The Orcas Island Public Library will be offering a course on “Compassionate Communication” led by Rena Patty, beginning Monday, Sept. 13 through Monday, Nov. 29 from 6 to 8 p.m.

“Nonviolent Communication (NVC), also called Compassionate Communication, is based on historical principles of nonviolence – the natural state of compassion when no violence is present in the heart,” Patty said. “With NVC we learn to hear our own deeper needs and those of others. Through its emphasis on deep listening – to ourselves as well as others – NVC helps us discover the depth of our own compassion. NVC can be seen as both a spiritual practice that helps us see our common humanity, using our power in a way that honors everyone’s needs, and a concrete set of skills which help us create life-serving families and communities. NVC creates a path for healing and reconciliation in its many applications, ranging from intimate relationships, work settings, health care, and social services.”

Patty is a certified trainer with the Center For Nonviolent Communication. She has worked for two years as an assistant trainer for a San Francisco Bay Area NVC Leadership Program, and has volunteered annually over the past five years as an assistant trainer at NVC retreats and family camps. Patty is currently serving as a volunteer for the Freedom Project, teaching NVC at the Washington State Reformatory in Monroe.

There is a $70 course fee, but no one will be turned away for lack of funds. Call Kathy Lunde at the library at 376-4985 to register.