Creative Facilitator
Training
26/2/’22 – 6/3/’22,
OROTINA, COSTA RICA
Enrich yourself and learn creative methodologies to expand your toolbox as a facilitator (to be).
Join this 9 day hands-on-training for an optimal learning experience!
Imagine, sitting in a hammock with a delicious fresh drink, listening to the songs of the birds, while dreaming away, sensing a little breeze on your skin. So much you have learned already within one day! It makes you wonder what will come next. You smile at one of your new friends. Waiting for another gorgeous open-air dinner in the big garden.
You notice you already feel at home here. This place is familiar, and you can just be yourself. You are taken good care of. Besides all the exciting new input you are receiving during the day, this also feels as a perfect holiday for yourself, with these stolen moments to relax, just be, just like now. You feel grateful and happy to be here. And more is yet to come! Yes, it’s all there for you, you can take it all in, one moment at a time.
The greatness of this Creative Facilitator Training… Let me tell you more!
So tell me, is this YOU?
Are you already working with people as a healer/teacher/facilitator, but you just want to learn some extra effective tools that bring an extra dimension into your work?
Are you a highly motivated people-person who wants to learn to support others in an accessible and creative or embodied way?
Is playing with different materials, and using your body just totally you, and you know it’s your path to guide others with your talents?
You don’t want to commit to a time-intensive and expensive year-training?
This training focuses on how to directly implement creative tools
as an extra language that you can offer to your clients/participants.
Program
No years of extra training with the focus on mainly theory.
Learn now a wide range of practical tools to implement directly in your specific work setting!
This is what we will cover in only 9 days!
What will you learn?
- How to create a safe environment to work with embodiment and creativity
- The structure of a creative and embodied therapy session
- How to introduce creative and embodied tools with your clients
- How to adjust every tool to your specific work setting and target group
- Tools for working with individuals, in couples and in groups
- How to enhance cohesion through creativity and embodiment among different group members
- Working in a natural environment versus indoor: opportunities, tips and experiences
- How to create an integrative creative group session around a certain topic
- Warm-ups
- Creative and embodiment exercises
- Dynamic & creative sharing circles
- Integration exercises
- Feedback and personal support
All of this will be taught through demonstrations, experiencing
the role of a client & taking on the role of a facilitator, sharing circles,
brainstorms ans Q&A’s
But wait there is more…
BONUSES
Before your travel: make heart-to-heart connections and lifelong friendships in our private Facebook Group!
Get acces to our private Whatsapp Group for all your pre-trip pratical questions.
To get the most from this amazing experience, receive a 1-on-1 call from me before the event, to prepare you for the journey.
Out of the next 7 categories I selected a handful of my favorite tools
to give you an idea of what you’ll learn.
Art Therapy
Art therapy is an exploration of the inner dialogue through different materials. We let the hand speak the language of the soul. You will learn:
- What is it
- How to work with images, music, drawing, clay, natural elements, pictures & other basic materials
- How to create variations on the offered exercises
Dance & Movement Therapy
This conscious dance practice enhances self-connection and emotional intelligence through gentle, fun and energizing exercises. You will learn:
- The key-elements in working with dance and movement
- Warming-ups
- Dance & movement exercises with individuals, in couple and in group
Psychodrama & Expression
These specific methodologies make inner and inter-relational dynamics visible. It serves to come to a better understanding of perceptions in general and how they are related. Playful, insightful and deep at the same time. Perfect to explore the inner world and getting clarity & insights.
You will learn:
- The different roles in psychodrama
- The role of play in therapy
- Several warming-ups
- 3 accessible exercises to work individually, in couple or in group.
Laughter Yoga
This dynamic group meditation is the ideal heart-opener! Give your participants this healing experience through laughter! You will learn:
- Healing benefits of laughter
- 5 fun exercises to create group cohesion
- When exactly to implement laughter exercises
Writing
Writing is a perfect tool to activate self-reflection and connect to inner voices. You will learn:
- The benefits of writing
- Different approaches
- 3 writing exercises
- How to create specific writing exercises according to different stages in a personal process
Meditation & visualization
These ancient tools are a must-have in your toolbox. You will learn:
- How to work with breath, symbols, imagination
- How to implement inquiry’s
- Passive and active meditations
Rituals
Rituals are very powerful in any transformational process as it speaks directly to the unconscious. You will learn:
- The power and role of rituals
- The elements of a ritual
- Embodied rituals
- Creative rituals
- How to create rituals in different settings
You can be sure that your toolbox will overload, not to mention your high motivation
to directly implement what you have learned.
My approach
You already notice, this is not just any training.
Let me tell you what is so special about it!
Personal
In this training you will first get the opportunity to experience all the methodologies from the inside where you will take on the role of client with your own story. This allows you to really understand the healing power and opportunities of each specific exercise.
Professional
You will take on the role of facilitator with your group members, to get professionally trained in every tool. There is space for sharing and feedback to get it all clear and in your fingers.
Customized to your work setting
First, in the 1-on-1 after your registration, I will listen to your work setting and goals, so I can choose the tools that are most recommended for the group in general, and you can be sure to enjoy interesting material for you as well. We will cover exercises for individuals, couples and groups. We will discuss each tool in detail, so you can understand how to adapt them to your specific work setting and target groups.
Creative and embodied methodologies
You will learn a variety of methodologies, from Art Therapy, Psychodrama, Dance & Movement Therapy, Laughter Yoga, therapeutic writing, meditation, visualization to choose from according to your specific work setting.
Effective & accessible
I selected those exercises that in my experience have proven to be effective and accessible with many of my clients, people of different ages, backgrounds and situations.
Few materials
As a traveler, I have learned how to offer interesting methodologies with few materials, of a minimum of volume or weight. Certainly, it is amazing to have a huge atelier full of materials, but this is actually not needed to be effective. I want to encourage facilitators on the road, be it in their own country or throughout the world, to participate. Creativity is not about the materials, it’s about what you do within your limitations. In fact, this is a recipe to develop creativity as a facilitator, which you can transfer up to your clients. You would be surprised how many options there are with few materials.
Small groups
To optimize your learning experience, we will work in a group of maximum 14 people.
The icing on the cake of this unique learning experience is that you gather in a small group of fellow-participants, all with the same hunger for inspiration and life-long-learning. People to practice and experiment with, create and simply hang out and share your stories during a starry night in the garden.
Belonging to a tribe of colleagues, fellow-creatives with mutual interests, to provide you with support as an inspiring teacher or caregiver.
It makes your professional path much richer and easy. This is priceless. I am sure this melting-pot will lead to some beautiful co-creations!
Why integrating creative or embodied methodologies is beneficial
for yourself as a healer/facilitator/teacher?
As you work with your entire being, working with people can ask a lot from you. Especially if your clients have a big need to tell their story and if your background focuses most on the mental part.
In this training, you will receive tools to stay active, energized and in tune with your body, which allows you to keep in balance and connected yourself. You will deliver higher quality sessions, and stay motivated and inspired, which is key in burn-out prevention.
As a healer/facilitator, your mission is to help people, but sometimes we easily might get seduced to fall into the trap of offering solutions when we may feel helpless ourselves. However, we know that it’s more empowering when our clients come up with their own answers. Through these new methodologies, you finally can offer your them something to do, that will interrupt the train of their thoughts, and as a consequence, it’s easier to access their inner world. Creativity is entering the world of the unconscious as the place for them to find their own wisdom.
You will notice soon that the dynamics in your sessions will change, they will become lighter, which will create direct movement in the process of your participants. As a facilitator it’s much more fun and rewarding when you can integrate active exercises as an impulse for new perspectives and information to arise.
As an integrative psychotherapist, I have learned to walk the way of several therapies, and I must say that adding creative and embodied therapies was a total game changer for me and my clients. Now I can offer an extra language to communicate with them, that is more direct and efficient but much less threatening, as it’s done playfully.
What’s in there for your clients?
The methods that you will learn will bring your clients into their body, an important step in your sessions, but also as a new ability to integrate into their daily lives as a part of their healing process. Problems often arise in the mind, solutions are most likely to be found within.
Often people never learned to express their inner world, or they are totally disconnected from their body and emotions. At the same time, they may fear opening up that box, not knowing what it can bring up. When words fall short, experiences and emotions can be explored through images or the body, in a safe and contained way. Whereas words can’t always cover the totality of the experience, these tools make things more visible and tangible.
Others may feel totally overwhelmed by what they experience within. Creative methodologies can create distance and space which allow clients to breathe again and connect to their inner and outer experiences without getting flooded.
When working with couples or groups, creative and embodiment exercises will offer your clients an instant connection through shared experiences. It’s great to implement with new groups, as team building, in training or group therapy settings.
Expect
… to start the day with energizing gentle morning practices in the fresh morning grass or on the mat while soft sun rays caress your face. This will be the foundation and orientation toward the theme of the day. The smell of fresh Costa Rican coffee will seduce you to enjoy a tropical breakfast.
Then it’s time to dive-in. Expect an interactive and dynamic training full of demonstrations, practicing, playing and moving, feedback circles, brainstorms, Q&A’s and much more. All organically built-up, chunked down into bite-size pieces, so you will learn without any effort! After a delicious lunch to lick your fingers and a short break, we will continue the training.
We end the day with a beautiful dinner and a relaxing evening activity or some free time to connect with your new friends.
Location
Costa Rica – bordering the Pacific and Atlantic Ocean – home of heroic volcanoes and tropical mountains. This small country is so rich in its biodiversity of fauna and flora.
The Ticos -this is how Costa Rican people are called here- have the fame to be the happiest people on earth. For sure, these people with a big smile, open heart, laid-back nature and totally living in the present moment will make you feel at home straight away.
Join us in the little warm town of Orotina, surrounded by the lush stretch of land of The Central Valley of Costa Rica. Orotina is strategically located as a gateway to some of the best beaches and several national parks. Visiting this community is a great way to explore the real heart of Costa Rica.
Venue
Our training sessions will take place in this one-of-a-kind handmade rustic house with a beautiful green garden: Casa Bambu, built by bamboo master Rodolfo Saenz.
This cozy house offers an oasis of peacefulness for you to connect with nature during your free time, the ideal environment to enhance your learning experience.
Casa Bambu and 2 other Airbnb’s within 5 minutes walking distance from our venue, offer lodging for a reduced price to participants of our training. You can also bring your own tent and set it up in the garden in Casa Bambu. Sign up through the registration form to enjoy your special price.
Free time
During this week you will get some free time blocks as well to unwind and discover the area, or just hang out in the garden. Breaks are essential when you want to take in new tools and skills.
Guess what, in Orotina you are at the perfect place for this! You really can’t leave without exploring some of Costa Rica’s gorgeous beaches nearby.
And what did you think about a small adventure and picnic to the famous Rio de Arcilla for a natural clay-bath? By the way, this the perfect setting for a crazy or artistic photoshoot! The fresh dive in the river to rinse off will activate your entire body. This beauty-treatment is a total rejuvenation and will leave you with a skin as soft as silk. This night, you can be sure to sleep like a baby!
If you can’t get enough of getting pampered, Ria, is an excellent massage-therapist! She would be thrilled to give you a personalized massage.
Food
There is no doubt about it, Costa Rica offers a huge variety of fresh fruits, vegetables, and medicinal plants to indulge in. It’s a delight to prepare fresh, healthy and delicious food.
Our top host, Ria, is an expert in home-cooked meals and as a real Belgian she knows what tasty food is. After living many years in Costa Rica, preparing Tico-food has become her second nature. She will serve you the best of both worlds!
Gluten-free or vegan meals are possible on request. Ria will also be happy to accommodate your dietary restrictions.
Included
8 nights, 9 days accommodation in 1 of the 3 cosy selected Airbnb’s
3 delicious meals a day
Energizing morning practices
Hands-on training sessions with practical tools
Connecting evening activities
All creative materials during the training
Excursion to the beach & Rio de Arcilla
All tips during excurions
Certificate of the Creative Facilitator Training
Transportation from the bus stop in Orotina to the venue, and back
Excluded
Your travel to Orotina and back home
Personal consumption or souvenirs during the excursions
Any additional personal sessions in wellness or coaching
Personal, medical or trip cancellation insurance
About Costa Rica
I just LOVE Costa Rica! I have lived there for 1 year and it was absolutely one of the best times of my life!
You will stay at the gem of Costa Rica, totally of the beaten track with lots of wildlife still around.
Did you know that Tico’s are very peace-minded? It even shows in their politics, Costa Rica has no army!
Costa Rica is generally very safe. Of course, you always need to use your common sense, as keeping your belongings close to you for example. Also as a solo traveling female, you can feel generally at ease.
People speak Spanish, but people interacting with tourists speak English, so you will have no problems wandering around in town. This is also the perfect place to practice your Spanish, no matter how basic or advanced you are!
There is quite a big stream of expat population that you can divide among people looking for a heaven to retire, or conscious people seeking for a more balanced lifestyle with a laid-back mentality.
About Mieke, your retreat facilitator
It’s Mieke’s deepest belief that we all can create a life full of abundance and magic when we align ourselves and learn to be in and enjoy the present moment. No matter what we have encountered during our life, we all have the capacity to transform any burden into a special treasure. Life is one big adventure full of surprises. She deeply feels that we all can learn how to turn our life-experiences into a greater wisdom.
It’s her passion and mission to support people to find inner peace and freedom through creative therapies which increase consciousness, the key to happiness and harmony all-around.
With great care and her loving presence, she creates unique holistic transformational retreats that stay with you forever. You can be sure that you will leave differently than you arrived!
Through her 1-on-1’s and group sessions, she has helped loads of people over the globe, to reconnect with themselves, support them through difficult life-crisis’s and make the needed adjustments to get on track again, dancing the waves of life.
She is also the owner of Moving Hearts Therapy, a business to support people during transformational and inner journeys, specializing in creative art therapies, supporting nomads, expats, travelers and (young) adults. She focuses on therapy or coaching, workshops and retreats. Mieke has also written books to support other facilitators and loves to train and inspire her colleagues.
Her favorite things: a daily coconut or two in the tropics – spending quality time with people she loves with a big cup of tea, some good quality chocolate aside and wrapped up in a soft cozy blanket – bright colors, different textures and natural scents – open air dancing parties on a variety of rhythms with only ice-cream breaks until morning sun
FAQ
Can creative therapies also be used with adults?
Yes. It’s a total misconception that these kinds of therapies are especially for children, elderly or people with disabilities. You would be amazed of the effectiveness with adults as well! They often enjoy being allowed to reconnect with themselves and play again.
I am afraid my clients won’t see the benefits of embodied and creative methodologies.
For many, this approach can be new indeed, as it’s not the common perspective in the world of psychotherapy. In the end, it’s all about trust and safety. In the training we will focus on how you can introduce your client to the field of creativity and embodiment, how to gradually build the exercises up according to each client, and how their boundaries can be respected. You will learn extra tools to offer, and it’s upon the client if they want to go with it or not. In my experience, clients usually love it!
Do my clients need to be creative?
No, not at all. I will offer you accessible tools to use. No previous knowledge is needed, nor for you or your clients. We will focus on the internal processes contrary to the esthetical component of art, movement or creativity. Most likely initially they will think that they are not creative, finding out that in fact they are!
My clients are not mobile, does it still make sense to join?
Yes, it totally makes sense. It’s not about what they can do with their body or how it looks like. In fact, they will benefit the movement practices a lot! It’s very useful to explore the relationship with their body and how this can become a safe place, even something to enjoy again, accepting any kind of immobility. We will focus on the inner process while moving, what brings it up, and activate this transformational potential of the body to heal emotional wounds.
I am not a therapist or facilitator (yet). Is this training also suited for me?
I have often given this training to a mixture of professionals and highly motivated people without any previous knowledge yet. It turns out that for the latter, this is a profound transformative experience, as firstly you will take on the role of a client. Additionally, there will be demonstrations and guidelines to take your first steps in facilitating. By the end of the training, you will notice how much you have learned! You will be ready to implement the tools in your current environment. Often after this training, my participants start a basic training as a caregiver, as they get the itch of this practice. There is a reason why this training interests you. Come and find out, you are most welcome as you are!
I am an artist, dancer or very creative. I would like to find out if and how I can support others with my background. Am I at the right place?
Yes, for sure. You will firstly learn how to connect your creative process with your internal and external life. From there, you will take your first steps into facilitating. Your background will give you extra ideas in how to adjust exercises to different target groups.
How can this be a training suited for a mixture of people?
I am trained as a teacher and psychotherapist, and have lots of experience in facilitating people with different backgrounds or pre-knowledge at the same time. I consciously choose to offer this training in this set-up as a formula to enrich and deepen everyone’s experience. Each will have more or less experience as a client, a facilitator/therapist/healer, in creativity or embodiment. All those aspects are important components in this training. A mixed group provides a total representation of your future clients or participants. This is the perfect environment to learn how to manage this!
Does this replace therapy training?
No, unfortunately in 1 week, you can’t learn to be a licensed therapist. However, it’s a very good start, and you will be able to implement useful tools in your own environment, with your colleagues, family or friends. This is a facilitator training, where you will learn basic skills and attitudes of a facilitator, while doing. You will find out straight away if this is something for you.
Which kind of therapists is this training suited for?
As many facilitators you probably got trained focusing on one of these parts: the inter-relational dynamics, the cognitive, the behaviorist or the experiential part. All very valuable and effective. Yet, after a while you might long for some extra tools, a different perspective to integrate in your work. No matter your background, you can weave this training into your actual practice. One of the big advantages is that creative and embodied methodologies can be integrated in many kinds of therapies, as it includes all these components: the doing, the feeling and sensing, the storytelling, the connections and giving meaning to the experience. After 1 week of training, you will have learned a new perspective, and be able to directly implement a wide range of easy and effective tools with your clients.
Do you have any other questions?
Testimonials
“I highly recommend Creative Art Therapy Training with Mieke!
What I appreciate most about the training is the loving and safe space Mieke is creating. It feels wonderful to open up in the role of the patient and making first steps in the role of the therapist which are both parts of the training.
The effectiveness of her art therapy methods is impressive:
During the training a lot of inner processes began and within three days of expressing my self through creatively I gained a lot of clarity and impulses.
Mieke is giving clear instructions on how an art therapist works while allowing to bring in ones own inspiration and finding an individual way to work as a therapist.
Thanks to Miekes art therapy training, a whole new world opened up for me personally and professionally.
Thank you, beautiful Mieke !”
“I learned a lot during the sessions about myself. New perspectives and things I was not even aware of.
Mieke has so many gifts to share with the world, she is very creative. All her sessions are very well planned, precise and interesting. There were always new things to discover & explore about our inner world.
She is very soft & patient, really holding space in a way that makes me feel held. As she cares about me, she is there for me. Very empowering from such a pure place. I can tell how much she cares about me, as my success is her success.
She helped me to open up my mind, to be creative, really bring my gift into manifestation and be confident about it. She is really a professional. Thank you Mieke, you are so wonderful!”
Are you already a healer, facilitator, teacher or coach?
Are you looking to reignite your passion for your work?
Longing for self-care, inspiration & connection?
Perhaps ‘the Soul Food for Caregivers‘ is something for you!
