We request that anyone interested in becoming a Council Trainer read the below.
The most powerful, inspiring and effective teacher of council … is council itself. The practice reveals its contours as we embody it, in fact, in groups and settings of all types. We encourage all who are drawn to this work to find ways to practice through our organization’s offerings and through other settings you find or create for your own groups. Our three-tiered training workshops are presented to provide pedagogy, methodology, modalities and models to help facilitators create opportunities to work with the practice. But we approach the work with “beginner’s mind,” relishing new things we learn as we listen from the heart to what unfolds. The more we explore the practice, the more we discover about council and the more skillful we become as a participant and as facilitator, “making it easy” for others to engage in the practice.
Center for Council has trained thousands of individuals in the practice of council – but just over 100 individuals have been recognized as Certified Council Trainers worldwide (some of whom choose to affiliate with Center for Council). We maintain the highest professional and ethical standards around the practice, teaching, and dissemination of council. While we encourage all to experience and work with the practice, certification as a Council Trainer is a critical component for all who lead our public trainings, and for all who staff our programs in professional, institutional, and educational settings. Certification connotes acknowledgement of mastery of the core competencies expected of Council Trainers by a recognized certifying body, and is a prerequisite to employment with Center for Council in these capacities.
Center for Council has trained thousands of individuals in the practice of council – but just over 100 individuals have been recognized as Certified Council Trainers worldwide (some of whom choose to affiliate with Center for Council). We maintain the highest professional and ethical standards around the practice, teaching, and dissemination of council. While we encourage all to experience and work with the practice, certification as a Council Trainer is a critical component for all who lead our public trainings, and for all who staff our programs in professional, institutional, and educational settings. Certification connotes acknowledgement of mastery of the core competencies expected of Council Trainers by a recognized certifying body, and is a prerequisite to employment with Center for Council in these capacities.
The first day of a Council Training 3 in 2018.
Council is a dynamic personal practice that cannot be controlled or regulated, similar to yoga, meditation, or prayer. It is not an exclusive methodology or anyone’s “intellectual property.” Council is a fluid and evolving practice with roots in wisdom traditions and teachings that go back centuries. Center for Council is committed to supporting the evolution and advancement of the practice of council throughout our culture, and to finding ways to introduce, adapt, support and nourish the practice in a variety of settings, including education, public safety, corrections, healthcare, and business.
While we encourage all who are drawn to the work to experience council as participants and facilitators, recognition as a trainer or program leader by Center for Council is limited to those who have been certified as Council Trainers. We rely on these professional practitioners who have engaged in rigorous training in the practice, pedagogy and methodology of council and have been acknowledged to have successfully completed such training. We recognize the responsibilities of introducing this practice and understand the potential dangers and necessary precautions. Without certification from the Mentors Circle of Center for Council, or another recognized certification body, we strongly discourage individuals from teaching council, leading council programs, or offering guidance or supervision in a professional or monetized setting.
Unlike informal sharing of the practice of council amongst friends and colleagues, which we encourage, our view is that “hanging out a shingle” as a council trainer, teacher, coach or guide without proper certification is irresponsible, unprofessional and potentially harmful. The certification process and our Code of Ethical Conduct have been established to assure that those whom Center for Council authorizes to teach or lead trainings and programs have demonstrated mastery of the core competencies necessary for introducing and offering this work in a suitably knowledgeable, responsible, professional, and safe way.
While the practice of council is not – and should never be described as – therapy, a remedy, or a religion, it often engenders vulnerability and intense feelings that can transcend familiar interactions. Center for Council stresses the importance of maintaining, clarifying and communicating appropriate and clear professional boundaries in our programs and trainings. We also recognize that our employees and program participants may bring council into settings that may include vulnerable populations and power imbalances, and where relationships or circumstances outside of the training itself may impact participants. We are guided by the tenets expressed in our Code of Ethical Conduct, some of which are described here:
While we encourage all who are drawn to the work to experience council as participants and facilitators, recognition as a trainer or program leader by Center for Council is limited to those who have been certified as Council Trainers. We rely on these professional practitioners who have engaged in rigorous training in the practice, pedagogy and methodology of council and have been acknowledged to have successfully completed such training. We recognize the responsibilities of introducing this practice and understand the potential dangers and necessary precautions. Without certification from the Mentors Circle of Center for Council, or another recognized certification body, we strongly discourage individuals from teaching council, leading council programs, or offering guidance or supervision in a professional or monetized setting.
Unlike informal sharing of the practice of council amongst friends and colleagues, which we encourage, our view is that “hanging out a shingle” as a council trainer, teacher, coach or guide without proper certification is irresponsible, unprofessional and potentially harmful. The certification process and our Code of Ethical Conduct have been established to assure that those whom Center for Council authorizes to teach or lead trainings and programs have demonstrated mastery of the core competencies necessary for introducing and offering this work in a suitably knowledgeable, responsible, professional, and safe way.
While the practice of council is not – and should never be described as – therapy, a remedy, or a religion, it often engenders vulnerability and intense feelings that can transcend familiar interactions. Center for Council stresses the importance of maintaining, clarifying and communicating appropriate and clear professional boundaries in our programs and trainings. We also recognize that our employees and program participants may bring council into settings that may include vulnerable populations and power imbalances, and where relationships or circumstances outside of the training itself may impact participants. We are guided by the tenets expressed in our Code of Ethical Conduct, some of which are described here:
- We expect trainers and facilitators to model transparency, being clear and candid about what they observe. While we must be appropriate about when and how we share, we do not conceal or manipulate information, and we attempt to be open and communicative about issues and observations that we feel impact the training or workshop we are leading, or concerns we may have about participant safety or well-being.
- Facilitators and trainers employed by Center for Council self-monitor appropriate disclosure, in and out of council circles, aware of the impact that their sharing may have on participants. While we stress the importance of confidentiality, we cannot and do not guarantee that any participant or participants will maintain confidentiality.
- We emphasize the importance of self-care. Facilitators and trainers employed by Center for Council must mind their own dysregulation, stress, and reactivity, and remind participants to do the same.
- Trainers and facilitators employed by Center for Council maintain awareness of explicit or implicit requests to act in a capacity that requires competencies beyond our expertise (e.g., in the fields of mental health, medicine, the law, organizational development, etc.). As need arises, participants are to be referred to professionals with requisite expertise, or reminded of the intentions of council vs. other types of interventions, services, or therapies. We recognize that those who assume roles as trainers, mentors or leaders may sometimes be seen to hold certain authority or power, due to the roles they play, and we remain mindful of any projections or unspoken expectations.
- Any trainer or facilitator who has reason to believe that any participant in a Center for Council program or activity has an intention to harm him/herself or others must inform the proper authorities as provided under applicable law, as well as a senior staff member or the Executive Director.
- Center for Council’s programs do not condone the use of any language, symbols, objects, or rituals misappropriated from their cultural or spiritual context at the expense of the communities from which these elements originate. The practice of council evolved in collaboration with a variety of teachers and elders over the course of many years; we are indebted to their generosity and insight and grateful for their care and partnership. We recognize that many communities and peoples have suffered and continue to suffer as a result of colonization, violence, and exploitation; we honor the experiences of marginalized peoples, and work to hold space for all people to be empowered and connected in community. Practices from other cultures offered in Center for Council programs should include context and attribution regarding their source.
If you are interested in becoming a Certified Council Trainer, please continue reading about the process.
