Co-Coaching is a powerful tool for the development of emotional competence and maps directly to core facilitation competencies – Facilitation, Awareness, Contracting, Ethics, Theory and Support (FACETS®). It is a method of listening to oneself and others that is underpinned by principles of equality, self-directed learning and peer development that we, AoF, are committed to. We recommend the development of Co-Coaching skills as part of the core competency development for facilitators. On completion of the training, you are eligible to become part of the AoF Peer Network; able to arrange to work with others in the learning community, with confidence of a shared grounding in the method and approach.
Co-Coaching partners take turns as both client and coach and offer a reciprocal arrangement (say, an hour each way). Working in this way leads to a relationship of equals, and opportunities for practice and learning which cost nothing, beyond the initial training. Co-Coaching works well in many settings, including online. Empowered and self-directed learning offer a way for facilitators to ‘sharpen the saw’ and to give/receive stretch and support in a structured framework.
In a global pandemic, with fundamental changes to home and work, and as the relationship between societal issues, personal stress and mental health becomes highly visible, this approach has a lot to offer to group facilitators.
Humanistic approaches for working with individuals and groups blossomed in the 1960s and have their origins in the movement for personal, community and societal development, and for explicitly working with power and diversity. AoF and others have explicitly sought to integrate individual, group, organisational and systemic approaches to personal and professional development, through our approach to facilitator training, supervision and accreditation.
This short course broadens a facilitator’s skill inwards using traditional therapy modalities, such as person-centred therapy, Transactional Analysis, gestalt practice and co-counselling, on which this ‘fundamentals’ course is based. The interventions and way of working also broadens awareness ‘outwards’ to the organisations, systems and societies around us, and our relationships with others. From the start, co-counselling methods have included and taught explicit practices for working with mental health, diversity and equality and climate/societal change.
Once the fundamentals are grasped, Co-Coaching is a skill for life and opens up the possibility of long-term, reciprocal peer support working with the same partner long-term and/or with other practitioners around the world.
The skills and structures learnt in Co-Coaching training are highly transferable to facilitated group settings, and in our training, attention will be given to working across both one-to-one and group settings.
The Fundamentals of Co-Coaching is 30 hours of training and practice that lead to a Certificate of Completion. The training and practice sessions will cover:
While this course complements our Foundations in Facilitation Skills and Group Supervision programmes, these are not pre-requisites for joining. This training is suitable for anyone who is wanting to learn the Fundamentals of Co-Coaching in a facilitated environment with peers. Being open to working with your own emotions and the emotions of others is a pre-requisite for successful completion of the training, and participation in the AoF Peer Network.
This training provides credit towards the supervision and continuing professional development requirements of accreditation with AoF. Following completion of a short application form, we will arrange for a conversation to confirm with you that Co-Coaching, and our way of working fits with your learning aims.
It is not suitable for those who are too encumbered by their own emotions to give attention to another, nor for those who are heavily reliant on alcohol or medical support for mental health issues. If you are currently undergoing therapy, we would recommend speaking with your therapist and with us about whether undertaking this training is a good fit for you.
The four online days (10am-4pm, UK time) take fortnightly place over seven consecutive weeks, and you will need to arrange for 2 hours of practice time in between the sessions. Feedback and input to your learning will be provided throughout the course by the course leaders and your peers. Our final session will provide an opportunity for a review of learning and entry to the AoF Peer Network.
We are committed to experiential learning and reflective practice and you can expect this to be a demanding course of study with high levels of engagement, which many also experience as highly supportive and transformative to their existing work.
You will be working in pairs and triads for skills practice, and in a larger group for tuition and supervision. Activities will include theory input, practical activities, group discussion, practice time, feedback, and self-assessment. A Certificate of Completion will be issued in the final module.
On completion of the training, you may become part of the AoF Peer Network; able to arrange to work with others in the learning community, with confidence of shared grounding in the method.
The four online days (10am-4pm, UK time) take place fortnightly over seven consecutive weeks, and you will need to arrange for 2 hours of practice time in between the sessions. Time should be allocated for reading and personal reflective work in between sessions.
The introductory cost of the course per person is £480+VAT for members and £550+VAT for non-members. Please enquire for upcoming dates.
The Facilitator’s Toolkit
Group Dynamics
Foundations in Facilitation Skills
