Council Training 2: Deepening the Practice of Council - Nov. 8 - 9, 2025

Experience the age-old practice of council and learn ways to enrich all your relationships: couples, families, schools, businesses and more.
Council Training 2: Deepening Council Training offers a powerful opportunity to expand upon your council practice and explore the more complex contours of the work. We require you to submit a letter of intent that will be reviewed by our team. After your letter of intent has been accepted, you will be sent a code that will allow for the purchase of tickets.
This training is an intermediate training. Another requirement is that you have taken a Council Training 1: Foundations of Council Training workshop and have been facilitating council. It is important to have direct experience with the inspiring, and sometimes challenging, situations that arise - including encountering resistance, conflict and "The Shadow." As a participant, you may also begin looking at some personal obstacles and "blind spots" that have shown up in your development as a council practitioner, as well as the need for greater fluency in self-regulation and grounding, for yourself and in your work with groups.
The Council Training 2 workshop delves into the different formats of council suited for a variety of situations. This workshop offers a chance to develop more facility with "Reading the Interactive Field" and learning to invite "The Witness" perspective.
One of the primary intentions of Council Training 2 is to support you as move out of your comfort zones, “Turn Into The Skid,” learning how to navigate and best serve the circle, and maintain the safety and containment.
Beyond Us & Them requires that those interested submit a brief application, "letter of intention," to complete their registration for this workshop. The letter reflects on their experiences with council to date and what may be stirring for them as they approach this opportunity to "deepen the practice of council." This reflection serves to create some context for the participants, as well as the workshop trainers, and helps establish intention for the journey of Council Training 2.

IMPORTANT DETAIL: Council Training 2 requires completion of a Council Training 1 and that a Letter of Intent be approved prior to registration. Please submit your Letter of Intent.
When you are approved, you will be given a code to access registration.

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
- P arking is available on-site
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.