Ruthless Compassion: Balancing Honesty and Humanity in the Therapy Room
Friday, June 19, 2026
8:50am-10:30am
(see time breakdown below)
with Sahebjit “TJ” Singh, LMFT
1.5 CE credits
Online via Zoom
(link will be sent in registration confirmation and reminder emails)
Description
This workshop presents Ruthless Compassion, a therapeutic approach that combines empathy and directness to promote authentic healing. Grounded in Humanistic, Existential, Relational–Cultural, and Emotion-Focused theories, it teaches clinicians to use empathy as both support and challenge to address avoidance, resistance, and self-sabotage. Drawing from research on empathic attunement (Greenberg, 2011), congruence (Rogers, 1961), and relational honesty (Yalom, 1989), the model provides evidence-informed strategies to strengthen the therapeutic alliance, enhance authenticity, and foster lasting client growth.
Educational Goals/Learning Objectives
At the end of this presentation, attendees will be able to:
- Identify how integrating empathy and directness within the therapeutic relationship strengthens trust, accountability, and client growth.
- Demonstrate strategies for delivering honest, challenging feedback in a clinically sound and compassionate manner.
- Apply the Ruthless Compassion framework to recognize when comfort reinforces avoidance and when confrontation supports transformation.
Presenter(s)
Sahebjit “TJ” Singh, LMFT is the founder of Support Spirit Counseling & Therapy Practice in Sacramento, California. With over a decade of experience across trauma recovery, forensic treatment, and crisis intervention, TJ practices what they call Ruthless Compassion, which means facing truth with empathy and guiding growth through discomfort. TJ blends psychodynamic, narrative, strength-based, cognitive-behavioral, and existential approaches rooted in depth psychology and shadow work to help people transform pain into purpose through emotional honesty, self-awareness, and lasting resilience.
Other Details
Time: 8:50am-10:30am
8:50am-9:00am (checkin)
9:00am-10:30am (CE event presentation)
Location: Online via Zoom (link will be sent in registration confirmation and reminder emails)
Cost:
Non-member $30
Licensed Member $25
Associate Member $20
Student Member $17
Early Bird (ends 2 weeks prior to event)
Non-member $27
Licensed Member $22
Associate Member $17
Student Member $14
For questions, more information, accommodations: contact us at sacramentocamft@gmail.com. You may also contact Programs Co-Chairs Roque Neto at ramorimneto@paloaltou.edu and Iris McAlpin at iris@irismcalpin.com.
This is an introductory, intermediate, and advanced level course. This program will benefit LMFT, LPCC, LEP and LCSW licensees and pre-licensees. Open to all mental health professionals, both members and non-members.
This course meets the qualifications for 1.5 hours of continuing education credit for LMFTs, LCSWs, LPCCs, and/or LEPs as required by the California Board of Behavioral Sciences. The Sacramento Valley Chapter of the California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists (SVC-CAMFT), provider #62279, is approved by CAMFT to sponsor continuing education for LMFTs, LCSWs, LPCCs, and LEPs. SVC-CAMFT maintains the responsibility for the program and all its content.
CE credit will be awarded via email after the completion of the course in exchange for a course evaluation. No CE credits will be awarded to persons not attending the presentation in it's entirety. Partial CE credit will not be awarded.
Event Policies
