Learning Days are an excellent opportunity for all facilitators (new, experienced and occasional) to meet, review and share good practice. They offer a rich day of enquiry, collaborative learning and a gentle stretch. Participants leave with new ideas, resources and a refreshed practice having made and renewed connections.
Cost are £80 members, £100 non-members (no VAT), and lunch and refreshments are provided. Timings are 10.00-16.00 for in-person meetings at Highfield Park, Hook, or 10.00-13.00 for short skills session (online, with pre-reads/post-workshop material by email).
These days are open to all AoF members who are able to use the learning as ‘credit’ towards re-accreditation. These days also offer a ‘taster’ for those who are new to AoF and wish to work and learn in a collaborative environment. Do share details with those you know and feel free to come along if you want to find out more about the Association of Facilitators.
Most of our Learning Days have a focus on skills or methods that will be useful for facilitators.
Topics that we have covered in the past have included:
20 May 2024 – Making Use of Zen and the Fertile Void
Making Use of Zen and the Fertile Void - for managers and professional facilitators (Making Friends with Zen and the Fertile Void – Meeting with Chaos) This will be a hands-on virtual workshop where you experience and appraise the usefulness of meeting with chaos and unstructured potential in a facilitative relationship, be it as a manager or as a professional facilitator.
You will learn to shape and work with the same for the good of both yourselves & your clients. Prior to the workshop, you will receive an extensive paper discussing the purpose & practice of introducing the fertile void into your work and be introduced to methods which facilitate it’s positive usefulness. This will prepare you for the workshop content ad say something about how to facilitate it’s benefits in practice. Opportunity will be also be given to apply the tools we discuss to clients or client groups of your own, for you to practice designing visualizations, & for you to receive supervision & guidance around the usefulness of the approaches we share to your existing client load.
Rationale: So, what exactly does the term transpersonal denote? Well, it relates to states of being, & aspects of consciousness & awareness over & above the limitations of personal identity, ones that encompasses spiritual, transcendental & peak experiences which promote self-development, illuminate meaning & enhance personal growth. I guess the major difference between run-of-the-mill coaching & therapy & transpersonal coaching & therapy, is a willingness to explore spirituality & to entertain we are much more than we are taught to believe. It does not identify a God nor speak of religion, but rather keeps the question open for the unknown & unknowable to inform us. We may speak out loud our intuitions, fears & beliefs to hold in mind & inquire into, but rarely conclude with a once & for all answer. So, are you comfortable with this? Keeping uncertainty & self-inquiry alive? This workshop will also help to develop your intuition.
“Nothing ever goes away until it has taught us what we need to know.” – Pema Chödrön
24 June 2024 - Advanced Practical Constellations
This is an opportunity for those experienced with working and facilitating at depth to work through issues/case-studies using a group constellations method, facilitated by Bella Mehta.
The method is highly suitable for a variety of issues that facilitators, managers and leaders encounter or wish to explore, for example presence, defences, projections, patterns, and relationships between work and home, motivations, values, ambitions and how we show up in groups. We will have time for perhaps 3 or perhaps 4 constellations and you will be able to indicate your interest in being an issue-holder and/or representative and/or observer in advance or on the day.
The main focus on the day is on the practical experience of facilitated constellations to map and resolve issues rather than on teaching of the constellations method.
If you are interested in attending please email Bella directly to book. £175/£225 + VAT members/non-members to include lunch and refreshments.
16 September 2024 – Gestalt informed bodywork for facilitators
This is a 3 hour bodywork workshop to be held online via Zoom led by AoF Board Member, Professor Paul Barber. This will be of particularly interest to facilitators who are working at depth and also to those from other contexts and modalities working in a therapeutic mode who are curious about Gestalt, mindfulness and the transpersonal aspects of facilitation.
Those enrolling in the workshop will receive an introductory paper in preparation for the workshop and a follow up paper will be circulated post-workshop to reinforce its material & the learning presented. With these handouts you may continue to explore & experiment with further learning following your initial workshop experience. By way of introduction, Paul writes:
“In the workshop I will demonstrate live practice so come prepared to volunteer! I will also address theoretical concerns & receive questions on theory & practice as necessary.”
Though this is a workshop on bodywork, because the body is largely unknown territory to us all, inaccessible through thought or reason, it may be seen as a manifestation of the void. We can't access nor control the void, though we can be led by it. The body is also wise. It cannot lie; it always exists in the now; it does not think or imagine what it is - it just is! Because I think in this way this workshop is also bound to address spirituality and the transpersonal, especially Zen. Which is merely a waking up to who and what you really are. So this workshop introduces you to 'The Body Way!'
21 October 2024 – Critical Reflection – Sharpening the Blurred Edges
Few practitioners would doubt the importance of reflection, but in our fast-paced worlds we find ourselves pulled towards action. Facilitators are often ‘putting the brakes on’ so that decisions are better informed by critical reflection.
But what does critical reflection look like? Is there value in rumination and introspection? Or is this an overindulgence? How do facilitators cultivate an awareness among groups of the cognitive and emotional processes that lead to greater professional competence and confidence?
In this workshop, we’ll take time (yes, take time) to consider how we balance thinking and doing. Our commitment, as facilitators, to experiential learning is an acknowledgment that the messiness and unpredictability of real-world practice demands a kind of knowing that is flexible, adaptive, and continually evolving.
We anticipate that this Learning Day will,
The workshop will be participatory and we will use the following models to guide our learning, action inquiry (Torbert), forms of knowledge (Heron), and reflective practice (Schön). Of course, we will also be guided by one another's experience, so do come ready to participate in what will be a rich learning experience.
17 March 2025 – An Introduction to Working with Constellations
This Learning Day will provide an introduction to working with Constellations. The Constellations approach allows individuals to explore the quality of connections, and enhances our skills for effective relationships within groups, organisations and wider systems.
It is a gentle and connected way of working and even short sessions can bring fresh perspective and insight in surprising and practical ways. As well as learning some of the basic principles of working with organisational and systemic constellations, we will offer space to experiment with applying the approach to real-world situations and dynamics. A short closing session will link the day’s learning with your facilitation practice, whatever shape or stage you are at.
The Constellations approach is a visual and spatial way of working that combines insights from family therapy (Bert Hellinger), Transactional Analysis, Gestalt and other humanistic and psychodynamic approaches.
We generally hold two full in-person Learning Days a year – one in March and one in October and we host several short skills sessions online in between. See Calendar for our scheduled dates and topics, and follow us on LinkedIn.
Places are limited so please book early to secure a place. To book, please email us or call us on 0203 282 7128.
You'll leave feeling restored, energised, and inspired.
