PORTUGAL RETREAT
The Self-Compassion Retreat with Dr. Chris Irons
Location: Hotel Baía, Cascais, Portugal Dates: 20–23 May 2027
Early Bird pricing available — limited places
Join a small, intimate group of like-minded professionals for a long weekend of learning, reflection, and deep connection on the Atlantic coast of Portugal.
“Personally and professionally life-changing. I don’t even have adequate words to describe the impact it had on me. I only wish it had been longer so we could spend even more time learning from Chris and connecting as a group.”
Dr. Jessica Simons, USA
“I had the time of my life. The retreat was nourishing, profound and deeply meaningful. I arrived not knowing anyone and quickly realised this retreat attracts the most wonderful, open-hearted people. We formed lasting connections and shared such a special experience together.”
Dr. Anouska Longley, UK
“An amazing retreat full of reflection, connection, laughter and great conversations. A perfect opportunity to step back, learn about yourself and reconnect with what matters.”
Christina Carstensen, Denmark
Overview
Are you a mental health professional looking for space to breathe, reconnect, and deepen your practice? This is a retreat designed with you in mind.
Set against the stunning backdrop of Cascais — a beautifully preserved coastal town just 30 minutes from Lisbon — the Self-Compassion Retreat offers four days of immersive CFT self-practice, morning movement by the sea, nourishing meals, and the kind of connection that only happens when a small group of thoughtful professionals slow down together.
Led by internationally recognised CFT expert Dr. Chris Irons, this retreat is designed specifically for professionals in caring roles — psychologists, psychotherapists, psychiatrists, nurses, teachers, and other helping professionals. Whether you’re looking to deepen your clinical knowledge, restore your own wellbeing, or simply step away from the pace of everyday life, this retreat provides the ideal environment.
Previous experience with Compassion Focused Therapy is helpful, but it is not required.
What’s Included
🌅Boutique Coastal Accommodation: Three nights at Hotel Baía, Cascais — a beautifully situated hotel steps from the Atlantic with sea views and a warm, welcoming atmosphere.
🧠CFT Self-Practice Workshops: Five sessions with Dr. Chris Irons across the four days, exploring the principles, practices, and personal applications of Compassion Focused Therapy.
🌴Morning Movement: Begin each day with yoga by the sea or a quiet sea dip and reflective walk — grounding practices to start the day gently.
🥗Nourishing Meals: Dinners together on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday evenings, plus lunches on Friday and Saturday. All served with fresh, locally sourced ingredients.
🌸Personal Restorative Time: Protected space built into the schedule for journaling, silence, and reflection.
🎭Optional Activities: Guided local experiences available on Saturday afternoon for those who would like to explore the area.
🤝Connection & Community: Share this experience with a small, carefully curated group of like-minded professionals from across the UK, Ireland, and beyond.
💬Retreat WhatsApp Group: Before the retreat begins, you’ll be added to a private WhatsApp group — a warm, welcoming space to connect with fellow participants, receive updates, and prepare for the experience.
What to Expect
This retreat weaves together embodied CFT practice, deep personal reflection, and genuine rest — offering a space where both your professional and personal self can be nourished.
Grounded in the principles of Compassion Focused Therapy, the experience is designed to help you connect more fully with your compassionate mind — and to experience, rather than simply understand, what that means.
You’ll return with:
- Embodied insight into CFT — not just an intellectual understanding, but the experience of it from the inside out
- A renewed relationship with your compassionate self, developed within a safe, emotionally resonant environment
- Practical tools and practices you can draw on long after the retreat ends — for your clients, and for yourself
- A restored sense of perspective and energy, ready to re-engage with your work and your life
- New professional connections — the kind of relationships that form when a small group of open-hearted people share something meaningful together
And perhaps most importantly — a felt sense of having been genuinely cared for.
Who This Retreat Is For
This retreat is designed for professionals working in caring roles who are interested in developing their understanding and personal practice of compassion and self-compassion.
Many participants join because they are:
- Supporting others every day in demanding roles and need space to restore themselves
- Interested in deepening their personal and clinical experience of Compassion Focused Therapy
- Seeking time to reflect, reset, and reconnect with their own wellbeing
- Wanting to learn within a supportive community of like-minded professionals
Participants typically include:
- Psychologists
- Psychotherapists
- Psychiatrists
- Mental health practitioners
- Nurses
- Teachers
- Other professionals working in helping professions
Previous experience with Compassion Focused Therapy can be helpful, but it is not required.
Location & Accommodation
The retreat takes place at Hotel Baía, situated in the heart of Cascais — one of Portugal’s most beloved coastal destinations. Cascais combines the charm of a historic fishing village with the warmth of the Portuguese Riviera. The Atlantic coastline, cobbled streets, excellent food, and relaxed pace make it one of Europe’s most restorative settings.
Hotel Baía sits directly on Cascais Bay, with sea views, a central location, and easy access to the waterfront, local restaurants, and the scenic coastline.
Cascais is around 40 minutes by train from central Lisbon, making it straightforward to reach from most European airports.
Rooms are allocated on a first confirmed booking basis.
If you would like to arrive a day early or extend your stay after the retreat, we’re happy to help arrange additional nights at the hotel.
Retreat Pricing & Booking
We keep the pricing simple and transparent.
All prices are per person and include accommodation, meals, and all retreat sessions.
Single Room (Private)
Early Bird: £1,495 Standard: £1,695
Shared Room (per person, sharing with another participant)
Early Bird: £1,295 Standard: £1,495
Sharing is a great option if you’re attending with a colleague or friend — or if you’d like to be paired with a fellow participant. Just let us know when booking.
To secure your place, a deposit of £300 is required at the time of booking.
The balance is due 60 days before the retreat (by 20 March 2027).
You can pay your deposit securely using the button at the bottom of this page. Your place is confirmed once payment is received.
Once You’re Booked
Once your deposit is received, you will:
- Receive a confirmation email with full details of the retreat
- Be added to the private retreat WhatsApp group, where participants connect before, during, and after the experience
- Receive pre-retreat preparation materials and travel guidance closer to the date
Retreat, Reflection and CPD
This retreat is designed to feel like exactly that: a retreat.
Alongside time to rest, connect and enjoy Cascais, you will take part in structured CFT self-practice sessions with Dr Chris Irons.
These sessions form part of your continuing professional development, and participants will receive a CPD certificate confirming the training hours completed during the retreat.
The emphasis is experiential rather than classroom-based, giving you the opportunity to deepen your own compassionate practice while stepping away from the usual pace of professional life.
Workshop Facilitator
Dr Chris Irons is a clinical psychologist, writer, researcher, and international trainer, best known for his work on Compassion Focused Therapy (CFT) and self-compassion. With over two decades of experience in the field, Chris has dedicated his career to exploring how compassion can transform mental health and emotional well-being—for individuals, teams and organisations.
Chris is co-director of Balanced Minds, the largest provider of Compassion Focused Therapy (CFT) services worldwide. As a specialist psychological consultancy, Balanced Minds pioneers the application of compassion-based approaches in therapeutic practice, organisational culture, and public mental health. The organisation offers psychological interventions, supervision, and training to clinicians and organisations across the UK and internationally, and is widely recognised as a leading hub for CFT innovation, training, and delivery.
For nearly 25 years, Chris has worked closely with Professor Paul Gilbert, the founder of CFT, helping to shape its clinical applications, training models, and research base. He was involved in some of the early publications on CFT (Gilbert & Irons, 2004, 2005), and has since contributed extensively to the literature on compassion, shame, self-criticism, and attachment, co-authoring numerous book chapters and peer-reviewed articles.
An engaging and sought-after teacher, Chris has delivered workshops, lectures, and retreats in more than 20 countries, reaching over 25,000 professionals and members of the general public.
Chris is also the author of five books, including:
- The Compassionate Mind Workbook (with Dr Elaine Beaumont)
- CFT from the Inside Out (with Dr Russell Kolts, Prof James Bennett-Levy, and Dr Tobyn Bell)
- The Compassionate Mind Approach to Difficult Emotions
In 2024, Chris and Dr Elaine Beaumont launched The Self-Compassion App—the first CFT-inspired mobile app, designed to support users in developing self-compassion through evidence-based practices, guided reflections, and psychoeducation.
Funding & Employer Support
We understand that some participants may wish to use workplace funding, claim professional development support, or require documentation for tax purposes.
If that’s the case, we’re happy to provide appropriate documentation or alternate wording to help make the process as smooth as possible. Simply get in touch and we’ll be glad to help.
Terms and Conditions:
Cancellation policy:
- Cancellations made more than 60 days before the retreat: deposit retained, no further charge
- Cancellations made within 60 days: £400 cancellation fee
- Cancellations made within 30 days: £850 cancellation fee
- No refunds for cancellations made less than 30 days prior to the retreat
If the retreat is cancelled or postponed by EventWise NI for any reason, you will receive a full refund of all monies paid. We will notify you as soon as possible by email if any such change is necessary.
We recommend taking out travel insurance to cover your travel costs in the event of cancellation.
Please note that retreat details, schedule, and venue information are subject to change. Final details will be confirmed at least 30 days before the retreat start date.
Retreat Itinerary
Below is a soft outline of the four days so you can get a feel for the rhythm of the retreat.
Thursday 20 May 2027 — Arrival Day
From 11:00am Check-in at Hotel Baía. Take time to settle in, rest after travel, and find your feet in Cascais. The seafront, old town, and surrounding coastline are all easily walkable from the hotel.
4:00pm – 6:00pm Welcome Workshop 1 — Opening the Retreat
From 6:00pm Welcome dinner together at the venue
Friday 21 May 2027 — Full Workshop Day
8:00am – 9:00am Yoga by the Sea
9:00am – 9:30am Optional Sea Dip / Quiet Reflection
10:00am – 12:30pm Workshop 2
12:30pm – 1:30pm Lunch
1:30pm – 4:00pm Workshop 3
4:00pm – 7:00pm Personal Restorative Time
From 7:00pm Dinner by the Sea
Saturday 22 May 2027 — Workshop, Rest & Farewell Dinner
8:00am – 9:00am Yoga by the Sea
9:00am – 9:30am Optional Sea Dip / Quiet Reflection
10:00am – 12:30pm Workshop 4
12:30pm – 1:30pm Lunch
Afternoon Personal Restorative Time or Optional Guided Activity
From 7:00pm Final Farewell Dinner
Sunday 23 May 2027 — Closing Morning
8:00am – 9:00am Optional Sea Dip / Quiet Reflection
10:00am – 1:00pm Farewell Workshop 5 — Closing the Retreat
From 1:00pm Departures / Check-out
The schedule is designed to balance structured learning with spaciousness, rest, and time to enjoy the setting. Please note the itinerary may be subject to minor adjustments.
Questions?
If you would like help choosing accommodation or discussing payment options, please feel free to get in touch. We are always happy to help.
Don’t Take Our Word For It – Hear What Others Are Saying About Our Retreats…
“This week will live in my soul for a long time. It was a powerful experience filled with learning, warmth, and connection. I’m so grateful to have been part of it.”
Dr. Kesta Purt, UK
“Thanks so much – it was a privilege to be part of such a special experience. The retreat created a rare space for reflection, learning, and genuine connection with others who share the same values.”
Dr. Matthew Wesson, UK
“If you are considering attending I would say just do it! A life changing experience that I will keep and build on forever. I knew it would be good but wow I could never have imagined how good. Perfect from start to finish.”
Diane Maddison, UK
“The location was stunning, the staff were incredible, and the whole retreat felt beautifully organised from start to finish. It was such a nourishing experience both personally and professionally.”
Dr. Sara Devaney, USA
“This is an excellent workshop and retreat. I would highly recommend it to any therapist who needs to take time out for reflection and healing from both work and personal challenges. It really does help to generate a refreshing and safe space to recalibrate and prioritise your practice and personal life.”
Dr. Gerard Butcher, Ireland
“Events that enable growth amongst therapists rather than simple training are rare, and as rare opportunities go to work with and bond with colleagues and ultimately new friends, this was exceptional.”
Dr. Michael Appleton, UK
“An amazing opportunity to spend time with other therapists from different countries, cultures and professional backgrounds, and felt part of something very special. Really valued all being in one place in the evening, it provided space for us to be together as a group.”
Emma Blaney, Ireland
PORTUGAL RETREAT