About Us

Email 

Deborah@grow-aware.com
For any email problems please try the alternate address below:
dklibanoff@mindspring.com

Phone 206.328-3572
Post Grow Aware
Deborah Klibanoff
PO Box 22002
Seattle, WA. 98122-0002  

image47About Grow Aware:
In 1977, I began meditating and practicing a whole foods approach to health and fell in love with both. Since then, I have continued learning the practices of  a holistic approach to health, mindfulness and meditation. 

I have been teaching MBSR since 2004 and have taught over 40 trainings in community, corporate, private and hospital settings. I was trained at the Center for Mindfulness in Worcester, MA founded by Jon Kabat-Zinn and follow the 8 week training as outlined in the book Full Catastrophe Living and the trainings received through the Center for Mindfulness.

Due to my 35 year history and training in meditation, I am influenced by the Zen and Tibetan meditative traditions and practices, as well as a Jewish upbringing in a large family in the Deep South during the height of the Civil Rights Movement, a career in photography, film and nursing,  my interest in nutrition and yoga, and volunteer time at The Missions of Charity in Calcutta, plus more. All of this alows me to bring a well rounded approach to each training.

Personal Experience
My personal inquiry motivated me to study and practice meditation in retreats and everyday life in the Tibetan, Vipassana and Zen Buddhist traditions. I have been fortunate to have met and taken retreats ( 5,10 and 30 day retreats), and instruction  since 1977. Some of the people I have taken retreats with and instruction from are  the Dalai Lama, Joshu Sasaki Roshi, Cheri Huber, Jack Kornfield, Joseph Goldstein, Sharon Salzberg, Trungpa Rinpoche, Kobin Chino, Dezhung Rinpoche,Dagchen Rinpoche, Kalu Rinpoche, Pema Chodron, Jon Kabat-Zinn and at the Diamond Sangha Maui Zendo led ny Robert Aiken Roshi, as well as others. I had the opportunity to connect Mother Theresa with Dagchen Rinpoche of Seattle while in Calcutta volunteering at the Mission of Charity. I have also taken workshops with Dr. Marshall Rosenberg of Nonviolent Communication and studied object-relations, identity development and the enneagram for 2 years with Stephen Wolinsky and 2 years through the Diamond Heart community. I continue to explore different avenues to growth and change. 

My teaching style is influenced by my practice,training and retreats in Vipassana, Zen and Tibetan schools of meditation.

 Degrees, certifications,licenses

  • Wound Management Education Program, a graduate nursing certification program, UW School of Nursing, Summer 2010
  • BSN, Nursing, Seattle University, Seattle, 1989:
  • BA Media Arts, Film and Photography, University of South Carolina, Columbia 1978; I worked in television and for  the South Carolina Arts Commission as a photographer and filmmaker, creating programs and teaching.
  • Holistic Nursing, Certified: Seeds and Bridges- 1 year program 2001
  • Washington State Registered Nurse License: 1989-current
  • Hypnotherapy training and license: 1996-current

Associations:

  • Center for Mindfulness, U of Mass. Worcester, MA. since 2004.
  • Approval to teach is listed on The Center for Mindfulness, University of Massachusetts' School of Medicine website: http://www.umassmed.edu/cfm/mbsr/  

Trainings

2010:

  • Wise Heart and Mindful Brain, Part 2, with Dan Siegle, MD and Jack Kornfield, Ph.D; Seattle; June 4-5

2009:

  •    The Neurobiology of Empathy: Interpersonal Neurobiology, Mindfulness and Nonviolent Communication Oct 22-25
  •    Mindfulness and Psychology: Tara Brach, Sylvia Bornstein,  Shauna Shapiro, Lam Palden Oct-15-17
  •    Bridgett Szab, Family Constellations June & August 
  •    Sharon Salzberg, July 2 days Loving Kindness non-residential retreat
  •    Pema Chodron,  July 3 days  Shantideva's Patience

2008:

Meditation and Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction training and retreats:

  •    March-April: 8 Day Teacher Development Intensive: the U Mass Center for Mindfulness Certification Program: Worcester;, 90 hours CE
  •    April 9-13, 2008 Integrating Mindfulness-Based Interventions into Medicine, Health Care and Larger Society : Annual International Scientific Conference 46  CEU
  • Gregory Kramer: Insight Dialogue Seattle Insight Meditation Society 2 day non-residential retreat
  • Steve Armstromg Seattle Insight Meditation Society 2 day non residential retreat
  • Sharon Salzberg The Four Nobel Truths Seattle Insight Meditation Society 2 day non residential retreat
  • Wise Heart, Mindful Brain: Jack Kornfeld, PhD and Dan Siegel, MD, 3 day  CE seminar, Seattle
  • Developing and practicing equanimity. 2 day non residential retreat, Kamala Masters January 2009

2004:

        Practicum 10 day and 7 day professional training in Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction, University of Massachusetts Medical School, June/July 2004 140 CE credits


Professional experience

  • My professional nursing experience is  as a home health nurse case manager, wound consultant and specialist, and as a RM in substance abuse detox and recovery, medical and surgical rehabilitation, geriatric in patient psychiatry, general adult and adolescent in patient psychiatry, hospice and home health, family practice triage clinic, alternative medicine, neurology, telephone triage, medical /surgical, and holistic nursing.
Interests
  • My interests are nature activities, biking, hiking, photography, travel, home renovation, whole foods, yoga, gardening, writing and much more.
  • I am the founder and owner of Grow Aware. Born in 1953 and raised in Alabama, Seattle has been my home since 1980.