MSC emphasis Dr. Samar Zebian received her doctorate in Cognitive Science from Western University (Canada). She received the International Triandis Award for her research on cultural cognition. Upon returning to Lebanon she was appointed as an Assistant and Associate Professor, and held the position of Program Director in the Psychology Departments at the American University of Beirut and the Lebanese American University for the past 17 years. In 2017, she transitioned into a second career in psychotherapy and mentoring. Part of this journey involved training as a Mindful Self-Compassion (MSC) teacher with Chris Germer at Centrum Voor Mindfulnes in Amsterdam. She leads MSC courses in Lebanon and abroad and in NGOS, universities, health care settings and in the community. Samar researches how compassion meditation and the Mindful Self Compassion program influence psycho-physiological processes and well-being. She is passionate about introducing Mindful Self Compassion to Arabic speaking audiences and is currently at the beginning of a project to translate the Mindful Self Compassion Workbook and Teacher’s Manual into Arabic. In addition to her work in the field of compassion, Samar is a solution focused brief therapist, and a Spiritual mentor. She has spent the last two amazing years of her life practicing and learning about nature bathing/therapy, developing a podcast to explore the healing wisdom of edgewalkers, change makers, In 2018 she co-founded Beit Insan- a center for transformational healing with Nadine Saidi and Chant Kazandjian. She has a daily MSC practice and has been meditating and on a spiritual quest for several years. For her, compassion is the quintessential ingredient in the self-realization journey and in peaceful co-existence.