Creating Circles
Approved Circle Facilitation Training
The next Creating Circles course starts in May 2024
Course dates for Spring 2024:
Wednesday 8th, 15th and 22nd May and 5th, 12th and 19th June
7pm-10pm (UK time)
People need people. They need to feel nurtured and held. They need to feel heard. Circle work makes a difference to people’s lives. And the Creating Circles course is for those who want to make that difference. Is this you?
Book a call to find out more:
Do you feel a pull towards circle work like these women?
Do you have an idea to start a circle but are apprehensive about taking that first step?
Do you want to hold space but worry about silences in groups or knowing what to say next?
Have you been holding space for years but would like to delve deeper into your practice?
Are you feeling the pull towards something new?
Would you like to pull together the themes from your existing work and passions?
Book a call to find out if Creating Circles is for you:
Circle work is magic
Circle work helps to build connection and commonality. It helps people feel like they belong and feel less alone when processing difficult emotions or facing challenges.
Rarely, if ever, are any of us healed in isolation. Healing is an act of communion.
– bell hooks
The magic of circle work is in its power – to connect, heal and create communities that reach far beyond the spaces we sit in.
Not only does circle work help those who attend, it also ripples out to those they love, support and work alongside.
The magic of circle work is that it changes the lives of people in ways we don’t always expect or know about, and that is real magic.
“It’s such a gentle, safe, reassuring space and has provided me with inspiration for more expressive creativity in the last three weeks that I’ve found anywhere in the last three years! Thank you, Sally.”
Are you ready to explore the magic of circle work but want to experience it first?
Then why not come along to my free monthly circle for circle holders?
You are very welcome to join if you feel the pull towards circle work or if you currently hold space and want to reflect and explore your practice.
This circle is the place to:
- be heard and held.
- explore the challenges of circle work.
- reflect on current practice.
- feel energised about holding space.
- receive group mentoring.
- explore whether circle work is right for you.
- learn more about the Creating Circles course.
Book your place for Creating Circles: The Drop In Sessions
“Being in one of Sally’s groups is always magical. She has a gift for holding space like no one else. She has a way of making sure that everyone’s voice is heard, everyone feels valued and welcomed. Being in her group is like a moment of escapism, you leave the outside world behind you. She creates a warm. welcoming, funny and above all else, safe space to share.”
The next Creating Circles course starts in May 2024
Course dates for Spring 2024:
Wednesday 8th, 15th and 22nd May and 5th, 12th and 19th June
7pm-10pm (UK time)
About Creating Circles
People need to share stories, they need conversation, they need to be heard and they need a sense of community and belonging.
The Creating Circles course will enable you to feel confident to safely hold space and run circles of your own, circles that reflect your passion, are inclusive and connected.
“…after one session I’m saying ‘when I facilitate’ and not ‘if’ anymore! This is powerful stuff Sally!”
The Creating Circles course is ideal for those who want to lead circles or groups of their own, from women’s circles to discussion groups, to education based circles or creative therapy based spaces.
But if you already have experience of holding circles, the Creating Circles course will give you an opportunity to dive deeper into your current practice.
“I think I already had the skills to hold circles and groups, but I needed a place and an opportunity to come to that realisation on my own. Creating Circles is a safe and supportive space to do that!”
Book a call to find out more:
Sangeet and Sally talk about Creating Circles
You can find out more about Mind Ashram here:
Instagram: www.instagram.com/ma.mindashram/
Facebook: www.facebook.com/mamindashram/
How does Creating Circles work?
The Creating Circles course uses a combination of self-led, reflective study with interactive Zoom group sessions.
The course dates for Spring 2024 are Wednesday 8th, 15th and 22nd May and 5th, 12th and 19th June from 7pm-10pm (UK time).
The course includes:
- Facilitated online learning with feedback
- Practical exploration of the skills of circle work
- A study list of books and online resources to help broaden your knowledge and inspire your practice
- A self-led study workbook, journal and prompt cards and access to an online community for support
- Certification on completion of the course
“The manual is so beautifully written and sets the tone of circles. I cried when I read it as the words resonated. I knew I was on the right course.”
There is also the option of 1-1 mentoring, where Sally will work alongside you for a period of six weeks as you set up your own group or circle. Over the course of which you will be gently nurtured and guided through the skills needed to lead your own circles.
What often holds people back from running their own circles is confidence, time and inspiration.
But the Creating Circles course is a safe place to play, practice and explore.
When you have completed it, you will…
- be able to confidently hold space
- have the skills and confidence to create your own circle safely with your own unique content
- be equipped with an extensive toolkit and ideas for content for your own group
- be part of a valuable network of support
- have been inspired to explore different creative approaches in your current work
- have found your voice!
It can be nerve-wracking starting something new but by joining the Creating Circles course you will not be alone.
“Sally, I appreciate your energy and enthusiasm! Your feedback is constructive and very welcome. It’s one thing to feel like we might be good at something and then have that reflected back by someone else is reassuring. So, thank you!”
The content
During our time together, we will explore all aspects of circle work from the practicalities, structure and skills to thinking about legal requirements, payments and marketing.
- Beginnings: How to create circles that are safe (although not always comfortable), exploring boundaries and meeting with intention
- Connections: How to build communities that are compassionate and connect in a world that often feels disconnected, and how we can provide a container for discussion that helps people to flourish
- The sacred aspect of circle work: Why sitting in circles is an imperative, traditional way of learning, creating, playing and healing
- Content: How well thought through content can improve emotional wellbeing on an individual and community basis
- When things get tricky: Exploring common mistakes made in circle work and how to recognise and respond to these
- Letting go: Coming alongside those in your circle and letting the magic happen
- Guiding circles: Practical experience of how to hold and facilitate discussions
- Endings: Closing circles and saying goodbye
- Failing: Why failing is important to the learning process
- Who is holding you?: Self care and rest for those who hold space for others and why it is essential to circle work
- Creating Circles is a diverse and intersectional community: We explore protected characteristics and how to create inclusive trauma informed spaces
- Next steps…: Setting up your own circle or group, planning your content, GDPR, accessibility, insurance, pricing and marketing, all the things that can feel overwhelming and tricky
And there’s also the ‘Final Piece’ . . .
Your ‘Final Piece’ is the final part of the course but it’s also a beginning. It’s a submitted piece of work, in any format, that summarises your journey with circle work. It can be reflective, narrative, educational, explorative or whatever you want it to be.
Watch Zoe’s ‘Final Piece’ – The Women’s Health Hub:
“I think we all have this sense of being on this epic journey together (I just had a vision of the Fellowship of the Rings!)”
During this Creating Circles course, you will have the information you need, when you need it so the support for setting up your circle extends beyond our sessions and you will also be invited to:
- Creating Circles Collective: An online space for you to share ideas and make connections; a community to support you as you take your steps into circle work.
- Monthly Collective drop in sessions for group mentoring: An open space to explore current issues, provide gentle support or be given a gentle nudge to develop your practice – you can join this circle as soon as you register.
- 1 hour mentoring session to be taken up to 12 months after the start of the course: This mentoring session provides you with the opportunity to delve deeper and provides the deep reflection needed to move your practice on.
“I’m being pushed out of my comfort zone but in a way that makes me feel safe.”
Book a call to find out more:
Book your place
Your investment for Creating Circles is £1,250.
Secure your place by paying a deposit of £125 now.
And then in April you’ll have the option of either paying the balance in full (£1,125) or as 9 monthly payments of £125 each.
Alternatively, if you prefer, you can pay in full now and then there will be nothing else to pay.
Dates for 2024
Spring
Wednesday 8th May 2024
Wednesday 15th May 2024
Wednesday 22nd May 2024
Wednesday 5th June 2024
Wednesday 12th June 2024
Wednesday 19th June2024
7.00pm – 10.00pm (UK time)
Book a call to find out more:
Your facilitator
I’m Sally Parkin.
I’m a Doula living in Yorkshire with my family and I have spent thousands of hours facilitating groups and holding space face to face as well as online.
My particular interest is in birth and death and supporting people in liminal spaces.
I have seen the power of the circles I have sat in; to connect, heal and create communities that reach far beyond the spaces we sit in. Not only does circle work help those who attend but it also ripples out to those they love, support and work alongside.
The magic of circle work is that it changes the lives of people in ways we don’t always expect or know about, and that is what I enjoy most of all.
Cancellation Policy
If you wish to cancel your place on the Creating Circles course, please let me know in writing by emailing me at mail@sallygolightly.co.uk.
Legally, you can receive a full refund within a 14 day cooling off period. Your cooling off period begins the day after making your initial payment.
However, if the course starts during the cooling off period or you have been provided with pre-course materials, you won’t be refunded for sessions (even if you did not attend) and/or materials already provided and an admin fee of £150 will be retained for costs incurred .
For cancellations after the 14 day cooling off period, you will be offered a place on the next Creating Circles course subject to you paying the course fee in full.
As the course requires a minimum number of attendees to run, if it is not filled you will be offered a place on a future Creating Circles course.
I’d love to hear from you
If you have any questions or would like to find out more about Creating Circles, I’d love to hear from you.
You can email me at mail@sallygolightly.co.uk