The Well-Held Space; Creative Facilitation Training with Holly Stoppit

Name: The Well-Held Space; Creative Facilitation Training with Holly Stoppit
Start: 2026-05-16T10:00:00+01:00
Location: Bristol UK

Schedule

Sat, 16 May, 2026 at 10:00 am

UTC+01:00

Location

Bristol UK | Bristol, EN

Explore the theory and practice of creative facilitation and develop the confidence, knowledge and skills to facilitate groups in a trauma-informed, safe-enough, responsive and playful way.
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 (MA), educator, director of autobiographical devised theatre, IFS therapist (Level 2) Somatic IFS therapist, clinical supervisor and creative consultant.
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 get to connect and feel welcome, seen and celebrated. Holly regularly holds space for neuro-divergent and LGBTQ+ people and people with mental and physical health issues, she has also created projects for adults and children with learning difficulties and elders with dementia.
WHO IS THIS COURSE 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 for 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 offers 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 (Southwest School of Dramatherapy MA), Creative Arts Supervision (Relight), Nonviolent Communication, Compassionate Inquiry, The Clearness Committee, The Thinking Environment, Action Learning, Open Space, Internal Family Systems (IFS), Somatic IFS and Mindfulness / Meditation.
This course has been developed as a considered three-month process with time for reflection in between the sessions. 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? What are your strengths and growth edges as a facilitator?
>Exploring: Polyvagal theory - noticing what your nervous system is doing + exploring ways to soothe and ground yourself
>Facilitation skills practice: active listening, asking open questions
Weekend Two – All About Them
>Compassionate leadership: using Nonviolent Communication to explore the feelings and needs that fuel behaviour in groups
>Considering the various stages of group process and what input your participants might need from you at each stage
>Exploring: trauma-informed practice
>Facilitation skills practice: making invitations as opposed to demands - exploring what happens when someone says “no” to an invitation.
Weekend Three – All About Us
>Facilitation skills practice: A chance to facilitate a group activity and receive structured peer feedback
>Exploring the inner parts that pop up when you're facilitating - using Internal Family Systems
>Access and inclusion: Designing accessible and inclusive activities / sessions / programmes
>Next steps: What will you offer the world and what support do you need?
>Savouring, sewing seeds, closing
THE DETAILS
May 16th and 17th 2026
June 13th and 14th 2026
July 11th and 12th 2026
Times: 10am-5.30pm all days
Venue: St Werburghs, Bristol (more details on booking)
Cost: £750 (standard) / £675 (low waged) / £600 (supported)
Application deadline: 7th April
Application form here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfYJEROMZRALx4ybfNecFEkLnl9eljJ4cKSoyFxOQ3qRNKRlg/viewform?usp=sharing&ouid=103730736792827996974
Applications:
>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 although previous students will get priority. If you haven't studied with Holly before, you may be asked to interview on Zoom to make sure we’re a good match for each other.
>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.
Application process: After the deadline we will select a group based on your experience, your reasons for wanting to attend, your age and gender. We have discovered that these kind of courses work best with a very broad variety of people in a group. We wait and see who turns up, then we create a balanced group.
Access info: We strive to make our spaces accessible to people with disabilities. The venue is wheelchair accessible - it has a wheelchair lift which takes you from ground floor level up 3 or 4 steps to the rest of the building, which is all one level. There is an accessible toilet with a sink in the cubicle. 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.
For more info click here: https://www.hollystoppit.com/workshops/the-well-held-space-creative-facilitation-training