The Well-Held Space: Creative Facilitation Training

Back for 2025! This 3-month course is an opportunity for a small group of 12 people to come together and support each other's development as creative facilitators. 

About the facilitator

Holly Stoppit is a facilitator, dramatherapist, director of autobiographical devised theatre, IFS practitioner and clinical supervisor.

Holly has been designing and delivering group workshops for adults since 2007 (before this she was a performer, playworker and drama workshop leader for kids). Holly’s workshops combine body-based creative exploration (movement, embodiment, clowning, fooling and voice work) with meditation and self-inquiry to offer spaces for people to connect with themselves, other people and the world.

Holly sensitively holds robust and inclusive spaces where all kinds of people are welcomed, seen and celebrated. Holly has facilitated people with mental and physical health issues, people with learning difficulties, elders with dementia and people who are neuro-divergent and LGBTQ+. More about Holly's facilitation journey here.

Who Is It For?

Holly’s Creative Facilitation Training is open for facilitators, artists, therapists, teachers, managers, leaders and anyone who wants to develop skills and cultivate awareness to hold inclusive and accessible space, which is safe enough to take risks.

It’s for facilitators and facilitators to be, working with people of all ages and abilities, across a range of disciplines, including visual art, drama, dance, circus, music, play, personal development, physical fitness and spirituality. 

Perhaps you’ve already got an idea for a great group workshop, but are lacking the confidence and know-how to get it off the ground?

Perhaps you’re already working with groups, but are wanting to find a more empowering, choice-laden, person-centred approach?

Perhaps you are already working one-to-one and interested in how to scale that up to working with groups?

The Programme

The course programme will offer theory and practical exercises to enable your creative facilitation development. Throughout the course we'll be using a range of creative modalities including play, movement, voice work, art work, visualisation and writing. There will be guided personal reflections, group discussions and peer feedback.

Holly will be drawing on her considerable training and experience in: Dramatherapy (MA), Creative Arts Supervision, Nonviolent Communication, Compassionate Inquiry, The Clearness Committee, The Thinking Environment, Action Learning, Open Space, Internal Family Systems and Mindfulness.

This course has been developed as a considered three-month process with time for reflection and optional homework tasks / reading in between the sessions, as well as an online forum for participants to share their thoughts and resources. Participants will be expected to attend all three weekends. 

The following is a proposed course structure. Please bear in mind that some parts of the programme may change as the course unfolds.

Weekend One – All About You

• Creating a group agreement

• Getting to know each other

• Exploring: What is facilitation? 

• Exploring: Your strengths and growth edges as a facilitator

• Facilitation skills practice: listening, mirroring, open questions

Weekend Two – All About Them

• Exploring trauma-informed practice

• Considering the various stages of group process and what input your participants / clients might need from you at each stage

• Compassionate leadership: using Nonviolent Communication to explore the feelings and needs that fuel behaviour in groups

• Facilitation skills practice: making invitations as opposed to demands - exploring what happens when someone says “no” to an invitation.

Weekend Three – All About You, Them and US

• Access and inclusion: Designing accessible and inclusive activities / sessions / programmes

• Facilitation skills practice: A chance to facilitate a group activity and receive structured peer feedback

• Next steps: What will you offer the world and what support do you need?

• Savouring, sewing seeds, closing

More about this course

This course was first conceived in 2021 at the tail end of the pandemic. We were all coming out of isolation and Holly wanted to do what she could to support the people who hold space for other people. Holly ran two versions of this course - one in person and one online. Here’s what some of the participants said:

“A warm, well-held space to germinate and cultivate a facilitation practice.” 

“This is a brilliant opportunity to build your confidence as a space holder and facilitator, to begin to consider and implement the vital and effective tools that Holly has used over the years in creating her astoundingly safe, nurturing and inspiring workshops.” 

“A deep dive into what it means to hold space for yourself and others. An exploration of people and groups and how they all work together in the context of a facilitated space.”

“It was one of the most Well Held Spaces I'd been in, and so much of what we did was a combination of huge vulnerability and safety so pretty amazing for bonding the group together. I met a lot of other facilitators who I can hopefully stay in touch with, and we can help each other out! So much inspiration, fun, learning, play, deep self inquiry.”

Three years on, people still need places to gather and share and learn and grow together. Many facilitators are operating as lone wolves and Holly still has a huge desire to create spaces where both experienced and fledgling facilitators can come together to build networks of support. 

Since the first outing of this course, Holly has taken a year-long sabbatical, where she volunteered as a coordinator at a residential meditation retreat centre. She then went on to train in Internal Family Systems (IFS) and has spent the last year exploring ways to incorporate IFS into her tool-kit of body-based play, reflection and meditation. You can read more about all this here. 

Holly is delighted to have the opportunity to come back to The Well-Held Space and infuse it with fresh energy, skills and insight.

The Details 

January 18th and 19th 2025

February 15th and 16th 2025

March 15th and 16th 2025

Times: 10am-5.30pm all days

Venue: St Werburghs, Bristol (more details on booking)

Cost: £750 (standard)  / £675 (low waged)  / £600 (supported)

Applications: 

There is an application process to attend this course, including an application form to complete. If the form is a barrier to you applying, get in touch to find an alternative way. Application form here or below.

Deadline for applications: Friday 6th December

Zoom Interviews: W/C 9th December

First round of offers: 13th December

You need to be 18+ to attend this course.

You need to be committed to attending the whole course. 

The course is open to anyone who feels drawn to it. You do not need to have done any of Holly’s previous courses to apply. 

Holly may interview applicants to make sure we’re a good match for each other (especially if we don’t know each other yet). These interviews will take place on Zoom in the week of 9th December. 

We actively welcome applications from people from the Global Majority, people with disabilities and anyone who identifies as marginalised (because of your gender, sexuality, neurobiology or anything else). We believe that representation matters and we are eager to support fledgling facilitators from the margins to build their confidence to hold space for others.

Access info: The venue is wheelchair accessible and has an accessible toilet. There are quiet spaces to rest in the building. For any other access needs, please let us know on our application form and we will find a way to accommodate you.

Covid Care 

There are still people who are vulnerable to covid and Holly wants everyone to feel as safe as possible in the space. 

We can't guarantee a Covid-free environment, but we can do our best to minimise the risks for people with compromised immunity and/or those who are connected with immune-compromised people.

If you have any covid-like symptoms, please take a lat-flow test and please don't come if you have tested positive. 

All exercises can work with social distancing, if that is what you need. Please make sure that physical proximity is consensual.

You are welcome to wear a mask if that makes you feel safer. Holly will not be asking people to wear masks. 

We will be working with windows open for ventilation, so please bring extra warm layers.

We will have an open discussion and make a group agreement on the first day to make sure everyone feels safe and comfortable enough.

Cancellation Policy

> If you need to cancel your place before the course begins, full refunds can only be given up until two weeks before the course starts.

> Should you need to cancel your place after this date, 50% of your payment will be retained, unless your place can be suitably filled.

> For drop-outs within 72 hours (3 days) of the start of the course, your full fee will be retained.

> If Holly needs to cancel this course for any reason, you will be offered alternative dates. If you are unable to attend the rescheduled dates, then we will offer a refund.