This webinar, recorded March 8, 2023, is part of a suite of materials for Sacred Ground facilitators.

This training is designed to offer guidance to Sacred Ground facilitators interested in understanding and responding to potential tensions and conflicts that may arise within their Circles. Areas addressed include: cultural differences in how tension and conflict are manifested; common conflict management styles; and the importance of assessing the nature of the conflict or tension within the Circle.

This training stresses the importance of the role of the facilitator in: establishing and maintaining ground rules for respectful engagement; responding thoughtfully when sensing conflict avoidance or withdrawal; and slowing down the process if conflict arises.

Kathy Deal is an experienced clinical social worker and university professor. She has developed trainings and facilitated various types of groups in a range of settings, including universities, churches, jails, mental health facilities, and community agencies. She has facilitated Sacred Ground Circles since 2020 and currently works as a spiritual director and dream work facilitator.

Norma Williamson is a consultant in conflict resolution and change management. She has extensive multicultural experience, both as the child of missionaries and as a diplomat in the U.S. Foreign Service. She has facilitated meetings and retreats for the State Department in Washington and at US Embassies abroad, and has been a Sacred Ground facilitator since 2020.

Learn more about Sacred Ground here.