapist. Her focus is on how counselors and psychotherapists can understand these inspiring qualities and attitudes--and how they can apply them in counseling and therapy. Bringing together years of teaching psychology at the master's level and practicing psychotherapy with clients, along with thirty years of meditation experience, Dr. Wegela presents inspiring counsel on how to cultivate these qualities and bring them both into one's personal experience and into relationships with clients.

Courage to Be Present,Karen Kissel Wegela, Shambhala Publications, Hardcover, 216 pages, $24.95

Karen Kissel Wegela, PhD, has been studying and teaching the integration of Buddhist principles and psychotherapy for twenty-nine years at Naropa University, where she is a professor in the graduate Contemplative Psychotherapy program. She has presented at numerous workshops and conferences both nationally and internationally. She's been anthologized widely and has published several articles; she is also a psychologist in private practice in Boulder, Colorado.

	Contents: the courage to be present - Buddhism, psychotherapy, and the awakening of natural wisdom
	Acknowledgments	ix
	Introduction: What Is a Bodhisattva	xi
	PART ONE. The Path of Awakening Natural Wisdom
1.	The Awakened Heart of the Bodhisattva	3
2.	Acknowledging Suffering: The Frst Noble Truth	13
3	Why Are We So Confused? The Second Noble Truth	18
4.	Beyond Suffering: The Third Noble Truth	25
5.	The Path: The Fourth Noble Truth	30
6.	Emptiness Is Not Nothingness	36
7.	May I Be a Bridge, a Ship, or a..... Psychotherapist?	43
	PART TWO. Connecting with the Heart of a Bodhisattva
8.	Meditation: The Practice of Connecting with Ourselves	57
9.	The First Immeasurable: Loving Kindness	68
10.	The Second Immeasurable: Compassion	80
11.	The Third Immeasurable: Joy	89
12.	The Fourth Immeasurable: Equanimity	97
	PART THREE: Engaging in Bodhisattva Activity
13.	Generosity: The First of the Awakened Actions	109
14.	Discipline: The Second of the Awakened Actions	119
15	Patience: The Third of the Awakened Actions	129
16.	Practices in Patience	137
17.	Our Natural Resources: Working with Emotions	145
18.	Exertion: The Fourth of the Awakened Actions	153
19.	Meditation: The Fifth of the Awakened Actions	162
20.	The Body-Speech-Mind Practice for Working with Exchange	175
21.	Wisdom: The Sixth of the Awakened Actions	184
22.	Dedicating the Merit	195
	Notes	199
	Bibliography	205
	Resources	209
	Index	211