Sowa Rigpa Counselor
Foundations + 1 Year | 400+ Hours

PROFESSIONAL CERTIFICATE COURSE
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NEXT COHORT BEGINS FALL 2026
(BY APPLICATION)
PRE-REQUISITE: FOUNDATIONS OF SOWA RIGPA

Sowa Rigpa Counselor program is a two-year (including Foundations year) professional training in a unique and dynamic form of counseling grounded in Sowa Rigpa, Buddhist practice (Yuthok Nyingthig), and contemporary psychotherapeutic theories and practices.

COURSE FORMAT:

Hybrid course format combining pre-recorded video lectures, weekly online Zoom sessions, a personal research project, and optional in-person retreat.
 
36 WEEKS:
- Approximately 3 hours of prerecorded lectures with Dr. Nida Chenagtsang and Dr. Caroline Van Damme
- + 3 hour live online class each week discussion (Tuesdays)
- Students complete an independent personal research project which is presented to the class at the end of the third trimester
- Optional in-person 5-day retreat on the topics of dream yoga and a metaphor-focused experiential collaborative practice

Topics Covered

The following is a rough division of the topics covered from the perspectives of Western psychotherapeutic and Sowa Rigpa & Buddhist theories. The perspectives are not presented in isolation but within a dynamic and holistic dialogue of how they inform each other. 

View the syllabus below to see a more detailed view of how the topics are presented over 36 weeks.

Western psychotherapeutic theory &  practice

  • psIntroduction to Western Psychology
  • Intake Forms
  • Perinatal Mental Health
  • Attachment Theory
  • Trauma
  • Western mind-body and psychosomatic concepts
  • Family Therapy
  • Anxiety
  • Eating Disorders
  • Addiction
  • Mood Disorders
  • Personality Disorders
  • Psychosis
  • Ecopsychology
  • Grief
  • Burnout
  • Ethics of a Physician

Sowa Rigpa and Yuthok Nyingthig

  • Intro to Sowa Rigpa Counseling and the 5-doors Mandala of Counseling
  • Intake Forms
  • Sowa Rigpa Embroyology
  • La Energy
  • Dzogrim and Tummo therapy for trauma
  • Sowa Rigpa Illusory Disorders
  • Dön/ Provocation Disorders
  • Illusory Body Yoga
  • Sowa Rigpa Diet and Lifestyle
  • Dharma Practice and Mental Health
  • Sexuality
  • Sowa Rigpa Rejuvenation and Chudlen
  • Death and Dying
  • Sleep
  • Dream Analysis
  • Ethics of a Physician

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3 sessions devoted to case studies and supervision
6 sessions devoted to student presentations of personal projects

A Dialogue with Dr. Nida Chenagtsang and Dr. Caroline Van Damme

Current Sowa Rigpa Programming