Our training, and often our core nature as facilitators, tends towards to paying attention to others’ needs. Paradoxically, we may feel that we are “doing our job” by denying or neglecting our needs. This can be costly as it activates our shadow traits (such as denial, desentisation, confluence, deflection, projection, egotism), reduces our awareness/impact and, ultimately, over time, becomes unethical when potentially leading to harm and burnout.

Maintaining personal well-being is a core facilitation competency. In this session, we will dig for the realities of working as a facilitator with no expectation that we will in ourselves or others discover perfection, balance or permanence when it comes to wellbeing. Being ‘fit to facilitate’, with all that implies around physical, psychological and emotional health, is a broad and daunting demand. So, whether we are employed, self-employed or not-yet-employed as a facilitator, what are we are up for when we work with our groups, and how do we get the best out of support mechanisms, such as supervision.