Compassion, Resilience and Emotion Awareness Training for Healthcare Professionals
Introduction
Updated: 03/30/26
Intro
Dates for AY 2026-2027
8/17 -8/28/2026
10/12 – 10/23/2026
1/4 – 1/15/2027
3/15 – 3/26/2027
4/12 – 4/23/2027
PREREQUISITES AND PLACEMENT IN THE CURRICULUM: None
PURPOSE:
C.R.E.A.T.E. (Compassion, Resilience and Emotion Awareness Training and Education) is a 2-week elective that includes ten 3-hour live online sessions and daily assignments of research articles and educational videos. The curriculum is aimed at developing skills that promote well-being, resilience, mindfulness, compassion for self and others, and emotional awareness and regulation. It incorporates components from three evidence-based programs: CBCT® (Cognitively‑Based Compassion Training); MSC (Mindful Self-Compassion) and its healthcare adaptation, SCHC (https://centerformsc.org/pages/schc); and CEB (Cultivating Emotional Balance). It also includes mindfulness practices from the Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Certification Program (https://mmtcp.soundstrue.com/).
The virtual sessions include discussions of current literature on well-being and resilience, as well as topics such as loneliness, imposter syndrome, implicit bias in healthcare, and the impact of mindfulness and compassion training on medical students, residents, and healthcare professionals. The course was developed and is taught by M. Bento Soares, Ph.D., Professor and Head of Cancer Biology and Pharmacology and Senior Associate Dean for Research at the University of Illinois College of Medicine Peoria, who is a certified instructor of all five educational programs mentioned above.
OBJECTIVES:
At the end of this course, the student will be able to:
- Learn four strategies for emotion regulation
- Relate to adversities with greater emotional awareness and kindness to self and others
- Relate to patients with empathetic concern and compassion, not with empathy distress or indifference
- Become more aware of implicit biases and their impact on our behavior and emotional experiences
- Respond to challenging situations with greater discernment and kindness, rather than reacting impulsively and harshly
- Learn supportive practices to cultivate wellbeing and resilience
- Become a compassionate friend to self and others
- Develop feelings of warm-heartedness towards an ever-widening circle of people
INSTRUCTIONAL METHODS:
The course will include didactic sessions, reflective writing exercises, guided meditation practices, small group and whole class discussions. Also included will be students’ presentations of assigned research articles and educational videos.
ASSESSMENT:
Evaluations will be based on attendance, quality of participation in the daily zoom sessions, presentations of assigned articles and videos, and a final written essay.
REQUIRED READING:
Reading materials will be provided during the course for discussions in class. No reading prior to attending the course is required.
Administrative Information
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Program Number
ELEC 517
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Program Contacts
Program Director: Marcelo Bento Soares, PhD
Telephone: 309-680-8601
Email: peoriarotations@uic.edu -
Program Information
Duration: 2 Weeks
Night Call: No
Weekends: No
Students Accepted: Min: 8 Max: 30