Therapists aren’t just therapists. We’re people, with interests, hobbies, and passions that not only give us fulfilment outside of work, but enhance our ability to return to the office day after day with a clear head and renewed focus. And some therapists’ passions, it turns out, are pretty darn cool.

By Daniel Siegel - A therapist’s skill base and experience are vital to good therapy. But they’re rarely enough. The following story, taken from Daniel Siegel's 2017 Networker Symposium Dinner Storytelling piece, highlights the need to bring vulnerability and some measure of risk into the treatment room, letting go of any secret ambition to become a Master of the Therapeutic Universe. There’s no such person.

Clinical psychologist and author Jack Kornfield has been instrumental in bringing mindfulness to Western audiences. With candor and humor, he shares a moving story about how mindfulness can make us more patient, compassionate human beings, and explains what it means for therapists to be "heart-holders" in today's society.

In the past, resilience was thought of as an immutable trait: something we're born with that predetermines how well we can tolerate stress. In reality, Linda Graham explains, “resilience is the process of adapting well in the face of adversity.” It's something that can be developed with training, like a muscle.

Rick Hanson describes how becoming more mindful of our body and thoughts, and the link between the two, can make us happier and less afraid of life's uncertainties.

Becoming a parent gives us a chance to grow by attending to old wounds, including many that we may have forgotten. The aim is not to deny our history, but to understand it and develop a new relationship with it, bringing self-compassion to ourselves in those moments when we lose it. Here's a seven-step process that can help.

When COVID-19 hit and many of us began stocking up on food and sheltering in place, I grew deeply concerned for my clients. How were they going to handle the endless hours of isolation, or conversely, the stress of too many people at home at once? As a therapist who specializes in eating issues, here's the approach I use to help them.

During the 2020 Networker Virtual Symposium, renowned Buddhist teacher and psychologist Tara Brach explained how, even in the midst of the stress, anxiety, and trauma caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, we can use mindfulness and compassion to undo our primitive, fear-based reactivity, reveal our mutual belonging, and awaken our hearts.

With so much of our lives being conducted in front of screens right now, it can be easy to lose sight of the world around us, and this can make for some tough moments with family and friends. Networker editor Rich Simon sat down with psychologist and mindfulness expert Tara Brach, who shares a personal story about cultivating mindfulness and patience in a digital world.

Life in quarantine is testing our relationships with family members and romantic partners. It's also impacting our nervous system, says therapist Deb Dana. She explains what Polyvagal Theory can teach us about re-regulating our nervous system, developing more self-compassion, and working through these tough moments.