Heather Prete isone of the foremost Mindfulness Facilitators of our time. Located in Los Angeles CA, Heather is known for her compassion, knowledge, and humor. Within her 25 years of experience, she has worked with a diverse range of clientele including those in recovery, people coping with depression and anxiety, cancer survivors, men and women battling chronic health and pain issues, those suffering from PTSD, PHD candidates, as well as clinicians combating compassion fatigue syndrome.
Heather’s Training and Projects
As an undergrad Heather majored in psychology and comparative religion. Her formal contemplative training began with Tibetan Compassion practices in 1998 in which she completed a 9 years of study. This included a 4 year teacher training. Her love for the practice lead her to travel the world to learn under masters in both India and Europe. She has attended residential meditation retreats at Monastaries including Thich Nhat Hahn’s Deer Park and Plum Village where she learned from monastics and Thich Nhaht Hahn himself. In 2013 she became a Certified Mindfulness Facilitator at UCLA MARC, and, subsequently, an affiliate teacher of their Mindful Awareness Classes, as well as their Self Compassion, and Working with Difficult Emotions 6 week courses. She attends silent meditation retreats yearly, practicing 14 hours a day up to 6 consecutive weeks at a time at Spirit Rock and IMS.
Currently she’s co-creator and master teacher for The DEN Meditation Teacher Training Program as well as creator and facilitator of their Compassion Certification training. She has also launched curriculum for 6 week forgiveness courses, Mindfulness programs for recovery centers, worked for Mindful Schools, and teaches PHD canidates Self Compassion. Her own projects include Trauma Informed Self Compassion which was awarded offering continuing education credits for clinicians and health care workers, and 5 day Mindfulness Silent Meditation Retreats which she teaches twice a year. Heather also sees individual clients weekly to help guide them through internal knots and support them in creating wellbeing and stability within themselves. Her joy is watching her clients develop the tools necessary to tap into their own inner wisdom.
She continues her studies with her mentor Diana Winston, creator and head of UCLA MARC, yearly month long silent retreats, and daily personal practice. She has been featured in many articles and television segments and can be found online through many publications including Mindfulness Magazine and various meditation apps including Harvard University Labs for cancer patients.
