Authentic Presence Immersion Retreat
Ireland // October 13 - October 18, 2026
A SKILLS TRAINING IN THE CONTEMPLATIVE APPROACH TO END-OF-LIFE CARE FOR HEALTH AND SOCIAL CARE PROFESSIONALS, SPIRITUAL CARE PROVIDERS, DOULAS AND VOLUNTEERS
Presence, compassion, and skilled expertise are critical in offering comfort and support for dying patients. The Authentic Presence Immersion Retreat is an experiential training in contemplative end-of-life care. This training offers the space and opportunity to strengthen your inner balance and enhance your skills and knowledge serving the dying. It explores the deeper dimension of living, dying, caregiving, and spiritual care by bringing together the practical knowledge of today’s palliative care environments with the contemplative methods of mindfulness, compassion, and awareness.
This training is led by a faculty of health and social care professionals and educators from Ireland and Europe. The Authentic Presence Immersion Retreat employs a variety of learning modalities, including individual, group and interactive work, as well as presentations.
This retreat answers the questions:
How can I prevent becoming overwhelmed by the loss I witness? How do I stay present without losing my own sense of well-being? How do I speak about death and address deeper fears and concerns with patients and families?
Participants Will Learn
How to apply and integrate contemplative tools and resources to:
cultivate greater mindful awareness and manage their responses
practice self-compassion in the day-to-day encounters with experiences of suffering and mortality and sustain compassionate intention
enhance their competencies and skills and increase trust and confidence in their own inner wisdom
embody authentic presence
How to facilitate a dying person’s process towards:
understanding and transforming suffering
experiencing a genuine connection with others and healing relationships
finding meaning in life, illness, and dying
finding a source of comfort or peace
Topics
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Introduction to the Contemplative Care Model
Practicing self-care and self-compassion during challenging times: contemplative resources for building resilience and connecting with our sources of joy and purpose
Sustaining a compassionate attitude and cultivate authentic presence in therapeutic relationships
Dealing with the realities of suffering, grief and mortality
Creating a peaceful environment in different settings
Caregiving as a spiritual and contemplative practice
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Extensive training in the model of Contemplative Listening and Communication and its practical applications
Council – a listening model for family and bereavement support and team meetings
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Identifying and addressing practical, psycho-social and spiritual needs
Managing complex care situations
Healing relationships and methods for resolving unfinished business
Addressing the deeper dimensions of the dying process
Recognizing and addressing spiritual pain
Supporting patients and families to prepare for death and saying good-bye
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Understanding the process of bereavement, and the spiritual dimension of bereavement
Faculty
Kirsten DeLeo
Meditation teacher, International Trainer and Author
Kirsten has been teaching in the field of contemplative care for more than twenty-five years. She has served in palliative care/hospice as an educator, counselor and chaplain in the US and Europe. In 2002, she helped to pioneer Authentic Presence, one of the first training in contemplative end-of-life care in the US. Based on her experience, she wrote the award-winning book “Present Through The End. A Caring Companion’s Guide for Accompanying the Dying".
Kirsten is a long-time Buddhist practitioner and is currently on the steering committee of the European Buddhist Union’s chaplaincy network. She teaches regularly at Dzogchen Beara and is part of the care team supporting guests at the Spiritual Care Centre.
John Douglas
Counselor and Meditation Instructor
John is a Senior Meditation Instructor and Spiritual Care Educator and facilitates courses and workshops including Facing Loss and Healing Grief, Deep Listening and Healing Relationships. John is also a Pre-Accredited member of the IACP, working in private practice as a Counselor in Castletownbere and in ARC Cancer Support House in Bantry as well as being part of the care team supporting guests at the Spiritual Care Centre at Dzogchen Beara.
Chantal Bergers, MD
Chantal has worked with dying people in her eighteen years as a general practitioner and in recent years in nursing homes. She has been a palliative care consultant and teacher for over ten years and is a member of the European Association of Palliative Care (EAPC) Taskforce Spiritual Care. Chantal is a trainer in Deep Listening and an educator in the Spiritual Care Programme offering skills training and workshops on death and dying in Holland and Germany.
Noel Kennedy
BSocSC. H-DipASs. NQSW, Complicated Grief Counsellor
Noel currently is the principal social worker at Milford Care Centre, a specialist palliative care service in the Midwest of Ireland. He helps manage the Social Work Department, Pastoral Care Team, Staff Support Service, all of which play a role in accompanying the dying. He continues to have direct involvement with patients and their families. Over the last twenty-five years, he has worked for both statutory and voluntary organizations in community settings, residential care settings and now specialist palliative care. Deepening his understanding of spiritual care and its role in all our lives drew him to Authentic Presence. Noel is a graduate of Authentic Presence’s Contemplative End-of-Life Care Certificate.
Certification and Continuing Education
This course can be taken individually, and is a part of our Certificate in Contemplative End-of-Life Care Program.
Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland Credits: Pending
Location and Accommodations
Limited accommodation is available on-site.
Booking details provided after application approval.
The training will be held at the Spiritual Care Centre at Dzogchen Beara Meditation Centre, located in West Cork, Ireland.
Dzogchen Beara is known for its breathtaking beauty and spectacular views. Nearly everyone who has come to visit has commented on the healing power of the natural environment and the pervasive atmosphere of deep peace and tranquility. There couldn’t be a better place for the immersive experience of this training.
Dzogchen Beara Meditation Centre is a 2–2.5 hour drive from both Cork and Shannon Airports, both of which offer international flights.