Master Class: The Art & Heart of Group Facilitation with Christine Overstone

MASTER CLASS WITH CHRISTINE OVERSTONE: THE ART & HEART OF GROUP FACILITATION

The Art and Heart of Group Facilitation is a six-week master class for group facilitators who want to master the art of group facilitation. It is an innovative and transformational learning experience incorporating various interactive and experiential elements. Underlying all sessions will be words, language and experiences around grief, which as a Centre we believe is at the heart of many of the human-to-human encounters that cause hurt, heartbreak or healing for individuals, families or communities.

Core sessions & Dates:

17 Aug- Session 1: The Art & Heart of Facilitation 

24 Aug- Session 2: Building Blocks for Fabulous Group Facilitation 

31 Aug - Session 3: Communicating with Impact - The Power of Presence

7 Sept - Session 4: Emotional Literacy - Developing Self and Other Awareness as a Tool for Better Managing Participant's Emotional Engagement

14 Sept - Session 5: Practical Application to Group Facilitation Roles

21 Sept - Session 6: Being Creative in the Process of Connecting Stories from the Heart as Tools for Empowerment and Personal Growth

Objectives:

• To Introduce the concepts of Emotional Intelligence as a tool in group facilitation
• To discover new and creative tools and ways of being as a group facilitator that enhance the facilitator's practice
• To gain a deeper understanding of group process, storytelling and how this supports transformational engagement with group participants
• To better understand how to meet the needs of individual participants by drawing on grief literacy and emotional intelligence tools
• To intentionally transform the group facilitator's practice and understanding through gentle challenge

Who is this workshop for:

This master class seeks to marry up technical facilitation skills with emotional intelligence, using creative engagement tools and activities and is appropriate for facilitators from any setting as the skills are transferrable.

What to expect:

• This will be an engaging, challenging and interactive session designed to stretch your skills and understanding.
• A safe space for sharing will be created and maintained.
• A light morning tea will be provided. Dietary requirements should be stated in registration.
• To walk away with an improved understanding of fabulous group facilitation.
• Tools to support your group facilitation process.
  

Times & Venue of Sessions:

All sessions are 9am-1pm and delivered at The Grief Centre of WA.

About the Facilitator

Christine Overstone (Richardson) is a social scientist, Wellness Consultant and Education Management Professional. Christine has researched and worked in behaviour, thought and emotional management, developing and presenting seminars, courses, workshops and training programs for over three decades. For 10 years Christine coordinated one of the longest-running Personal Development Programs within the Education Department in Australia. The diversity of Christine s client group, which ranged from medical professionals and armed forces personnel to factory workers and clerical staff, has given her the opportunity to design programs and work on projects that can change lives, by introducing and developing self-management skills. 

Christine has also worked extensively within the prison system with outstanding results and has facilitated postvention transformative group programs for male perpetrators of domestic violence.

Author of the book, "Grief: Mother's stories of heartbreak and hope", Christine is the co-founder of The Grief Centre of WA, where she is currently the Community and Corporate Education Team Lead and Chair of the Management Committee. At the Centre, she has facilitated groups for people from all walks of life, ages and stages who are affected by bereavement or other losses to great effect. Her belief that grief has a profound impact on lives, with often intergenerational consequences, drives her work to educate and better inform individuals, families and communities on the issues of unresolved grief.

Christine is a master at facilitating engaging, interactive workshops that embrace rich storytelling and activate self-reflective practice and creative thinking.