UQ Compassion Symposium

Dr Stan Steindl,
26 June 2019

Registrations are now open for the 2019 University of Queensland Compassion Symposium! This is the sixth year of this annual event that has been growing strength to strength. Our Friday, 6 September 2019 keynote speaker will be Dr Chris Germer from Harvard Medical School and Center for Mindful Self-Compassion. The title of Dr Germer’s presentation is:

Self-Compassion: What is it? Why Does it Matter?

Registration for Dr Germer’s free, public Keynote Address can be found here: Keynote.

The UQ Compassion Symposium also involves a full day Compassion Conference on 7 September 2019 located at the St Lucia Campus in Brisbane, Australia. This day brings together a range of researchers and practitioners to present their work on compassion and self-compassion, compassion in therapy, compassion in medicine, compassion in schools and universities, and compassion in society.

Registration for the full day Compassion Conference can be found here: Full Day Registration 

By way of some history, the UQ Compassion Symposium is an initiative of the University of Queensland Compassionate Mind Research Group. The inaugural UQ Compassion Symposium was delivered in 2014. The symposium keynote speaker was Professor James R. Doty, Director of the Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education (CCARE) at Stanford University. CCARE is a centre for excellence in the science and practice of compassion, producing high quality research and publications on this topic. His address was very well-received, thought-provoking and inspiring, and important connections with him were established.

The inaugural event also involved presentations from several UQ academic staff across several disciplines, setting the scene for the important collaborative nature of our work in compassion. The aim of the symposium was to motivate and inspire researchers, academics and students at UQ to be interested in and incorporate compassion into their work. This aim has successfully achieved and a vibrant community has been established, and built upon over the years since.

The UQ Compassion Symposium has been run four more times, with a range of excellent keynote speakers:

• 2015: Dr Dennis Tirch from the Centre for Compassion-Focused Therapy in New York

• 2016: Dr Emiliana Simon-Thomas from UC Berkeley’s Greater Good Science Center

• 2017: Professor Roy Baumeister from School of Psychology, University of Queensland

• 2018: Dr Deborah Lee from Berkshire Traumatic Stress Service and South Central Complex Treatment Service for Veterans

Excellent ongoing working relationships have developed with all of the keynote speakers, as well as all the presenters involved over the years from Australia and abroad. It is a wonderful event, offering a great opportunity to meet and talk with others interested in compassion, and develop networks and collaborations. The 2019 event will be just as good, and all are welcome. We would love to see you there!

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