Overview

Experience the age-old practice of council and learn ways to enrich all your relationships: couples, families, schools, businesses and more.

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.

Contact the host of Foundations of Council: Council Training Level One - October 3-4, 2026