FOUNDATIONS IN CONTEMPLATIVE CARE
A training program in spiritual carepartnership
Apply by May 12, 2025 and receive a $300 credit!
Together we learn to meet fear and discomfort with courageous compassion.
Foundations in Contemplative Care is a transformational 9-month training for integrating spiritual practice with care. Since 2007, the program has supported people from around the world in bringing a contemplative approach to care into their intrapersonal, interpersonal and professional lives.
This training is ideal for:
- Anyone interested in aligning their inmost values with their action, service, and interpersonal relationships
- Anyone interested in exploring the intersection of contemplative practice and care
- Volunteer caregivers, those interested in becoming carepartners, and those wishing to be more caring as parents, partners, and friends
- Professionals such as teachers, educators, artists, coaches, and leaders wishing to integrate care in their livelihood
- Those in caring or helping professions such as nurses, social workers, therapists, counselors, and hospice workers
- Those interested in taking the first steps toward chaplaincy
Join a supportive learning community to create a resilient foundation for compassionate action and service in the midst of a world in crisis.
Submit your application and application fee by May 12, 2025 and receive a $300 credit toward the Foundations training. Your application is not considered complete without the application fee payment.
Note: Physicians, advanced practice registered nurses, and physician assistants are encouraged to learn more and apply to the Contemplative Medicine Fellowship.
COMPREHENSIVE COURSE OF STUDY AND PRACTICE
In addition to the integration of important skills, our ability to authentically care for others is intricately equal to our wholehearted care of ourselves. The contemplative practice and learning in this program is oriented toward a deep inquiry into the nature of the self, the interdependent aspects of caring, and how to truly be of service with others and the world.
- Practicing greater intimacy and care in both the intra and interpersonal relationships through active and symbolic listening, verbal and nonverbal communication, having courageous conversations, and non-judgmental moment-by-moment awareness
- Learning how contemplative practices support caring for others in the full spectrum of life, including those who are experiencing critical life transitions, illness, dying, grief and loss
- Employing spiritual assessment to bring greater awareness to our own and others suffering and how we can alleviate it
- Exploring healthy boundaries, ethics of conduct, and personal safety and well-being in care work
- Cultivating resilience through the mutual support of community, expressing our own agency, and meaning making
- Holding space and creating and facilitating rituals and memorials as a contemplative care partner
- Learning how to support others who do care work—including healthcare staff and family carepartners—in their resiliency.
- Live weekend trainings each month, which can be attended in-person or online
- An online curriculum consisting of recorded video teachings, readings, community discussion, and reflective writing
- Support through mentorship
- Peer group learning and support
- 50 hours of carepartnership at a clinical volunteer site to practice the application of contemplative care*
- An in-person integration retreat at Garrison Institute in Garrison, NY
*For those taking the program for graduate credit in our Master of Arts in Buddhist Spiritual Care, 100 hours are required.
Free Online Info Session
February 13th, 2025
6:30 pm – 7:30 pm ETJoin the Foundations Guiding Teachers, mentors, and alumni for a conversation on the transformative and the practical aspects of contemplative care. You will also be able to ask questions, meet other interested practitioners, current students, and alumni, and discuss the training in a group setting.
Free Online Info Session
February 13th, 2025
6:30 pm – 7:30 pm ET
Join the Foundations Guiding Teachers, mentors, and alumni for a conversation on the transformative and the practical aspects of contemplative care. You will also be able to ask questions, meet other interested practitioners, current students, and alumni, and discuss the training in a group setting.
Program Details
- Classes take place one weekend per month (Friday 3–6pm ET and Saturday 10am–4pm ET) September 2025 – May 2026.
- In between each weekend class, students continue their learning through an online curriculum of video teachings, readings, and writing assignments.
- A retreat to integrate learning is held at the Garrison Institute in Garrison, NY. In-person attendance is required for completion of the course; virtual participation is not possible.
- Participants complete 50 hours of required clinical carepartnership (contemplative care work) either in-person or online by volunteering at a hospital, hospice, nursing home, prison, community center, senior center, or similar health center during the nine-month program. Students are strongly encouraged to complete 100 hours and those taking the program for graduate credit in our Master of Arts in Buddhist Spiritual Care are required to complete 100 hours. See FAQ for more details.
- Participants are supported through opportunities for Mentorship with trained contemplative carepartners
- Participants are supported by monthly peer meetings, virtually or in-person.
- Personal learning objectives, mid-term and final evaluations support students’ learning, as well as provide feedback for the training program.
- All assignments and evaluations are required but are not formally graded unless you are taking the course for graduate-level credit.
- During the final weekend, each student presents a final project of their own interest related to Contemplative Care.
Monthly classes meet Fridays from 3–6pm ET and Saturdays from 10am – 4pm ET and may be attended virtually via Zoom or in-person at the New York Zen Center. In-person seats are first-come, first-served and must be reserved during registration for all classes.
The required in-person, graduation retreat will be held at the Garrison Institute in Garrison, NY. Virtual participation is not possible.
2025–2026 TRAINING DATES
- September 5 – 6, 2025
- October 3 – 4, 2025
- October 31 – November 1, 2025
- December 5 – 6, 2025
- January 9 – 10, 2026
- February 6 – 7, 2026
- March 6 – 7, 2026
- April 10 – 11, 2026
- Required closing retreat: April 29 – May 3, 2026
Carepartnership
No previous carepartnership experience is required. Each of us has the capacity to embrace the suffering of another person and provide compassionate care. The training is designed to support those new to the practice as well as lay and professional/clinical carepartners wishing to integrate spiritual practice and care.
Contemplative/Spiritual
We welcome applicants from any (or no) spiritual tradition who have had an ongoing personal contemplative practice (e.g. meditation, yoga, centering prayer, etc.) for at least six months and share a commitment to exploring the intersection of contemplative practice, care, and compassionate service.
Prior participation in a silent retreat is suggested but not required. For those who don’t enter the program with this experience, you are encouraged to attend a silent retreat during the program. NYZC’s Sesshin qualifies for this requirement..
Note: Physicians (MD and DO), advanced practice registered nurses (nurse practitioners and certified nurse midwives), and physician assistants interested in the contemplative approach to care may wish to apply for our Contemplative Medicine Fellowship program.
Graduate Credits
This is a graduate-level training that includes several self-directed and peer group learning components. It does not certify you to become a chaplain. However, successful completion of the Foundations program does make you eligible to apply for our Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) training program.
The Foundations program may also be taken for credit that can be applied toward the Master of Arts in Buddhist Spiritual Care offered in partnership with University of the West.
Social Workers
New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care, Inc., SW CPE is recognized by the New York State Education Department’s State Board for Social Work as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed social workers #0192. The Foundations program is approved for 81 contact hours.
Learning Objectives:
Using the Buddhist precepts as a springboard for discussion and activity, students of The Foundations in Contemplative Care Program will learn:
To perceive the suffering around them
Bring interpretative rigor to what they perceive
See events from multiple points of view and be moved to compassionate action through the principles of bearing witness and not knowing
Speaker Disclosure Statement:
New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care’s staff and teaching faculty have no conflict of interest relative to the Foundations Program.
For more information regarding contact hours, please contact us at [email protected].
- Space is limited. Applications will be reviewed as they are received. The deadline for applications is August 4th, 2025. Apply by May 12th, 2025 and receive a $300 tuition credit.
- The application process involves submitting an online application and fee, submitting a letter of recommendation, and a Zoom-based interview with a Foundations teacher/mentor. In order to maintain insurance compliance, NYZC is required to have background checks performed on Foundations in Contemplative Care students because they volunteer as part of the training. Learn more about the application process and access the application form here.
- The cost of the nine-month program is $3,775 (tuition) plus the price of the required in-person retreat ($900 for a Triple room; $1,020 for a Double room; or $1,200 for a Single room).
- A limited number of partial tuition scholarships are available for participants who identify as Black, Indigenous, or as a Person of Color (BIPOC) and those with financial need. Payment plans are also available. For more information, please contact us at [email protected].
- A deposit of $2,337.50 is due when students are accepted to the program.
- The balance payment is due two weeks before class begins. Payment plans are available to all.
- Payments are nonrefundable.
- The non-refundable application fee is $150 and covers administrative oversight.
Apply today
Submit your application and application fee by May 15, 2024 to receive a $300 early application credit! Your application is not considered complete without the application fee payment.
Apply now for the 2025–2026 cohort!
Save $300 when you apply by May 12th, 2025. Space is limited and we encourage you to apply as soon as possible. Once the program is fully enrolled, applications will be held for the following academic year.
Scholarship Opportunities: We are pleased to offer a limited number of partial-tuition scholarships to Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) students. Payment plans for those with limited financial means are also available.
Space is limited and we encourage you to apply as soon as possible. Once the program is fully enrolled, applications will be held for the following academic year.
Foundations Faculty
The following faculty will be actively engaged with the curriculum for the Foundations in Contemplative Care 2025-2026 program. Click on any name to be taken to their bio.
Program FAQ's
To apply for the Foundations program, please complete the online application and submit your application fee and completed reference form to the Zen Center.
Learn more about the application process and access the online application application form here.
You can access the reference form here.
We welcome applicants from any (or no) spiritual tradition who have had an ongoing personal contemplative practice (e.g. meditation, yoga, centering prayer, etc.) for at least six months and share a commitment to exploring the intersection of contemplative practice, care, and compassionate service.
Training days occur on one weekend a month, Friday 3:00–6:00 p.m. ET and Saturday 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. ET. The retreat is Wednesday–Sunday. For a detailed schedule please click on the “Locations & Dates” tab above.
Monthly classes may be attended either virtually via Zoom or in-person at the New York Zen Center. The in-person seats are first-come, first-served and must be reserved during registration for all classes.
The required in-person, integration retreat will be held at the Garrison Institute in Garrison, NY, in May. Virtual participation is not possible.
The tuition for the course is $3,775. (This does not include the cost of the required in-person retreat, which is: $900 for a Triple room; $1,020 for a Double room; or $1,200 for a Single room.)
We are committed to working with you to make financial arrangements as possible through payment plans. Please write to us for further information at [email protected].
See the “Admissions & Tuition” section above for details.
Participants commit to attending eight training weekends (in-person or online) and one in-person retreat, completing all reading and written assignments, attending peer group meetings, engaging in mentor meetings.
In addition, participants commit to completing 50 hours of volunteer carepartnership (contemplative care work) either in-person or online by the time of the last class in May. 100 hours is strongly suggested and is required for those taking the class for credit.
Participants may complete their carepartnership either in-person or online at hospitals, hospices, nursing homes, prisons, community centers, senior centers, or similar health centers.
Students complete clinical hours where geographically convenient and are responsible for securing their own clinical placements. NYZC will give you a letter of introduction that you can provide to potential placements.
Students are encouraged to be creative, and seek a site which challenges them in a new way (beyond what you already know) and allows you to experience a broader understanding of what it means to serve. While the training will help students in a current full-time job or volunteer role, the Foundations clinical volunteer requirement should be within a new setting.
We also encourage you to focus at one site, as you will have a deeper experience than spreading the hours across multiple sites. If it is needed, another site can be added.
No. Each of us has the capacity to embrace the suffering of another person and the ability to partner with them in compassionately alleviating suffering.
This is a graduate-level training that includes several self-directed learning components. It does not certify you to become a chaplain. However, successful completion of the Foundations Program does make you eligible to apply for our Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) training program.
The Foundations program may also be taken for credit that can be applied toward our Master of Arts in Buddhist Spiritual Care offered in partnership with University of the West.
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