Dzogchen Beara Teacher Biographies

Valerie has been a student of Tibetan Buddhism for over 25 years and has done a number of long term practice retreats including a three year retreat in this tradition.

For the last 15 years she has been teaching at Buddhist retreats and developing and overseeing programs that are followed around the world.

She communicates the essence of the Buddhist teachings with clarity and enthusiasm and with a genuine wish that each person understand their wisdom and compassion in a way that is practical and personally relevant.

Susan Browne has over 30 years experience of Buddhist meditation and compassion practices. She has been guiding groups and individuals in retreat over the past 25 years, both at Dzogchen Beara, and at the Institute of Wisdom and Compassion, France. She herself has completed several years of closed retreat and many in-depth studies.
Susan specialises in one-on-one and small group sessions, giving guidance on meditation methods that best help move through challenges one is facing. www.restyourmind.ie

Alvina Cassidy is an accredited Counsellor & Psychotherapist and Mindfulness Teacher (MBSR/MBCT). She has practiced meditation for 29 years. As the National Spiritual Care Programme Coordinator at Dzogchen Beara from 2001 to 2011, she event managed and facilitated Meditation and Compassion based courses; Loss and Grief and Deep Listening.

She also supported people coping with diagnosis, illness and end of life.
From 2011, in Cork city, she led mindfulness programmes in health, social care, education and business including The Lymph Clinic, The Hazelton Clinic and Cork ARC Cancer Support Centre. From 2017 to 2021 she was the Family Services Development Officer at Tabor Lodge Addiction Treatment Centre.

Back now in Beara she has a local and online Counselling & Psychotherapy practice. She continues to teach modules of the Masters in Mindfulness at UCD; Addiction Studies at UCC and for The Centre for Mindfulness Professional Teacher Training, Dublin.
www.alvinacassidy.ie

Derek has been studying and practicing meditation in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition for over 22 years. A gifted and engaging communicator, he has been part of the Dzogchen Beara team since 2013 and regularly teaches meditation and guides retreats throughout our yearly programme.

Kirsten DeLeo has been immersed in meditation practice for over twenty years, including a three-year meditation retreat. She is known for her clarity and warmth and teaches meditation in a down-to-earth way.

Kirsten serves both as a Buddhist chaplain and spiritual care trainer and supports the guests at Dzogchen Beara’s Spiritual Care Centre. She helped to pioneer “Authentic Presence”, one of the first training programmes in contemplative end-of-life care in the US. Based on her experience supporting terminally ill patients, she wrote the award-winning book “Present Through The End. A Caring Companion’s Guide for Accompanying the Dying”.To find out more about her, visit: kirstendeleo.com

Jeff is a Buddhist practitioner, who has been studying and practicing meditation for 30 years. Jeff has taught in the USA and Europe for more than 25 years; for the public, for veterans, as well as providing care and guidance for those doing retreat.
Jeff’s main interest is to help those that have a sincere interest in practicing the Buddhist teachings.

Growing up in a rural part of the USA, Jeff studied Computer Science and Psychology in university, then went into industry. He worked in Massachusetts then Silicon Valley as a designer, developer and manager. He and his wife moved to Ireland in 2018.

John Douglas first became interested in Buddhist Meditation in 1990 and moved to West Cork in 1994 to become part of the Dzogchen Beara community. As a Senior Meditation Instructor and Spiritual Care Educator, John is one of Dzogchen Beara’s main facilitators on a range of courses and workshops including Facing Loss and Healing Grief, Deep Listening, Self Compassion and Healing Relationships.

John is a Counsellor & Psychotherapist, accredited with the IACP, working in private practice in Castletownbere and in ARC Cancer Support House in Bantry, as well as being part of the care team supporting guests at the Care Centre in Dzogchen Beara.

Matt has been practising meditation and Kum Nye as a member of the Dzogchen Beara community since 1998. He has completed two years of closed retreat and worked in a variety of roles including Centre Director 2003-2013.

Matt offers Kum Nye workshops and retreats at Dzogchen Beara, elsewhere in Ireland and online.

Anne Sheehan has spent many years studying and practising meditation. She is an experienced instructor who has an ability to communicate the depth of the Buddhist teachings in a very accessible way. She regularly instructs on Meditation and Loving Kindness on events at Dzogchen Beara Retreat Centre and at Rigpa Centres throughout Ireland.

After reading The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying in 2001, Rob van Willegen found a Rigpa centre near his student flat in Groningen and enrolled in the first available course. He discovered the profundity of the Buddha’s teachings. He was encouraged by the advice to examine these teachings to see if they relate to our experience and enthusiastically took up this challenge. He has studied and practised Tibetan Buddhism ever since. Rob studied Dutch language and literature and combines a full-time job as a marketing and communications professional with Buddhist practice. Having benefited tremendously from the essential instructions on meditation, he believes they offer a perfect path in modern times.

Andrew Warr has had a regular meditation practice for 45 years and has been studying and practicing Buddhist meditation since 1982.

He has been teaching meditation for over 30 years and since 2001 has been leading courses, seminars, and retreats, principally on the subject of loving kindness, in Europe, Australia and North America.

With great clarity, warmth and humour, Andrew skilfully guides people through the teachings and practices, and shows how these can be applied to our everyday life.

Christine Whiteside has been a student of Buddhism since 1978 and is a founder member of Dzogchen Beara. She is a Rigpa senior instructor and Spiritual Care Educator offering retreats and seminars on meditation, compassion and spiritual preparation for dying both at Dzogchen Beara and around Ireland. Christine also trained in Clinical Pastoral Care at Cork University Hospital.