Open help menu
On-Demand
Psychosis Care and Connection

Crazy Wisdom: Working with Clinical Challenges Through the Lens of Buddhist Psychology

Phoebe Walker, LMHC
|

Pricing

Information

Learning Objectives

Participants will be able to:

  • Analyze three common heuristic traps and their impact on clients and practitioner well-being.

  • Apply two contemplative Buddhist practices as alternatives when conventional approaches fall short.

  • Design a plan to integrate “crazy wisdom” principles to enhance effectiveness and resilience.

Educational Goal

The educational goal of this session is to increase understanding of “crazy wisdom” principles to enhance effectiveness and resilience.

Description

As “helping” professionals, we can find ourselves unknowingly falling into heuristic traps: patterns of quick assumptions or emotional responses that undermine our ability to effectively support those we serve. The pressure—both internal and external —to help, cure, and maintain professionalism can often increase suffering and risk, both for our clients and ourselves. Where do we turn when we are feeling stuck? How do we find ground when our theories, diagnoses, and evidence-based techniques fall short? What do we do when we can’t seem to help, cure, or hide behind our professionalism? This presentation will discuss these common dilemmas from the perspective of contemplative Buddhist psychology and practice. It will explore how “crazy wisdom” —a way of embracing uncertainty and navigating the challenges of our work—may offer a path through the confusion of conventional approaches, supporting both personal growth and more effective practice.

Presenters

Phoebe Walker, LMHC
Phoebe (she/her) has served as Clinical Director of Windhorse Integrated Mental Health in Northampton, Massachusetts since 2012. She’s held many roles over the course of her 20 years at Windhorse, having begun as the first graduate student intern in 2001. Within the global Windhorse community, Phoebe is among only a handful of people who have been authorized to teach Windhorse’s unique 9-month contemplative psychotherapy training. In 2013, she completed the first 2-year training in Open Dialogue and Dialogical Practices offered in the US. She went on to complete a third year of training to become a trainer of Dialogical Practices in 2020. Phoebe received a bachelor's degree in philosophy from Kenyon College and a master's in dance/Movement Therapy and Counseling Psychology from Antioch New England Graduate School. Committed to compassionate awareness and skillful action, Phoebe’s work is informed by her background in philosophy, her years of training in body disciplines, and her deep interest in the healing potential of genuine dialogue.