The Maine Sunshine Companions program prepares volunteers to offer presence-based, compassionate companionship to adults in rural Maine who may be experiencing loneliness, isolation, or life transitions.
At its core, the training is focused on becoming Keepers of Kindness — companions who use narrative medicine to honor each person’s story, journey, and inner landscape.
Core Themes of the Training
The Heart of Presence helps you understand listening with full attention, honoring silence as a form of care, and being a steady, non-judgmental companion.
Narrative Medicine as a Pathway to Kindness explains:
using story, memory, and reflection to help people open inner doors
honoring the echoes of a person’s life without judgment
allowing someone to feel seen, valued, and understood
recognizing that sometimes the story is spoken — and sometimes it is held in silence
Compassionate Communication helps guide reflective listening, gentle curiosity, respecting boundaries, and letting the other person’s story lead.
Understanding the Role of that a sunshine companion is a caring presence and a keeper of kindness. It is also understanding what a companion is not. They are not a medical provider, a counselor, or a problem-solver. The role is about supporting without fixing or rescuing.
Ethics, Safety, and Confidentiality is all about protecting everyone’s privacy, recognizing when to refer concerns, staying withing the scope of the program and maintaining personal safety and healthy boundaries.
Practical Skills for Visits include preparing for a visit, reading emotional cues, offering comfort through simple acts of kindness, and ending visits with clarity and care.
Presenters: This training is led by Rev. Pat Bessey and Karen Swasey-Jones.