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Hakomi Couple’s Workshop on Salt Spring Island, August 2020

14-17 August, 2020. Facilitated by Marcia Burton and Bob Milone

Cultivating Connection, Communication, Compassion: Taking Time for Renewal in Relationship

“The simple act of being completely present for another person is truly an act of love.”

Sharon Salzberg

“For one human being to love another; that is perhaps the most difficult of all our tasks,…..the work for which all other work is but preparation.”

Maria Ranier Rilke

Join Bob and Marcia for a long weekend with an opportunity to renew, recharge and celebrate your relationship. We will use a simple mindfulness-based/compassion-centered approach, working mainly in couples and sometimes in small groups to support deeper connection, communication and compassion.

You can expect to experience connection with your partner, to have fun, to feel nourished, inspired, and encouraged.

We will focus on:

  • Compassion:

Develop a practice of appreciation for each other

Experience receiving and giving emotional support/nourishment

  • Communication:

Learn simple skills for hearing and being heard by your partner

Cultivate a deeper understanding of what is important to each of you

  • Connection:

Identify and drop pain-causing patterns

Develop supportive, nourishing patterns

The Results We’re Looking For: feeling more at ease, more together, appreciated, supported, met, understood, and able to be more lovingly authentic, and open to the gift of each other.

Although primarily designed for couples in an intimate relationship, please note this workshop is open to any two people in significant relationship, as an opportunity to deepen connection, i.e. mother/daughter, co-workers, brothers, etc.

Schedule:

The schedule offers free time with your partner to help you to enjoy a slower pace, to support the integration of the course material, and to simply have some fun together.

  • Fri Aug 14 1pm – 4pm
  • Sat  Aug 15      10am – 1pm and 3 – 6pm
  • Sun  Aug 16     10am – 1pm and 3 – 6pm
  • Mon  Aug 17    9am – 12pm

Bob Milone and Marcia Burton have been teaching mindfulness-based trainings, to help others to build compassion and self-awareness in relationships, for many years.  They are both Senior trainers of the Hakomi Method of Assisted Self-Discovery, and Bob is one of Ron Kurtz’s Legacy Holders.  Marcia is a Registered Clinical Counsellor (RCC) and is a Certified Teacher of Mindful Self-Compassion.

Most importantly, Marcia and Bob have been practicing using mindfulness-based approaches to navigate their own 14-year relationship and have a lot of experience getting lost and finding their way back to each other!  Their style is light-hearted, down-to-earth, warm and compassionate.

Cost:  $495 (GST included)  per couple (non-residential)

Registration:  Please send full payment via e-transfer to Rebecca at: abecca2011@gmail.com, to attend the workshop.

Info about accommodation and what to do on Salt Spring:
http://www.saltspringtourism.com

Online Somatic Consultation Group 2026-7

This ongoing group will meet from September 2026 to June 2027.

The online Somatic Consultation Group will meet once a month for 2 hours. If there is interest, there will be 2 (optional) in-person meetings on Salt Spring Island, for an additional cost. There will be two cohorts for the online Somatic Consultation Group:

FRIDAYS from 9:30am to 11:30am Pacific (Vancouver) Time: Sept 25, Oct 16, Nov 13, Dec 11, Jan 22, Feb 19, March 19, April 16, May 7, June 4.

OR

MONDAYS from 11am to 1pm Pacific (Vancouver) Time:  Sept 28, Oct 19, Nov 16, Dec 14, Jan 25, Feb 22, March 22, April 19, May 10, June 7.

We welcome counsellors, psychologists, social workers, and Hakomi practitioners who value and understand the benefits of bringing a somatic approach to their therapeutic work with clients.  Regardless of your experience level of working with somatic methods, you can expect to be held in a kind, warm learning environment where we can explore together. Marcia is an Approved Clinical Supervisor with the BCACC (A-CS) and each session can count as 2 hours of group Clinical Supervision, for those needing to fulfill the requirement of supplemental supervision hours.

What you can expect:

Develop your own somatic awareness

Sharpen the somatic skills/techniques that you already use in your work

Learn and cultivate more somatic skills/techniques 

Learn to slow yourself down with your clients, and invite them to do the same

Find/hone your own language to describe somatics to your clients and colleagues

Explore the relevance of power dynamics when working somatically

What participants have said about the group:

“I find the small group size allowed me to feel more comfortable, quickly. It gives a chance to get to hear from each person, in every session. “

“I have learned a great deal in these sessions and appreciated having the space to learn and share with other kind and thoughtful therapists. I have also appreciated having the opportunity to grow my network of people I feel confident referring clients to.”

“I think for me, comfort is built around opportunities to foster relationship and connection. The more we meet, the more my comfort grows. I find the Hakomi-inspired container very helpful in contributing to my comfort. The sacred way in which the work and each of us is held is in perfect alignment with my own personal counselling journey. The attention to somatic material is also how I support myself and clients and I am appreciating how Marcia encourages us to tune into what our bodies are speaking. This is not a, ‘let’s fix what is broken’ clinical consultation group. It is a ‘let us tenderly hold and be with exactly what is’ clinical consultation group. This includes both holding the people we support with this tenderness as
well as being received by the group with equal love and sacred appreciation.”

“What I have appreciated most about this group is the invitation to sit and listen from a place of embodied presence – what do I notice [in my body], how does this touch me? – as compared to top-down analysis or brain(centred) storming.”

“I also really appreciate how we foster a culture of authentic humility in our circle – that no one seems pressured to posture their expertise.”

“I deeply appreciate your receptivity, patience, open-inquiry style in word and approach (among other skills). The occasional guided meditations are beautifully done and very restful.”

“I enjoy Marcia’s calm presence, her unrushed approach to teaching and group discussions.”

“Marcia – I really appreciate your discernment style – discernment ‘a wise way of judging between things, or a particularly perceptive way of seeing things’ – yes, that! I appreciate your discernment style because I am left inspired to learn or discover more, without feeling ‘stupid’.  You foster a profound safety around how ‘not knowing’ does not necessarily imply incompetence.”

Cost:

EARLY BIRD RATE: $850 if Paid In Full by the 15th of May, 2026. After the 15th of May: $950 (please ask about paying by instalments if necessary).

Registration:

If you are interested in joining this group, please contact Marcia by email: marciaburton369@gmail.com

Please note that registration will close on the 24th of September, 2026. Please register as soon as you can to secure your spot.