Course Completion Requirements

Completion and Certification Requirements

Successful completion of the year-long Compassionate Inquiry Professional Online Training will grant participants a Certificate of Completion. An optional 6-month Mentorship Program following course completion is designed to prepare the participant to apply for certification as a Compassionate Inquiry Practitioner.

The Mentorship Program is available to participants who are already in clinical practice using Compassionate Inquiry with clients, and who are covered by professional liability insurance. See below for further details.

Course completion, mentorship and certification guidelines may be amended at any time.

 

Compassionate Inquiry Practitioners

The first group of Compassionate Inquiry Practitioners certified by Dr. Gabor Maté in April 2019.

The requirements to receive a Certificate of Completion for the year-long training are as follows:

  1. Completion of all 3 cycles of the 8 modules in the Compassionate Inquiry online program lasting 54 weeks, with at least 80% attendance (with video and audio on) at 27 bi-weekly Zoom sessions lead by an online Compassionate Inquiry facilitator (at least 22 sessions out of 27). (The exception can be made to miss 6 online facilitated meetings if one of those missed meetings was the first one in the course. The 6th can be granted at the discretion of the facilitator.)
  2. Participants who arrive more than 20 minutes late or leave 20 minutes early or miss 20 minutes of the session or have video and audio off for more than 20 minutes of the session will be marked absent.
  3. Participants who miss either: 1) 4 consecutive biweekly meetings, or 2) 10 meetings in total, will be asked to leave the facilitated biweekly meetings and triad sessions, but can continue to view the online materials and attend the Zoom calls with Dr. Gabor Maté, Sat Dharam and Facilitators and Facilitated Monthly Workshops until the end of the year-long training. This ensures that we maintain the integrity of the course for all participants.
    Participants who miss 6-9 biweekly meetings in total, or fewer than 4 consecutive biweekly meetings, and still desire to participate in the program, may continue attending the Biweekly meetings and dyad/triad practice sessions until the end of the year, although they will not receive a Certificate of Completion. They may register for a future cohort for a reduced fee that is currently $1000, and repeat the program in the following three years since the pause.
  4. Participants must be attending regular dyad/triad sessions to attend the biweekly meetings, and vice versa – if you are practicing in dyads/triads, you must attend the biweeklies. You may not drop out of the biweekly and continue in dyads/triads, unless you have completed the training.
  5. Completion of reading of each of the Module pdfs, totalling approximately 600 pages.
  6. Viewing of all of the Compassionate Inquiry online videos and powerpoint summaries and completion of short quizzes at the end of each video section. Videos total approximately 40 hours.
  7. Attendance at the Monthly Facilitated Workshops, or viewing of the recordings of these.
  8. Attending at least 12 personal therapy sessions, as a client, with a certified therapist or psychologist who is part of a regulatory body of any psychotherapeutic modality, during the year-long Compassionate Inquiry Professional Training. You will be asked to provide a document with the dates of your therapy sessions as a part of the completion requirements.
  9. Completion in writing of the Study and Practice Guide questions for each module, submitted through the online platform.
  10. At least fifty sessions of 60-90 minutes of practice work in dyads/ triads with course participants in your peer group during the year-long program, and documented attendance at these sessions. You will need at least 50, 60-90 minute dyad/triad meetings. In these sessions, you must follow the relevant Practice Guides using the Compassionate Inquiry approach, and act as the “therapist” at least 50 times. 
  11. Completion of at least 25 Case Study forms (beginning in Level 2 of the course), documenting individual Compassionate Inquiry sessions where you were acting as the practitioner and demonstrating competence. At least 13 of these Case Study forms must be with actual clients, who are not part of the Compassionate Inquiry training. The maximum number of Case Studies per client is 5. The other 12 Case Studies may be from your dyads/triads with participants in the Compassionate Inquiry training. At least 5 of these will be submitted at the half way point in Level 2 so that you may receive feedback, while the other 20 will be submitted near the half way point of Level 3. Case Studies should be submitted typed in a Word doc, saved as 1 file, with each case study starting at the top of a page. Use initials rather than full names to protect your client’s identity and maintain confidentiality.
  12. Completion of at least one Practicum in Level 3, where you were observed by your online group members and given feedback by your online facilitator and/or intern.
  13. Completion of Feedback Forms for each module once, as well as the long Feedback Form at the end of the course.
  14. Completion of a Self-Competency Form, assessing your proficiency in using Compassionate Inquiry.  
  15. Acknowledgement and signature on the Compassionate Inquiry Code of Ethics for course participants.
  16. Late fees will be incurred if due dates are not met. There is a $50 CAD late fee if the Case Study forms are submitted after their due date.
  17. The course completion requirements must be submitted within the duration of the year-long training, or within a 6-month extension period, to receive a Certificate of Completion. There is a $50 late fee for the 6 month extension. Course completion requirements will not be accepted after the 6-month extension. If course completion requirements have not been submitted before the expiration of the 6-month extension, the participant must repeat the training to gain course completion.
  18. From time to time, these course completion requirements may be amended without notice.
Due Dates:
  1. 5 Case Study Forms due 8 weeks after the Level 2 start date; 20 Case Study Forms due 8 weeks after the Level 3 start date.
  2. Self-review Competency Form is due on the Monday of the second to last scheduled week of your designated training.
Accessibility Policy:

If you have a condition that causes you to work at a slower pace through the training, you may take a 6 month extension after the last day of your training to submit your course completion requirements. The cost for the 6-month extension is $50. You may also repeat the training in subsequent years to complete any work that remained incomplete the previous year. The cost to repeat the training is currently $1000 CAD and needs to be done within the three years since the pause has been made. If you have specific accessibility needs, please contact sahiba@compassionateinquiry.com

Compassionate Inquiry Mentorship Program

After receiving the Certificate of Completion for the year-long training, participants can enrol in the formal 6-month Mentorship program within the next two years, if they fulfill the following conditions.

  1. They are registered with a professional regulatory body or association
  2. They are legally able to practice Compassionate Inquiry within their professional scope of practice and in their jurisdiction
  3. They have liability insurance that covers Compassionate Inquiry
  4. They are currently working with clients

    Click here for complete information about the Mentorship Program.

    How Do You Qualify for the Mentorship Program?

    Candidates for the Mentorship Program must:

    • have completed the course requirements for the professional online training within the last two years
    • have completed at least 200 hours of a counselling, coaching or mental health focussed accredited program that includes at least 50 hours of basic counselling skills, OR a 200 hr accredited program in any allied health profession plus at least 50 hours of training in basic counselling skills. You will be asked to submit proof of certification and a curriculum outline. This requirement is for those who began their CI training in or after February 2023.
    • be registered with a professional regulatory body that includes counselling within its scope of practice, and that provides you with a membership number and a code of ethics to abide by
      • The regulatory body you need for the Mentorship Program regulates your existing profession (before or concurrent with CI) in which the scope of practice includes counselling or life coaching or an occupation that includes one or the other or both.
    • be legally able to practice Compassionate Inquiry® within your professional scope of practice and in your jurisdiction
    • have liability insurance that covers Compassionate Inquiry®
    • have an active clinical practice, currently seeing clients and using Compassionate Inquiry with them (minimum 5 per week)

    If you do not belong to a professional regulatory body, regardless of whether or not it is a requirement in your country, you do not meet the CI Mentorship Program requirement. The requirement of being registered with a regulatory body that includes counselling helps ensure the integrity of the Mentorship Program and offers protection to the public. There are several professional regulatory bodies that potential mentees can consider, such as:

    There are many education programs and various training that will provide you with the qualifications to meet the requirements of these regulatory bodies. CI does not endorse any specific program, regulatory body, or insurance company. We encourage you to do your due diligence and research which programs, regulatory bodies, and insurance companies meet your specific needs.

    Certification as a Compassionate Inquiry Practitioner

    In order to certify as a Compassionate Inquiry Practitioner, 100 hours of clinical practice using Compassionate Inquiry must be completed and documented, since the start of the Mentorship Program. Once the personal mentor informs the mentee that they are ready to submit a certification video for review, the mentee may submit 1 certification video (up to 50 minutes long) plus a reviewing fee to a separate Certification Reviewer. The cost of this certification review is $230 starting with the September 2021 Mentorship cohort. Once certified the mentee is added to the Compassionate Inquiry website as a Compassionate Inquiry Practitioner.

    In summary, to apply for certification as a Compassionate Inquiry Practitioner, the candidate must:

    1. receive a certificate of completion for the professional online training
    2. complete at least one 6-month block of the mentorship program
    3. be advised that they are ready to apply for certification by their designated personal mentor
    4. complete and log 100 clinical practice hours of Compassionate Inquiry since beginning the mentorship program (50 required during the mentorship program; another 50 required for certification)
    5. apply for certification within a one year period after completion of the Mentorship Program
    6. complete 10 case study forms for clients seen during the extra 50 hours of clinical practice required for certification
    7. submit one video (up to 50 minutes) to the Certification Team for review. The video must be in Gallery View and the client must be someone who has not participated in the Compassionate Inquiry training
    8. submit liability insurance
    9. pay a certification fee of $230 CAD

    To document your submission requirements, please use the Compassionate Inquiry Certification Clinical Hours Tracking Sheet and the Compassionate Inquiry Certification Case Study Form x10

    These requirements are to be completed within one year of completion of the Mentorship Program in order to certify.

    The criteria that the Certification Review Team uses to determine if someone is ready to certify are proficiency in the Compassionate Inquiry competencies found in the Compassionate Inquiry Competency Form as well as determining if the applicant is:

    1. Competent
    2. Attuned
    3. Confident
    4. Present
    5. Spontaneous, rather than adhering to rigid guidelines or a formula?
    6. Proficient in embodying and applying the Compassionate Inquiry Qualities, Skills and Stepping Stones?

    Criteria to exclude certification include:

    1. Did the participant have an agenda during the session, so was not attuned to the client in the present moment.
    2. Did the participant repeatedly miss important cues?
    3. Did the participant miss picking up on the client’s discomfort?
    4. Was the participant unable to process their own triggers internally, preventing them from being fully present with the client?
    5. You would not recommend this participant to someone you know to receive therapy.

    If the certification team agrees that the candidate is certifiable and skilled in the Compassionate Inquiry competencies, they will be certified as a Compassionate Inquiry Practitioner and added to the Compassionate Inquiry website.

    Once the Mentorship Program has been completed and the participant has been certified, a designation of “Mentorship Program Completed”, will accompany their listing on the Compassionate Inquiry website.

    Note:  The mentorship and certification guidelines and costs above may be revised from time to time.

    Ongoing Participation and Annual Membership:

    Our vision is to bring compassion, respect, acceptance, insight, healing, freedom and connection to humanity through an international community of skillful Compassionate Inquiry practitioners. We can fulfill this vision by supporting your continued learning of Compassionate Inquiry and by connecting you to one another through an annual membership. You will be emailed an invitation for annual membership during the last month of your year long training.

    The annual membership fee is $150 CAD, and grants you the following benefits:

    • continued access to the online platform, including new additions to the content
    • access to non-participatory attendance at scheduled Compassionate Inquiry Zoom calls with Gabor, Sat Dharam and Facilitators and their recordings for the current year
    • access to non-participatory attendance at monthly facilitated workshops, and their recordings
    • access to guest lectures
    • connection to Compassionate Inquiry alumni
    • continued access to the secret Compassionate Inquiry Facebook page
    • invitation to participate in Compassionate Inquiry focus groups, to collaborate with other practitioners

    Click here to sign up for the Annual Membership.