the power of groups in training and healing

There are many ways for therapists to learn new techniques, from individualized training to large teleseminars that accommodate thousands of students. In between these two extremes lies training that is done in smaller groups. According to this article, published by the University of Illinois, working in small groups allows people to learn more fully. The group learning experience encourages participants to:

• Articulate ideas and understandings
• Uncover assumptions and misconceptions,
• Negotiate with others to reach consensus

Learning in groups also makes it possible for the participants to benefit from experiential learning.

Group activities can:

• Enable students to discover deeper meaning in the content
• Improve thinking and clinical skills
• Provoke deeper learning through exposure to multiple interpretations

Learning in small groups multiplies the impact of the individual experience without allowing students to get lost in the sea of students in gigantic seminars. It also allows them to feel supported and cared for by a group of compassionate peers.

At The Wellness Institute, this type of group experience is the driving force that allows us to fulfill the mission set forth by our founders: “to heal the healers.” We begin in the Six-Day Training and Certification Program by conducting clinical teaching and demonstrations and other exercises as a group and then breaking into smaller groups for clinical practice and observation. Students universally feel the unique bond they’ve formed during the Six-Day course. The learning and healing go even deeper when participants experience The Advanced Internship.

Joining together in the group container

The Advanced Internship enables participants to build even deeper bonds with a peer group. Typically, the Internship consists of eight weekends, usually every other month, and extends over a period of about one and one-half years. During this time, the group container becomes a powerful catalyst for healing the participants, as it teaches them how to help their own clients to heal.

In the fashion of the Native American talking circle, Internship groups begin each day with centering exercises and group sharing. In the circle, we feel safe to express ourselves, and learn so much by listening to the way others have responded and reacted to the training and experiences that have been shared.

In Internship, this circle becomes more than a once- or twice-a-day ritual. It evolves into a community that transcends time and space. Within it, clinicians join together to support one another in their learning and personal growth, as they go through the processes and develop the skills needed to treat one another and, ultimately, their own clients.

The power of the circle, and the smaller Mastermind groups that are formed by the members, become more evident as time goes on. Those who thought there wouldn’t be enough money or time to participate in the Internship soon find out that with the right kind of focus and support, it becomes possible to manifest many of the things they want.

Life-long relationships naturally arise from the camaraderie that develops in the program. Internship groups have cheered one another on as new private practices started, books got written, and babies were born and welcomed into the circle. Truly, Internship groups draw on the power of their unity of purpose and diversity of desires to raise their lives to new levels of success and fulfillment.

Didactic and Experiential Enlightenment

The Advanced Internship Curriculum provides advanced clinical training in Heart-Centered Hypnotherapy, and allows participants to learn new modalities such as Heart-Centered Breathwork and Heart-Centered Psychodrama. The Clearing Process is used to ensure that projection is eliminated within the circle, and that clinicians can learn about how to avoid countertransference with clients.

Each weekend seminar covers a different topic, including Codependency, Addictions, Sexual Abuse, The Mind-Body Connection, Eating Disorders, People Addictions, Relationships, and Healthy Completions. Didactic portions of the program cover the nature of the issues and specialized information concerning proposed treatment. Experiential portions focus on opportunities to participate in both group and individual processes that are geared toward the healing and personal development of the clinician. There is a strong emphasis on understanding the victim triangle, and addressing the issues of trauma and shock, in clients and in therapists as well.

The Wellness Institute’s training philosophy also encourages participants to learn how to integrate the spiritual experience, both their own and that of their clients, into the healing process. This is accomplished by advanced techniques and work involving the energetic body, and bringing mind, body, and spirit together to allow for a truly holistic healing process.

Ultimately, participation in The Advanced Internship will help you to develop stronger clinical skills, broaden your understanding of the human experience, and to undergo your own personal transformation.

Join the circle now

The Advanced Internship is presented by two qualified teachers, who are assisted by two additional skilled clinicians who are apprenticing as potential teachers. They offer their service to the community and support the group processes and experiential portions of the seminars. All seminars are conducted online, so you won’t need to leave the comfort of your home or miss workdays at your busy practice. All that will be asked of you is that you find a quiet space, where you won’t be interrupted, to participate in the weekend sessions.

It’s easier than ever to become even more skilled at Heart-Centered Hypnotherapy and continue your healing journey. It could lead you to places that bring you the kind of satisfaction and gratification you’ve been longing for. Registration for the next Advanced Internship is underway. Reserve your space today!

Jump into the healing circle. Contact Desiree to enroll in the Advanced Internship!