Buddhist
Psychology
Training
Integrating Mindfulness, Science, and
Clinical Practice
Strengthen your practice, enhance your effectiveness — bridging Buddhist psychological frameworks with contemporary psychological science.
Watch the Course Introduction
What is Buddhist Psychology?
Buddhist psychology is an ancient system of understanding the mind and human experience that forms the foundation of mindfulness practices. It offers a comprehensive framework for exploring the nature of suffering, happiness, and the self.
At its core, Buddhist psychology emphasizes:
- The impermanence of all phenomena
- The interconnectedness of all things
- The potential for supporting cognitive and emotional regulation through meditation and ethical living
Unlike Western psychology, which often focuses on treating specific mental health disorders, Buddhist psychology aims to address underlying patterns that contribute to emotional distress and cultivate improved well-being. It provides deep insights into consciousness, perception, and emotion—offering practical techniques for developing self-awareness, emotional regulation, and compassion.
This course addresses the professional need for clinicians to understand and apply evidence-based mindfulness and compassion practices informed by Buddhist psychology to enhance therapeutic effectiveness.
Essential for Your Growth
For the Clinician
This course is essential for mental health professionals seeking to deepen their practice by integrating the rich, transformative principles of Buddhist psychology with contemporary therapeutic techniques. While mindfulness is now widely accepted, much of its depth and historical context is often overlooked.
This course bridges that gap, offering clinicians an opportunity to move beyond surface-level mindfulness practices and tap into the core teachings of Buddhist psychology—wisdom, compassion, and emotional regulation.
For the Practitioner
This course offers more than just professional development; it provides a transformative journey for personal growth and well-being. By delving into the wisdom of Buddhist psychology, you'll learn practices that help you navigate life's challenges with greater ease, compassion, and mindfulness.
These timeless teachings go beyond managing stress—they help you cultivate emotional balance, deepen self-awareness, and foster a more compassionate relationship with yourself and others.
An Integrated, Embodied Approach
Personal & Professional Growth
Deepen your own meditation practice while enhancing your clinical expertise, fostering growth both as a therapist and an individual.
Evidence-Based Integration
Combine the rigor of evidence-based therapy with the comprehensive framework of Buddhist psychology for a clinically-grounded toolkit.
Interdisciplinary Approach
Learn from a curriculum that integrates mindfulness, neuroscience, and contemporary therapeutic modalities.
Real-World
Application
Every session offers practical tools, clinical case discussions, and immediate applications to your therapeutic work.
Six Modules · Four Months
Designed for mental health professionals—therapists, counselors, psychologists, social workers—and equally open to anyone passionate about self-growth, mindfulness, compassion, and emotional well-being.
Introduces the core concepts of Buddhist psychology, focusing on the spectrum of suffering to flourishing. Establishes mindfulness as a key resource among interdisciplinary approaches to mental health.
Explores the importance of personal practice in enhancing therapeutic presence and clinical effectiveness. Discusses how to effectively introduce mindfulness to clients by aligning it with their existing values.
Examines various classifications of meditation practices and delves deep into the concept of mindfulness (sati). Provides a repertoire of descriptions to effectively communicate mindfulness concepts to clients.
Mindfulness-based approaches to tranquility, anxiety, and emotion regulation. Explores the relationship between emotion regulation, experiential avoidance, and the concept of 'purification' in Buddhist practice.
Understanding anxiety as a function of prediction, and applying mindfulness and Buddhist practices to tolerate uncertainty, anxiety, and shame.
Covers teaching compassion practices, safety considerations in mindfulness interventions, and explores Buddhist teachings on self, self-love, and selflessness in relation to clinical practice.
Matthew Brensilver, MSW, PhD
Matthew teaches retreats at the Insight Retreat Center, Spirit Rock, and other Buddhist centers. He was previously program director for Mindful Schools, and for more than a decade was a core teacher at Against the Stream Buddhist Meditation Society. He worked as a clinical social worker, serving severely and persistently mentally ill adults and adolescents.
He earned a PhD from the Dworak-Peck School of Social Work at USC where he was a Provost's Fellow. Before committing to teach meditation full-time, he spent years doing research on addiction pharmacotherapy at the UCLA Center for Behavioral and Addiction Medicine. Each summer, he lectures at UCLA's Mindful Awareness Research Center on the intersections between mindfulness, science, and psychotherapy.
Matthew is co-author of two books about meditation during adolescence and serves on the Board of Directors at Spirit Rock and Insight Meditation Center—uniquely positioned at the intersection of clinical research and Buddhist practice.
More From Matthew's Students
What You Will Take With You
Deeper Therapeutic Tools
Integrating Buddhist psychology enhances therapy with practices for emotional regulation, self-compassion, and mindfulness.
Enhanced Mindfulness Application
Go beyond basic mindfulness with Buddhist-inspired, science-backed interventions for more precise, impactful treatment.
Strengthened Therapeutic Presence
Clinicians develop therapeutic presence through personal meditation practice, fostering deeper therapeutic engagement and attunement with clients.
Culturally Sensitive Practice
Clinicians will ethically integrate Buddhist teachings into therapy, promoting inclusivity and respect for client diversity.
Improved Client Outcomes
Clinicians gain science-backed, wisdom-rooted tools to enhance client engagement and drive lasting change.
Continued Professional Growth
The course builds lasting skills in mindfulness, compassion, and wisdom for ongoing growth in diverse therapeutic settings.
Deepened Personal Meditation Practice
The course enhances mindfulness and meditation, fostering self-awareness, calm, and emotional regulation.
Enhanced Emotional Regulation
Buddhist principles like mindfulness, compassion, and equanimity help participants better manage stress, anxiety, and emotions.
Improved Presence and Compassion
Developing a grounded presence through practice cultivates compassion and a more empathetic, mindful approach in life.
Integration of Ancient Wisdom & Modern Science
Connects Buddhist teachings with psychological science, deepening your understanding of the mind and well-being for everyday use.
Community Learning
Fosters a supportive community where you can explore personal growth alongside other like-minded professionals.
Anxiety and Buddhist Psychology
Watch a sample teaching from Matthew Brensilver to get a feel for the course's depth, tone, and clinical relevance.
Working with a Client Experiencing Grief and Loss
This case explores the application of Buddhist psychological principles in a clinical setting—focusing on a therapist supporting a mother facing the imminent loss of her child. It highlights cultivating equanimity, compassion, and a deep understanding of human suffering in therapeutic practice.
Download Case StudyA Community of Sincere Learners
Mental Health Professionals
Therapists, counselors, psychologists, and social workers who want to integrate mindfulness and Buddhist psychology into their therapeutic practice.
Healthcare Practitioners
Nurses and health practitioners looking to enhance patient care with mindfulness-based approaches.
Dedicated Practitioners
Anyone with a sincere interest in deepening their mindfulness practice and applying Buddhist principles to emotional well-being.
Is This Cohort Right For You?
We'd rather you know now than three weeks in. Here's who thrives in this program—and who doesn't.
This is for you if you are a...
- Healthcare provider seeking to integrate Buddhist Psychology into practice
- Mindfulness teacher wanting clinical and philosophical grounding
- Helping professional (coaches, chaplains, educators) integrating contemplative work
- Practitioner with at least one prior multi-day silent meditation retreat
This isn't for you if you...
- Are looking for clinical mindfulness training without Buddhist psychological frameworks
- Are new to meditation looking for an introductory practice course
- Cannot commit to live weekly Zoom sessions over four months
- Are expecting prerecorded, self-paced material only
Early Bird Pricing
Limited to the first 50 seats · Scholarships available for those experiencing financial hardship.
11 Monthly Payments
Save $550 — Regular plan is 11 × $149
- Over 38 hours of LIVE Instruction
- Online learning community
- Certificate of completion
- 3 live Q&As with Matthew
- 21 CE Credits available
+ $210 additional fee for CE Credits at checkout.
Early Bird Tuition
Save $600 off regular price
Limited to the first 50 enrollees
- Over 38 hours of LIVE Instruction
- Online learning community
- Certificate of completion
- 3 live Q&As with Matthew
- 21 CE Credits available
+ $210 additional fee for CE Credits at checkout.
Refund Policy
Full refund (minus $75 admin fee) if you cancel before the cohort begins. See full policy
21 CE Credits / Contact Hours
Appropriate for psychologists, social workers, therapists, counselors, nurses, and chiropractors - see our CE info page for Provider details.
Secure Checkout
Encrypted payment processing through Spirit Rock's trusted partner.
Dates & Details
Program Dates
- Opening weekend: August 29–30, 2026
- September 26, 2026
- October 24, 2026
- November 14, 2026
- December 12, 2026
Office Hours (9 AM PT)
September 4 · October 16 · November 6 · December 4
Participation Guidelines
Your participation supports both your own development and the cohesion of the group. We ask you to commit to the dates and participate wholeheartedly. For CE credit, participants must attend at least 5 of the 6 sessions live, on time, and in full.
Prerequisites
Open to everyone. Completion of at least one silent multi-day residential or online Insight Meditation retreat is recommended by the start of the program (e.g. Spirit Rock, IMS, IRC).
Earn up to 21 CE Credits
This 5-part series offers up to 21 CE credits / contact hours for an additional $210, appropriate for psychologists, MFTs, LCSWs, LEPs, LPCCs, nurses, and chiropractors, associated with or licensed by the APA, CA BBS, CA BRN, CA BCE, and others. Please review our CE information page for Provider Details to determine if your association or board will accept credits offered by Spirit Rock. Teachings are appropriate for health care professionals as well as the general public.
Review Spirit Rock's full CE information page →Attendance Policy for CE Participants
Modules, Dates & Learning Objectives
Learning Objectives — At the end of the program, you will be better able to:
- Compare at least two overlaps and differences between mindfulness-based interventions and Buddhist psychology.
- Describe strategies for introducing mindfulness to clients by aligning practices with client values and treatment goals.
- Describe parallels between Buddhist meditative practices and exposure-based therapeutic interventions.
- Describe the ways in which Buddhist psychology parallels cognitive therapy.
- Describe the ways that Buddhist practice anticipates psychoanalytic concepts.
Learning Objectives — At the end of the program, you will be better able to:
- Differentiate among major typologies of mindfulness practice (attentional, constructive, deconstructive) and explain their relevance to clinical applications.
- Describe how the concept of mindfulness (sati) is operationalized within contemporary psychological and therapeutic frameworks.
- Describe mindfulness-based cognitive strategies and skillful means for working with maladaptive thoughts, including cognitive defusion and metacognitive awareness.
Learning Objectives — At the end of the program, you will be better able to:
- Apply mindfulness and equanimity practices to regulate affect, supporting both clinician self-regulation and client emotional balance.
- Explain the relationship between equanimity, experiential avoidance, and the process of emotional regulation in both Buddhist and psychological frameworks.
- Describe how cultivating equanimity enhances clarity, stability, and compassionate responsiveness in working with clients experiencing distress.
Learning Objectives — At the end of the program, you will be better able to:
- Describe how anxiety relates to prediction and uncertainty.
- Explain how mindfulness and Buddhist practices help reduce anxiety and shame.
- Describe mindfulness strategies that may be used to build tolerance for uncertainty and support emotional balance.
Learning Objectives — At the end of the program, you will be better able to:
- Describe how compassion and loving-kindness practices support emotional regulation, resilience, and well-being for both clinicians and clients.
- Explain the differences between self-compassion, self-esteem, and selflessness, and their relevance to psychological health.
- Apply mindfulness and compassion-based strategies that foster safety, inclusivity, and ethical awareness when introducing contemplative practices in clinical settings.
Continuing Education content level: Introductory
Please visit our Continuing Education information page for complete provider details and additional CE information, including attendance requirements and our cancellation and grievance policies.
Continuing Education is awarded by Mindful CECs. Mindful CECs is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. Mindful CECs maintains responsibility for this program and its content.
Mindful CECs is a provider approved by the California Board of Registered Nursing, Provider Number CEP17985, for 21 contact hours.
CE is awarded for instructional time only and does not include extended silent meditation, if offered. In accordance with board regulations, partial credit is not permitted — incomplete attendance voids CE eligibility.
If you hold a professional license that is not listed on our CE Information page, or if your license is issued by a board or professional association other than those listed, you are responsible for contacting your licensing board or association directly to request pre-approval or confirmation of acceptance of CE earned at Spirit Rock. Spirit Rock does not determine or guarantee CE applicability for licenses outside those listed.
Potential Conflict of Interest: This instructor may have authored publications relevant to the course subjects and may teach additional programs. The instructor might reference these during the course and may receive financial compensation if participants choose to purchase them.
Questions, Answered
The course is delivered LIVE online over a four-month period via Zoom.
No prior Buddhism knowledge is needed. Completion of at least one silent multi-day residential or online Insight Meditation retreat is recommended by the start of the program (e.g. Spirit Rock, IMS, IRC).
Programs are available on any device, but we suggest using a computer with Chrome or Firefox to log in at courses.spiritrock.org. Note: this login differs from your Spirit Rock login.
Yes—once you've completed the course, you will retain lifetime access to all course materials, allowing you to revisit lectures, exercises, and meditations whenever needed.
Yes. This 5-part series offers up to 21 CE credits/contact hours for an additional $210, appropriate for psychologists and California-licensed MFTs, LCSWs, LEPs, LPCCs, nurses, and chiropractors (APA, CA BBS, CA BRN, CA BCE, and others). CE is awarded by Mindful CECs. See the CE section for full details, learning objectives, and attendance requirements.
We would love for you and your Sangha to join as a group. Please fill out this form with your group details..
Cancel before the course begins for a refund minus a $75 administrative fee. For cancellations by end of day September 26, 2026, refund minus a $270 cancellation fee. After September 26, refunds are not available. CEs are non-refundable.
Bridge ancient wisdom with modern science.
Join Matthew Brensilver and a global community of clinicians and practitioners this August.
