Welcome to Empathy Academy!

About Empathy Academy

Online education doesn't have to be a solitary activity full of quizzes and timed assignments; it can be a welcoming place where people can learn together and connect in an empathic online community.

Empathy Academy is an online learning community devoted to clear and practical education about emotions, empathy, communication, and community.

We offer online courses for people with busy lives. There are no tests or extensive homework, and you can learn on your own time in a welcoming and empathic group of fellow learners.

Each course contains online curriculum that you can read on your own schedule (there are very few deadlines), and a community forum where you can connect with your fellow learners and instructors (again, on your own time). Many courses also include weekly Zoom webinars so that you and your learning community can get together in real time, face to face.

Our approach is based on the groundbreaking work of author, educator, and researcher Karla McLaren, M.Ed., whose grand unified theory of emotions revalues even the most “negative” emotions and opens startling new pathways into self-awareness, effective communication, and healthy empathy.

In our courses, you'll be a member of an international group of learners who are exploring emotions and healthy empathy in brilliant new ways.

Empathy Academy courses help you become emotionally aware and skillful, and they help you develop empathy that is intentional and sustainable throughout your lifetime.

If you'd like to take a tour, we've built a free course for you here: Navigating Empathy Academy.

For information on our upcoming courses, see our Current Courses page:

Current Courses at Empathy Academy

System Requirements for Empathy Academy Courses

For Empathy Academy online curriculum and Forum interactions

• The most recent version of Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome, Apple Safari, or Microsoft Edge.
• Javascript and cookies must be enabled for the site to work properly.
• A broadband internet connection (25 Mbps or greater download speed), or 4G cellular data plan. 3G will work, but might be unacceptably slow.
• A computer, phone, or tablet capable of the above with at least 1GB of RAM

EmpathyAcademy.org will adapt to almost any display size, however extremely small screens might experience some display issues.

For the Zoom live webinars (if your course has them)

For PC users

• Operating System | Windows XP or higher
• Processor | IDual Core 2Ghz or Higher (i3/i5/i7 or AMD equivalent)
• At least 2 GB of RAM
• Stable and reliable internet connection
• Graphics | 64MB of graphics memory
• A webcam and microphone

For Mac users

• Operating System | OS x 10.8.5 or later
• Processor | Intel core duo 2.66 GHz + Memory
• At least 2 GB of RAM
• Stable and reliable internet connection
• Graphics | 128 MB of graphics memory
• A webcam and microphone

For more information, visit the Zoom website.

If your computer can't manage Zoom on its own, you can also visit the Zoom website for a live session that includes audio and video of the participants (but not video of you), or you can call in for an audio-only session.

Cancellation and Refund Policy

If, for any reason, we cancel a course you've already paid for, you will receive a full refund of your course tuition, or you'll have the option of transferring your tuition amount to another course.

If you cannot attend a course you've already paid for, and you notify us on or before the course start date, you'll receive a refund minus a $25 processing fee. There will be no refunds after this date, as we plan our staffing budget based upon the attendance numbers for each course.

About Dynamic Emotional Integration^®

Empathy Academy is also the home of the Dynamic Emotional Integration^® licensing program. Dynamic Emotional Integration^® (also known as DEI) is a leading-edge training program and consultation process that helps people develop keen emotional awareness, healthy empathic skills, and emotionally-intelligent mindfulness practices.

If you're ready to take a deeper dive into this work, or if you'd like to become a licensed Dynamic Emotional Integration^® professional, you can learn more here:

About Dynamic Emotional Integration^®