Foundations of Council: Council Training Level One - May 16-17, 2026

Develop your fluency and capacity to practice and offer council circles! Learn how to bring this practice into your personal life, communities and profession. This 16-hour offering, led by two Certified Council Trainers, is a powerful and inspiring introduction to the practice of council and offers an experiential opportunity to work with the basic elements, modalities and forms.

In Foundations of Council (Council Training Level One), you’ll explore the history, fundamentals, and nuances of the forms and modalities of council in depth. Become familiar with the background of the intentions and language used in the practice. In addition to a grounding in the basic procedures and tools of council, you’ll receive tips on the broader applications to a variety of settings, including classrooms, boardrooms, prisons, communities and your personal relationships.

ADDITIONAL DETAILS

Workshop runs 9:00am - 6:00pm each day with an hour break for lunch

Lunch, coffee, and snacks are provided

Overnight accommodations not included

Location is subject to change, but will remain in the Los Angeles area.

Donations and program fees support Beyond Us & Them’s ability to offer transformative programming to incarcerated men and women, law enforcement, healthcare workers, educators and community leaders. ​

MORE ABOUT COUNCIL

Council is an age-old practice that involves bringing people together in a circle to bear witness and share authentically. Participants agree to speak one-at-a-time, sharing their personal stories and experiences rather than opinions, and listening non-judgmentally while others do the same. Sharing and listening to universal stories about love, loss, fear, triumph, challenge, hope and other experiences enables participants to recognize that, despite our many differences, we have much in common.

​By fostering attentive listening and authentic expression, council builds positive relationships between participants and neutralizes hierarchical dynamics formed by the inequality of status, race, or other social factors. It supports a deep sense of community and fosters recognition of a shared humanity and interconnectedness. It enables individuals to give voice to their stories, develop mutual respect, cultivate a compassionate response to anger, defensiveness, and violence, as well as strengthen emotional health and resilience.

Council acknowledges everyone present and helps focus intention and energy on our common stories, values, aspirations and our emergent collective wisdom. Its application is widespread and worldwide. Just a few of the environments in which council is used commonly include schools, large and small businesses, faith-based groups, and between couples.

Council does not connote any particular spiritual tradition. As a practice, the way of council helps us define WHERE, WHEN, WHO, WHAT and HOW we gather together. We create a circle, in a particular place, for a given length of time, and invite individuals to come together with the intention to listen and speak from the heart. Council is a practice in which individuals deepen self-awareness, groups find cohesion, and communities build bridges.

Learn more about council and its applications at beyondusandthem.org.

REFUND POLICY

Fees are fully refundable within 7 days from the purchase date and can be transferred and applied to another training offered by Beyond Us & Them up until 30 days before the original event date. Fees are non-refundable and non-transferable if canceled within 30 days of the training. To request a cancelation or transfer please contact us. Requests will be processed within ten business days. If Beyond Us & Them cancels the event, participants will have the option to transfer fees, convert it to a donation, or receive a full refund for the cost of the training.

Further information for those seeking MENTAL HEALTH CONTINUING EDUCATION (CE) CREDITS:

CE Credits: The course meets the qualifications for 15 hours of continuing education credit for LMFTs, LCSWs, LPCCs, and/or LEPs as required by the California Board of Behavioral Sciences. Center for Council is approved by the California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists to sponsor continuing education for LMFTs, LCSWs, LPCCs and LEPs (CAMFT approval #1000178). Beyond Us & Them maintains responsibility for this program/course and its content. For more information or special needs, email us: [email protected].

Further detail: Participants will spend 15 hours developing their understanding of, fluency with and capacity to engage in and facilitate council, so as to integrate this methodology into professional settings and practice. This training workshop covers the history, fundamentals and nuances of the forms and modalities of council, as well as the pedagogy, intentions and language used to introduce the practice to others. In addition to a grounding in the basic procedures and tools of council, broader applications to a variety of scenarios will be explored, along with the benefits of skillful embodiment of compassion in working with patients, interacting with colleagues and to benefit personal wellbeing and balance. 15 CE credits are available for instructional time and course activities and does not include breaks or mealtime. Course completion certificates will be awarded upon request via email and will be sent within five business days.

Learning objectives: The learning objectives for this course include the following anticipated outcomes: identifying and describing methodologies for regulating breath and stress and creating a container for reflection on personal motivation; explaining the five elements and four intentions of council practice; identifying the four planes of awareness and demonstrating the ability to assess one's own physical, mental, emotional, and energetic states; distinguishing the basic, fishbowl and spiral formats of council; identifying the physiological differences between sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system activation; demonstrating two or more techniques for interrupting the stress response and augmenting the parasympathetic response; creating a council center and explaining the value of council talking pieces; forming council prompts and articulating the four factors that make for a successful prompt; distinguishing three or more critical elements of council practice and effective facilitation; identifying two or more factors that encourage appropriate disclosure and vulnerability; identifying 6-8 formats for council and explaining how these are utilized in varied settings; and identifying two or more valuable take-aways from the workshop.

Refund Policy: Fees are fully refundable within seven days from the purchase date and can be transferred and applied to another training offered by Beyond Us & Them up until 30 days before the original event date. Fees are non-refundable and non-transferable if canceled within 30 days of the training. To request a cancellation or transfer please contact us. Requests will be processed within ten business days. If Beyond Us & Them cancels, participants will have the option to transfer fees or receive a full refund for the cost of the training.

Grievance Policy: Grievances shall be submitted by email to [email protected] and will receive a response from staff within five business days.

Host or Publisher Center for Council