Workshop Holding space
___ Supporting your Client & Nurturing your wellbeing ___
Brenda Zwinkels & Heather Plett
November 1-2-3, 2023
Katwijk aan Zee
+ online follow-up meeting on
December 12, 2023
WORKSHOP Holding Space
Supporting your client & Nurturing your wellbeing
This workshop is especially for you if you're a professional who works with clients (either adult clients, or young clients and their parents), in therapeutic, coaching, or health care relationships. These three days will help you deepen your practice in supporting your clients and in learning to balance your personal needs within these relationships.
It helps you to connect effectively with the people your working with and with yourself. You will be invited to experience holding space for yourself while also learning how to do it for others.
Whether you are a therapist, coach, caregiver, facilitator, healthcare professional or social worker: everybody who works with people and is interested in the quality of relationships between people, can benefit from this workshop about the art of holding space.
What does it mean to hold space for yourself and for others?
When we hold space for others, it means that we are willing to walk alongside them in whatever journey they’re on without judging them, making them feel inadequate, trying to fix them, or trying to impact the outcome. While still respecting our own boundaries, we open our hearts to them, offer unconditional support, and let go of judgement and control.
Holding space for yourself is knowing what is nourishing for you and what might be harmful. It takes practise to deepen your understanding about how to hold space for yourself. When working with clients, its important to recognize the emotional labour you're contributing and the self-care you'll need in order to restore your energy.
Taking care of your own needs requires that you have the self-knowledge to recognize your own needs and the self-esteem to ask for those needs to be filled. In addition, it involves letting go of the outcome when others don't respond the way they hope you will.
What can participation bring you?
* Increasing self-awareness.
* Insights in what you need to take good care of yourself when working with clients. And how to express those needs.
* Awareness of the limits you set as a professional; when do you let go or when do you go on.
* Experiencing what it is like when others hold the space for you and your story.
* Working effectively with clients and parents of clients and recognizing their autonomy and personal responsibility in the healing or transformation process.
* Inspiration to take clients and parents of clients into what holding space can mean for them in contact with their child/dealing with the (health)complaint.
Our conversations and exercises will focus on such topics as:
* Holding Space: what you offer, what guides you and what supports you
* Taking care of your needs and the client's needs
* Liminal space
* The opposite of Holding Space
* Safe space and Brave Space
* Setting boundaries in therapy
In the online follow-up meeting you will reflect on your learnings and share your experience with other participants, so you can deepen the concepts of holding space in your work environment with eachother.
In this workshop, Brenda Zwinkels will work together with Heather Plett in teaching you more about the concepts of holding space related to healthcare professionals and people working alongside healthcare.
Brenda has been working as a speech-language therapist for 25 years. Together with Eelco de Geus she has developed courses and educationprograms for people who are willing to reflect on their personal development, to grow as a professional. She recently finished the Holding Space Certification Program at the Centre for Holding Space and is committed to deepening people's experience and understanding about holding space and how to aply this to the professional field in health care.
Heather Plett is author, international speaker, facilitator and co-founder of the Centre for Holding Space in Canada. Her book "The art of holding space" was translated in dutch by Mayke Smit and Pasha Elstak, "De kunst van holding space". We recommend reading the book if you're interested in Heathers work. Heather's second book 'Where Tenderness Lives': on healing, liberation and holding space for oneself' will be released in January 2024.
These three days will be a practical hands-on experience. You’ll leave refreshed, with new ideas about how you can meet your needs and support clients. Give selfcare priority in order to be present in a healthy way for clients.
We’ll gather at the beautiful beach setting 'Surf and Beach' in Katwijk aan Zee, the Netherlands. Right on the beach!
Many accommodations to stay overnight are available right at the coast. Hotel Noordzee, which is just 100 metres away from the beach setting, offers a discount to participants of this workshop. Accommodation is not included in the cost of the workshop.
Wednesday to Friday, November 1-2-3, 2023
Online follow-up meeting December 12, 2023
Workshop days are from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Online follow-up meeting from 7 p.m. to 8.30 p.m. (with Zoom)
Note: Though this workshop is in the Netherlands, the language of communication will be in English.
Registration cost €895,- for individuals
Registration cost €985,- for organizations
The workshop price includes lunch. Davotes is exempt from VAT through CRKBO recognition.
Accreditation has been granted for the following speech therapists and dieticians (ADAP) with 18 points. Accreditation for SKJ has been requested. Please let me know if there's interest in a different profession.
Maximum number of participants will be 25.
Brenda Zwinkels is facilitating this workshop and Heather Plett will be the co-host.
Click here for the registration form
People who participate in the year-training 'Systemisch-dialogische Procesbegeleiding' (language of communication will be in Dutch), starting at March 18, 2023 receive a discount of 20 percent.
If you have joined the workshop Holding Space with Heather Plett and me in 2018, 2020 or 2022 (Camperduin), you're welcome to participate and deepen your practise - you will receive a discount of 20 percent.
Contact Brenda if you have any questions.
Other opportunities to learn more about the art of holding space:
- Franky de Cooman and Sonja van Bouchaute are also certified holding space practitioners and organise a basic three-day Holding Space workshop with Heather in Belgium on October 9,10,11. Click here for more information.
- For people who already followed a workshop in person or online about holding space, there will be an Avanced workshop Holding Space in the Netherlands (also Katwijk aan Zee) on November 6,7, 8. Click here for more information.
- Heather will teach in Belgium as well on November 16, 17 for Hummus, the expertise centre for Deep Democracy with Fanny Matheusen as host. Click here for more information.
Brenda has been organizing workshops in Holding Space since 2018. It will be the fourth time Heather Plett comes to the Netherlands now. This time Brenda will facilitate the workshop which is tailored to people working with clients in healthcare and social care (coach, therapist, social workers, clinician). Heather will be co-host.
You can read experiences of participants who have participated in previous workshops in 2018, 2020 en 2022 here:
Elizabeth (from England)- Family Celebrant
Brenda and Heather expertly created a working model of what it is to 'hold space' throughout this workshop. The clever combination of circle work, deep listening and real time response to the needs of the group taught us 'the art of holding space...in motion'! They combined a balance of learning and exploration that allowed me to experience new ways of connecting with my inner world and navigating group work. I would love to continue working with what I have learnt and highly recommend this course to anyone who is looking to grow their personal and professional capacity to connect with others.
On a personal level, holding space allows me to have a greater awareness of my relationship with people both at home and in wider spheres. The Systemic constellation work was new to me and I am astonished at how effective it is- I want to learn more about it!
I am excited to begin exploring how far this work can take me in creating new ways of reaching the individuals and groups I work with.
Mark - Coach
The Holding Space workshop has brought enormous depth to spaceholding for myself. I have found a leniency that allows me to carry a safe space for another with much more firmness, peace and confidence. And it also gives me the strength and confidence that I can embrace chaos and complexity. This is of great value to me, also in my coaching and Reiki practice and when facilitating ceremonies.
Betty - Horsecoach and homeopath
This workshop was coming home to myself, discovering myself with compassion. Through insights, conversations, exercises and the space that was given. Because of the beautiful group of people that I got to be a part of. In a nice accommodation where the inner person was also very well taken care of.
Holding Space has tapped into a deeper layer that is allowed to develop, that will develop. Which keeps me in a soft way in which I get to learn. I can achieve Holding Space by immersing myself more and more in it. I look forward to the next workshop.
Anita- Coach
"It was a wonderful opportunity that Brenda offered: a 3-day workshop with Heather Plett, to learn about the concept of holding space for others and for yourself. I knew Heather’s blog and was intrigued by what she wrote. To have the possibility to be in this workshop at the seaside, working in a circle, talking and listening to Heather and each other was very inspiring. Through that and the exercises new insights popped up for me. And we were an amazing group of interesting and enthusiastic coaches and trainers! We all gave ourselves this gift of time and to really be there and participate. Thank you Brenda!"
Emma (from France)- Business Psychologist
"I'm purely here for myself. I felt I need to have an experience of holding space for myself.
After three days, I'm walking away with some peace, some language around what Holding Space is. And the confidence how that I know how to check how to hold brave space for myself."
Noemi (from Spain)- teamcoach and consultant
"I got tools and language in order to be able to promote the skills of Holding Space more within my client . The most treasure thing I take with me from this workshop is an amazing experience I embodied that we all went through. It was a personal experience, but also a collective experience. For me, there has been really a turning point."
Carla- Supervisor, coach, trainer, author
"I have experienced the Holding Space training as very inspiring on several levels. The content was enriching and the form of work provided many extras, such as exercises to use in my work setting and a solid foundation for the fine connection within the group.
Heather's personal style and way of working showed me how you can do this work with a large group and stay close to yourself. Extra nutrition and a role model for my work on the theme of 'self-care'. The training was well and professionally organized by Davotes in the personal hands of Brenda, carried out from an inner commitment to the subject, brought to the attention in an authentic way and designed in connection with Heather and the group."
Roeland - consultant
"What I take home? I think it's already said at the back of this leaflet: Often the hardest thing about Holding Space, is that it can feels like you're doing nothing. And that's something that I wanted to explore. And now, at the end of the third day, I find myself writing down that I have added something in my toolbox about Holding Space: it's not only the power of words, but also of silence."
Annelie - working at the ministry of agriculture
"I did the workshop for myself. I realise it's also very usefull for the place that I work at the government. We don't know what it will take from people to evolve to circular agriculture. And just holding space for the process is so important, because it will requires change from all of us."
Esther- Coach
"Do you want to withdraw from your daily busy life for 3 days and also gain some beautiful lessons? Then this workshop is the perfect combination for that! It felt like a mini retreat where I learned new lessons from Heather Plett about Holding Space. All the skills, the pitfalls and the profit that come with it. Holding Space for someone else and for yourself. All in all a wonderful 3 days with the beautiful location by the sea as the icing on the cake."
Marc - coach and trainer
"I came here with the question ‘How do I deal with emptiness? How do I deal with not knowing?' What this worskhop has brought me is that movement is important to me. That I have to get into movement, out of the freezing and flee. With that I will move and the group will move."
Jet - trainer and coach
"The workshop gave me a lot more insides about what's Holding Space about. It's so much more then I thought it was. It's really about deep listening, a deep connection and still being an individual. Being able to make your own space in order to create space for someone else. "
Linda and Karin - coach, mindfulnesstrainer and both work with systemic constellations
Linda: "What this workshop is about, is staying close to yourself. First create Holding Space for yourself. And having the courage to do that in a large group takes courage. I have felt that it is possible. So I actually take courage home with me. Courage to dare to do that when I stand in front of a group that I supervise." Karin: "I had all kinds of expectations about the program, about Heather, about the group and about myself. I really met myself and got completely confused. I thought 'all I can do is hold space for myself'. Let it be first and then let the 'not knowing' also be. I am very good at reflecting and analyzing and always want to understand everything. And I was able to let that go. That was an extra step for me and I will really take that with me."
Liesbeth- Consultant organizational development
'Holding Space' is three days of quietly moving mountains of work. If only we could do that more often in our work setting: Create tranquility to move mountains of work. And that's exactly what these three days contributed to; I have been enriched with an extra dose of baggage and insights to be able to offer peace & space in my own work for development & transformation.
Eelco - systemic-dialogic process facilitator in Viena en trainer at Davotes
"What I especially learned from Heather is how important it is that you as a facilitator have the courage to stick with it. With all the differences in the space and with everything that is there, not to be tempted to do something about it So to really keep the space open, in the broadest sense of the word, for all the human movement that we have between us and with each other. Heather does that in a very authentic way. She doesn't shy away from difficulties "I am impressed by this workshop. I think it enriches the systemic-dialogical work."
Brenda - systemic-dialogic process facilitator and owner of Davotes
"I have learned what it means to step into 'brave space'. Organizing the first workshop in 2018 with Heather Plett in Europe was exciting. I knew I wanted to do this and did it. I gave voice to what matters to me. And when it is received so enthusiastically, it gives me a lot of confidence and that encourages me to continue. Holding Space fits so well within the systemic-dialogical work that I'm looking forward to continue organizing workshops with Heather Plett in the coming years."
