Classic Program: Starter Facilitator Handbook for Healing Groups

The Lessons As you prepare to facilitate a lesson, study Healing the Wounds of Trauma for the content. The timetables in this section can help you plan your use of time. They also allow you to see the backbone of the lesson at a glance. In addition, you will find tips, time-savers, skits, and more gathered from the experience of facilitators who have taught these lessons around the world. • The lessons (except Lesson 2) are designed for 90-minute sessions. If you have more time, adjust to your situation. • Abbreviations: LG: In the large group (whole group). SG: In small groups. • Have participants review each lesson after it has been presented, not before. • Different versions of the Healing the Wounds of Trauma book have different stories. Adjust the names in this handbook to the edition you are using. • If your edition of Healing the Wounds of Trauma does not include Lessons 6A, 6B, 6C, and 11A (the newer lessons), you can download them from the Trauma Healing Institute website. WELCOME SESSION Start with a welcome session. For healing groups that meet weekly, this may take a good part of the first meeting. For retreats, if people arrive the night before the session starts, hold a welcome meeting that evening, but keep it short if people are tired from travel. Participants who have not yet arrived can introduce themselves the next day. Or it may be necessary to take the first hour of the first day for this. • Give out the name tags, if appropriate. • “Getting to know you.” If people don’t already know each other, use a par- ticipatory activity to help them get acquainted. For example, find some- one you don’t know and be ready to tell the large group the name they want to be called during the workshop, their role, and one happy memory from childhood or something unusual about them that the group would not know. • Discuss hopes and expectations for the group. Agree together on the dates and times of meetings, what will be covered, and outcomes. Use the “trauma healing experience arc” (page 7) if that is helpful. Give a brief overview of the way the time will be used without going into detail. The participants won’t remember a lot of details at this point. Keep it simple. • Establish ground rules for confidentiality (page 13) and a safe environ- ment (see page 15). Healing groups are closed groups, which means that

The Lessons

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