Program Levels
A stepped progression of learning — from foundational skills to full certification as an Empowerment Practitioner.
Level 1: Foundation
Tuesdays 6:00–7:30 PM San Francisco
Tuesdays 7:00–8:30 PM Mexico City
Wednesdays 6:30–8:00 AM Mumbai
Wednesdays 9:00–10:30 AM Hong Kong
Wednesdays 11:00 AM–12:30 PM Melbourne
Introduction to the principal tenets, key differentiation, therapeutic attitudes, and needs-based interventions.
What You'll Learn
Practitioners develop core skills including cultivating trust, transforming judgments into acceptance, empathic listening, and forging collaborative partnerships with clients.
Clients gain tools to connect with their heart's longings, access natural compassion, reduce reactivity, and request what they want cooperatively.
Key Interventions
- Awareness of Life-Alienating Systems
- Integrative Intuitive Choices
- Understanding the Other
- Inner Silence Meditation
- Needs Assessment (vs. Judgments)
- Self-Responsibility (vs. Blame)
- Mourning and Restoration
- Choice (vs. Demands)
- Courageous Transparency
- From Conflict to Connection
- Self-Care for Practitioners
Session Structure
Each week alternates between conceptual learning and hands-on practice:
- Check-in — share feelings and needs
- Inner Silence Meditation
- Collaborative Learning discussions
- Practice Sessions with coaching
- Announcements and Check-out
Schedule & Duration
When: Tuesdays, 8:00–9:30 PM CT
Duration: 6 months — 24 sessions (Jan–Jun & Jul–Dec)
Join anytime: 1–4 catch-up sessions available for new participants
Certificate: Attend 20 of 24 sessions
Group Size: Max 25 participants
Facilitators: Myra Walden and Priti Sureka
Required Reading
Empowerment Therapy by Myra Walden — Chapters 2–5 covering Observations, Feelings, Needs, and Requests.
Recommended: Print Feelings and Needs inventories for use during sessions.
Investment
$30–$50 USD/month (sliding scale)
Fees remain low to help develop practitioners who will bring this work to people without access to support services.
How to enroll: Email empowermenttherapymw@gmail.com to schedule a 45-minute assessment meeting with Myra Walden to determine goodness of fit.
Level 2: Empowerment Processes
Thursdays 9:00–10:30 AM Chicago
Thursdays 4:00–5:30 PM Amsterdam
Thursdays 5:00–6:30 PM Dodoma
Thursdays 7:30–9:00 PM Mumbai
Learning and application of Empowering Thoughts and Language — these are therapeutic processes that the practitioner can share with clients when pertinent, relevant and timely.
*By studying some key concepts, people can take Level 2 before Level 1.
What You'll Learn
Receive direct feedback on your empowerment work while reviewing Level 1 concepts and learning powerful new therapeutic processes.
Curriculum
- Review of Principal Tenets
- Advanced Inner Silence Meditation & Self-Connection
- Advanced Empathy & Non-Directiveness
- Self-Empathy and Self-Empowerment
- Connection Super Highway
- The Surprising Purpose of Anger
- Transforming Guilt & Shame
- Transforming Fear
- Self-Love (Appreciation, Affection, Tenderness, Empathy, Acceptance)
- Group Work
- Needs-Based Regret
- Journey from Freedom to Wholeness
- Preparing for Difficult Conversations
- Liberating Roleplays
Prerequisites
Certificate of completion for Level 1 is required (or studying key concepts to join concurrently).
Schedule & Duration
Duration: 6 months of weekly sessions
Facilitators: Myra Walden and Priti Sureka
Investment
$30–$50 USD/month (sliding scale)
Fees remain low to help develop practitioners who will bring this work to people without access to support services.
Level 3: Certification
Fridays 9:30–11:00 AM Chicago and Bogota
Fridays 4:30–6:00 PM Madrid
Fridays 8:00–9:30 PM Mumbai
A year-long study to prepare for certification as a practitioner and, in some cases, as a trainer.
Program Structure
A mentorship program where participants transition to co-facilitator roles. The facilitator assigns explanations, presentations, Q&A sessions, and role plays while providing ongoing feedback.
Prerequisites: Completion of Levels 1 and 2
Duration: 50 sessions (may extend based on individual readiness)
Facilitators: Myra Walden, Simran Bhola, and Priti Sureka
Required Reading
- Nonviolent Communication: A Language of Life by Marshall Rosenberg
- Personality Types: Using the Enneagram for Self-Discovery by Don Richard Riso & Russ Hudson
Certification Packet
- NVC Paper — 20-page reaction paper on Rosenberg's book
- Enneagram Paper — 8-page analysis of your type's integration-disintegration scale
- Session Recordings — 5 recordings of 50-minute sessions with real (non-role-play) clients
- Self-Evaluations — Assessment form for each recorded session
- Weekly Journaling — 12 weeks of reflective entries
- Peer & Client Evaluations — Feedback from facilitators, colleagues, and clients
Packet review takes approximately 3 months.
Assessment
A 3-hour online meeting with 2–3 experienced assessors (recorded), including:
- Guide Inner Silence Meditation from memory
- Answer 15 questions on key differentiations, interventions, therapeutic attitudes, and principal tenets
- Discuss the Actualizing Tendency and its relation to nondirectiveness
- Conduct a Liberating Role Play demonstrating attitudes and concept application
Rubric-based grading provided at application. One retake attempt available if needed.
Certification Titles
Based on your professional background:
- Mental health professionals: Empowerment Therapist, Psychologist, Counselor, or Social Worker
- Non-MH background: Empowerment Practitioner
- Coaching background: Empowerment Coach
Certification is valid for one year and renewable with 8 hours of continuing education. Trainer certification available as an additional track.
Investment
Assessment fee: $300–$450 USD (sliding scale)
Annual renewal: $50–$150 USD
To apply: Email empowermenttherapymw@gmail.com — candidates must embody the therapeutic attitudes and demonstrate understanding and ability to apply the concepts.
Begin your journey
Join a 45-minute orientation session and discover whether
Empowerment Therapy is the right fit for you.