• Classes take place one weekend (Friday from 3pm to 6pm ET, and Saturday from 10am to 4pm ET) of each month September 2023 – May 2024.
  
  

• The required in-person, graduation retreat will be held at the Garrison Institute in Garrison, NY, in May. Virtual participation is not possible. 
  
  

• Participants are required to complete 50 clinical hours of volunteer contemplative care work (in-person or online) at a hospital, hospice, residence, or community center during the nine-month program.  Students are strongly encouraged to complete 100 clinical hours if the placement site allows.
  
  
• Non-local students complete clinical hours where geographically convenient and are responsible for securing their own clinical placements (these can be in-person or online). NYZC will give you a letter of introduction that you can provide to potential placements.
  
  
• Participants are also required to participate in monthly (eight in total) one-on-one supervision sessions with a mentor who will be assigned upon acceptance. Supervision is provided as an integral layer of support for your contemplative care work.
  
  
• In between each weekend class, students continue their learning through video teachings, readings, and writing assignments.
  
  
• Participants have monthly meetings with peers outside of class, virtually or in-person.
  
  
• There are mid-term and final evaluations, evaluating both your own participation as well as providing feedback for the training program.
  
  
• All assignments and evaluations are required and serve participants’ learning processes; they 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 and their clinical work.
  
  

• Practicing greater intimacy in interpersonal relationships, active listening, spiritual support, verbal and nonverbal communication, and moment-by-moment awareness.
  
  
• Learning how contemplative practice can support caring for those who are experiencing critical life transitions, including illness, dying, grief and loss.
  
  
• Exploring healthy boundaries and the ethics of conduct and personal safety in care work.
  
  
• Practicing 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 caregivers—in their own resiliency.

Throughout the nine months, we will come together as a world-wide virtual community, using online learning platforms for lectures, dharma talks and group discussion, and in small intimate groups for mentor meetings and experiential learning.

Monthly classes may be attended virtually via Zoom or in-person at our New York City location. The 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, in May. Virtual participation is not possible. 

Please note that in person retreat costs are not included in the Foundations tuition.

The training program is designed for people who have a Buddhist or contemplative practice and is appropriate for both lay and professional/clinical caregivers wishing to integrate spiritual practice and care. 

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.

With this in mind, the requirements for entering the program are the following:

• Regular and committed Buddhist or other contemplative/spiritual practice and study for at least six months
  
  
• Silent retreat experience

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. Also, once you are accepted to the Foundations Program, you have the option to register through our partner institution, New York Theological Seminary, to receive eight graduate credits for this program. There is an additional charge paid to NYTS for these credits. To learn more about NYTS and our relationship with them, please click here.

• Space is limited. Applications will be reviewed as they are received. The deadline for applications is August 7, 2023.
  
  
• Tuition for the nine-month program is $3,475 (payable by check or credit card). This does not include the cost of the required in-person retreat.  
  
  
• A limited number of partial tuition scholarships are available for participants who identify as Black, Indigenous, or as a Person of Color (BIPOC).  For more information, please contact us at info@zencare.org.
  
  
• Financial aid is available each year. We are committed to working with you for our shared learning and can make financial arrangements through partial scholarship or payment plans. Scholarships are awarded upon acceptance to the program. Please write to us at info@zencare.org for more information.
  
  
• A 50% deposit is due 2 weeks after students are accepted to the program.
  
  
• The balance payment of 50% is due on Friday, August 18th, 2023 (three weeks before class begins).
  
  
• Payments are nonrefundable.
  
  
• The non-refundable application fee is $125 and covers administrative oversight.

The following teachers and mentors led the Foundations in Contemplative Care 2021-2022 program.  Click on any name to be taken to their bio.

Our 2023-2024 faculty list will be available soon.