What does it take to achieve excellence in constellations work?
Growth in Mastery:
Online Advanced Constellation Training
Next Level Instruction, Practice, & Mentoring
plus Optional In-Person Group Work Training
February – April, 2025
Save $150 thru February 3rd!
Your work matters profoundly. So…
It matters that you can get it “out there.” Why?
♦ Because so many are separated from the ancestors, and our world deeply needs ancestral roots and support.
♦ Because if you don’t find what you need to be a successful constellator, you can’t make a living doing it, and you might “drop out” to find something else that supports you.
♦ Because individuals are in all kinds of pain – depression, loneliness, chronic illness – that doesn’t get better because their issues aren’t being seen and treated as belonging to a larger traumatized system.
♦ Because part of the reason our cultures are troubled is because we have amnesia about our shared heart-breaking history.
♦ Because the world needs an alternative to “us vs. them”, and needs to re-discover our common ground.
♦ Because you have found a passion for constellation work that makes your heart sing, and to do it well, successfully and creatively would contribute to your sense of being whole, and help you be your truest self.
What are your dreams as a constellation facilitator?
Here are some of mine…
Confidence: To have deep confidence as a facilitator, so that when you open a constellation, you can trust yourself to find your way through the twists and turns of your client’s system.
Wisdom: To have a deep and expansive understanding of constellations that makes it possible to talk about them in any context, with different people, with a wide variety of issues and needs.
Creativity: To be instinctively innovative, so that you can bring constellation work to many different situations and develop creative solutions to new problems.
Resourcefulness: To have a deep well of tools and approaches that can address personal issues, organizational needs, social problems, and many other contexts for constellation work.
Security: To have a growing practice with a steady supply of clients, a solid foundation for your business, and a secure income.
Leadership: To have stature in the larger field of constellations that is developing in parallel with your personal growth as a facilitator.
If you share any of these dreams, I invite you to keep reading…
(And if you are new to Systemic Constellations work, and are interested in a “first level” training, I invite you to find out more here.)
What stands in the way?
When I go to constellation events, I meet many colleagues who have trained but are still struggling with their confidence as a facilitator, growing their business, talking about what they do, or all of the above. When I ask them about their experience, I notice a few consistent issues:
♦ They haven’t had enough opportunity to practice with supportive, insightful coaching from a skilled trainer/facilitator.
♦ Although their training addressed some important issues that needed healing, often it didn’t address the kinds of personal issues that stand in the way of confident, bold facilitating.
♦ They haven’t had the support they need to find out the unique constellator they are meant to be – not a copy of a teacher, but the “special sauce” they have to bring to the work and which brings them joy.
♦ Finally, they often haven’t had any instruction about how to build their practice and develop skills at attracting clients.
All of these are key elements for anyone who wants to achieve mastery as a constellation facilitator.
When I first started constellations (talk about dreams!)…
In 2007, I participated in my first constellation. I took part in dozens – perhaps even hundreds – of constellations before taking my first constellation training in 2009. It was a wonderful training, but it was short, only three months, with only one opportunity for live practice with feedback. It also had a great study group, where we all practiced together on our own, but it only lasted the length of the training.
However, I brought a lot of other life learnings to that moment. I had been a parish minister for 15 years, and during that time I developed a rock solid confidence – through thousands of sermons and worship services – that I could lead large (and sometimes challenging) groups through powerful shared experiences. I’d done lots of teaching and counseling and planning and praying with others. I’d been through three years of seminary training and a year-long hospital chaplaincy that provided me with specific feedback on my work, and exposed me to the most vulnerable moments in human life: death, birth, marriage, divorce, and so much more. These were all critical preparations for my constellations work.
Which is why I felt ready to start leading constellations (at a low price!) upon my training. I can’t imagine having done it without those experiences. And, it was a while before I was charging anything like “full price” for my work – I knew I was still an apprentice. Through those first months and years, I struggled with how to talk about the work, how to attract clients, and how to build a reliable business I could rely on. In many ways, my learning was just starting.
But over the years, I received more experience and mentoring. For details on all the amazing international people I’ve trained with, see my About page. From each facilitator and trainer, I received a critical insight into our work, and I was intentional about applying and integrating those insights into my daily client work, so that I could grow as a constellator. I also kept receiving constellations, as well, so that I could continue to grow personally, as well as witness different ways of doing the work. Finally, I ended up investing in business growth programs and coaching, as I realized that business requires learning just like constellations. With all of those added experiences, my practice solidified, grew, and prospered.
As a wise man once said, you can’t learn skiing by reading a book. And you can’t learn constellations by reading about it or without an opportunity for feedback, coaching and support. My dream for you is to have the kind of training you need to constellate confidently and boldly, in service to your clients, and in service to your goals for your professional life.
How mastery is achieved…
“For the master, surrender means there are no experts. There are only learners.” ― George Leonard from his book Mastery: The Keys to Success and Long-Term Fulfillment
Of course, we never really achieve mastery. Even the black belt in martial arts is never done learning, and “master” is a term someone else gives to us, not one we can ever claim on our own. But the path to mastery is an old and beautiful one, as George Leonard reminds us.
So, with humility, we pursue mastery through:
♦ Ongoing learning
♦ Fearless and consistent practice
♦ Thoughtful, loving, useful and well-timed feedback
♦ Personal and peer reflection
♦ Trying new things in a spirit of adventure, fun, and creativity
♦ Openness to failure and asking questions
Who is this advanced training for?
This training is for people who want to become masterful, grow their confidence, develop a secure practice, and move beyond their current limits as constellators, all in a safe, secure, adventurous environment of exploration and inquiry.
An advanced training assumes that participants have basic knowledge about constellations, and some experience facilitating, even if it’s been as gifts for friends and family, or experimenting with other students. This creates a powerful experience of collegial community, that allows not only for high level mentoring, but also high level peer interactions and connections.
This means that most participants in this course will have taken some kind of a constellation training, but a few may be what we might call “advanced representatives” who’ve participated in so many constellations and workshops that they have integrated a lot of constellation learning. If you aren’t sure if it’s the right match for you and your level of experience, please reach out to me, and let’s find out.
Many participants will also want healing for issues that seem to stand in the way of achieving their best abilities as constellators. Sometimes, we need healing to move through fear of failure, crippling lack of confidence, an inclination to be invisible, and other patterns that can stand in the way of becoming the constellators we want to become.
From the beginning, this training will identify the specific personal issues participants want to focus on that impact their facilitating; then, the training will include this healing work so that they can move forward in building their practice.
Generally, students in this course want to go to the “next level,” and feel that:
♦ Despite their training they lack confidence in their facilitation skills.
♦ They want the ability to innovate and “create on the spot” on behalf of their clients.
♦ They want to take a deep dive with fellow constellators who are committed to excellence in the work, and have a profound peer learning experience.
♦ They are ready to find out the unique constellator they are meant to be.
Is it required that you want to become a professional constellator? No. This will be a professional-level training, and we will all be practicing and learning how to facilitate together (while also receiving constellations from your fellow students), but students are welcome regardless of their professional goals.
However, there are no “spectator seats” in this training: Everyone will be asked to join in learning how to facilitate, and take part in the wonderful challenges of learning together. This training is, above all, for people who want practice and/or experience constellations! Constellation work is, in its classic form, a group process, so we will be depending upon each other to show up reliably, and maintain the group experience, learning and container.
Finally, a critical prerequisite is “being able to play well with others.” Participants are certainly not required to have “everything healed” (what would that look like, anyway?). But this is an adult group learning process, and it is important that everyone feel safe enough to engage in vulnerable learning. This means that all students need to be able to take emotional care of themselves, agree to basic group norms, and contribute to that safe container. If you are working out enough personal trauma that that’s still hard for you, please consider whether this is the right fit at this time. This class will be deeply healing, but it is not a therapy group. You are warmly invited to contact me about my healing work if you think that might apply to you. For that reason, before participation in the training can be confirmed, we’ll plan to have a conversation so we can make sure it is a good fit.
If you think perhaps a more basic course would be a better fit, then check out my training which starts from the very beginning: A Confident Constellator Training.
What is the course content?
The course curriculum will be adaptable, depending upon the goals and needs of registrants. However, the course will include, through a mix of lecture and hands-on practice:
The Orders of Love: A deeper appreciation for and understanding of Bert Hellinger’s Orders of Love, how to notice which Orders are out of balance in a client’s system, and how to work with these imbalances more intentionally.
Some Advanced Psychology: Understanding the current knowledge about trauma, attachment theory, and other psychological material that’s important when working with clients with a variety of personal issues.
Client Care: How to tend to your client throughout the process, from the logistics of client interactions; to noticing how the work is landing for a client, so your work isn’t getting too far out ahead of your client; to empowering client resilience.
Organizational Constellations: An exploration of what’s different about organizational systems, especially when organizational issues collide with family issues.
Facilitator Stance: Noticing when you are entangled with a client’s system, how to work with that, and even how to make it an advantage for the resolution of your client’s constellation.
Diverse Formats: Learning about the many different formats there are for working with constellations, from group to individual, from live to virtual, from large group to mini-constellations, and more.
Social Issues: Noticing when social issues (racism, classism, sexism, etc.) are at work in a client’s system (in addition to ancestral issues), and how to work with them. Also, how to do “social issues constellations” focused more on larger social issues for the benefit of all, and understanding the possibilities and limitations of these kinds of constellations.
The Larger Constellations Community: Being introduced to the larger world of constellations and the amazing opportunities for learning and contributing, as a way to become a stronger practitioner as well as building your professional profile in the constellations community.
Innovation: Being creative with constellations to meet the needs of different clients and different delivery formats (workshops, consultations, large audiences, etc.).
Your Unique Facilitator Self: Discovering your special way with constellations, and growing that into both a personal sense of ownership, and a “brand” that can resonate with clients.
Optional – Practical Business Learning: For participants who decide to add the Business Growth Integration option (see below), learning about business basics as well as your own business blind spots so that you can launch into a successful constellation practice quickly, or grow a business that may be struggling.
Two kinds of participation!
One size does not fit all. In this training, you can choose what kind of experience you would like to have:
The Mentorship Track: This will be limited to ten people who will receive multiple opportunities to be mentored in leading full constellations and constellation exercises, and supported in your practical growth as a facilitator. This is the “full participation” option! This group will be kept small so that everyone has plenty of time to practice constellation facilitation in the group, with meaningful feedback.
The Learning Track: These participants will be part of ALL the learning and healing opportunities, including receiving constellations work and representing in others’ constellations. The only part that they will not experience is leading full constellation work for other students. This is a great fit for people who want to take the next step in learning advanced constellation material, but aren’t looking for mentored practice at this time.
The training will be limited to 20 people overall.
What will you get from this training?
The training includes:
♦ Five 1-day online workshops, focusing on mentored constellation practice.
♦ Five 2.5-hour online classes, focused on instruction, sharing, and trying new techniques.
♦ One 1-hour private coaching session for personal facilitation coaching. (To be used during the training.)
♦ One-on-One Constellation Practice with fellow students outside of class time.
♦ Recordings of all classes and sessions.
♦ Free attendance at online constellation gatherings with my clients, which will serve to enhance the practical learning aspect of the course.
♦ 15% off of all other programs I offer during the length of the training, including more personal work if you want that.
Optional:
♦ An integrated, concurrent business growth course for participants wanting to learn business skills and heal what stands in the way of a thriving constellation practice (see details below).
♦ A 4-Day In-Person Residential Mini Training to apply all the learning to in-person contexts (see details below).
Can we learn how to facilitate online?
The simple answer to this is “yes.” The Knowing Field, upon which our work depends, transcends time and location. Also, our tech has improved so much, that we have excellent platforms to work with individuals and groups.
We will be including almost everything that a live, in-person training would: learn the theory, practice the work, deepen our own healing, and grow with fellow students who become colleagues, peers and friends.
It does mean that students must have clear time in their calendar, ready access to reliable internet, and up to date computers and webcams. They also need privacy during the classes. There is a tendency to try to multi-task when it comes to work online, which doesn’t work well with this kind of training. We know emergencies will happen, but generally, students should plan not to provide childcare, go driving, or work another job at the same time as the classes. For the training to work, we all need to be available for the learning, and for each other.
However, it’s true:
Nothing replaces in-person learning –
Optional In-Person Residency…
In the end, though, if we want to work with live groups, practice in person is critical. For students who want to include this learning, there will be an optional four-day in-person residency.
During this optional extra in-person residency, we’ll spend four days doing live constellation practice, learning how to work with groups in-person. There are some unique realities when we are together in the room, advantages and disadvantages. Often, the emotions are more intense, but there can also be greater intimacy.
If you plan to work with in-person groups, then you are encouraged to add on this affordable module for four days of constellating and connecting.
The additional cost for the entire four days is only $400 for the Mentoring Option, and $325 for the Learning Option (see dates and location information below). Participants traveling in from other regions will have to arrange for their own lodging.
Is it possible to register now for the Advanced Training, and decide later whether to add the In-Person Residency? Yes!
What is the optional business growth integration?
This option is for participants who need the support to start or grow their business. What’s special about it is that it’s concurrent and fully integrated so that you can work on your business as you’re participating in the advanced course. Why is that important?
This is a short training, and building a business can take months to years. So, our goals will be modest: to give you the best information about growing a constellations business, healing issues that might be standing in the way, and helping you develop a plan for moving forward with strength.
In my experience, the people who do the best growing their practices have a sense that business and sharing their work is deeply integrated – they aren’t fundamentally separate. They can feel the natural urge to contribute their work to the “sacred marketplace,” and have the skills to make that happen.
Here is what is included in this optional integrated coursework in addition to what’s included in the Advanced Training:
♦ Four additional 2.5-hour online classes for learning and growing in business together (worth $400).
♦ One additional 1-hour 1:1 coaching sessions for customized business (worth $175). (To be used during the training.)
♦ Four hours of business training videos that cover the basic material, and which you can keep and return to after the course is over (worth $50).
You get all of this, plus everything that comes with the Advanced Training, for only $350 more (so this is a GREAT deal!).
Is it possible to register now for the Advanced Training, and decide later whether to add the Business Integration? Yes!
Certification and Class Commitment
There is no central certifying body for Family Constellations nationally or globally, so this training does not result in any official licensure. Nonetheless, for students who register for the Mentoring Option, who fulfill the basic requirements of the training, and who demonstrate basic facilitator skills by the end, Convivium Constellations will provide a Certificate of Constellation Facilitation. All other participants will receive a Certificate of Participation.
To qualify for Advanced Constellation Facilitation Certification, students must:
♦ Participate in at least ~80%+ of workshops and classes
♦ Lead at least two 1:1 constellations with fellow students
♦ Use all of their private coaching sessions
♦ Demonstrate a basic understanding of the principles underlying constellations work
♦ Demonstrate a basic ability to lead individual and group constellations
♦ Demonstrate a basic capacity for self-reflection and commitment to personal growth
This is all to say: this is an intense few months! Just like a group constellation needs people to show up for their to be a Sacred Circle of Healing, students will need each other to show up for everyone to learn and progress. Please take the time to really consider if you can make this commitment at this time, so that the learning can unfold well for you and for others.
About your trainer
I received my initial Family Constellations training in 2008. Since then I’ve trained with a wide variety of international Family Constellations trainers and experts in related fields: Francesca Mason Boring, Jane Peterson, Jan Jakob Stam, Stephan Hausner, Judith Hemming, Dan Booth Cohen, Heinz Stark, William Mannle, Sarah Peyton, Vlado Ilic, Barbara Morgan, Carol Erickson, Marianne Franke-Gricksch, Cecilio Rogojo, Guni Baxa, Elena Veselago, Ingala Robl, and many others.
In 2015, I finally realized a dream when I attended a life-changing training with Bert and Sophie Hellinger in Mexico City. With the founder of Family Constellations work, I realized how much more we all have to learn from our elders. It was an honor to watch him work in such a practiced and elegant way.
Later that year, I organized the 2015 North American Systemic Constellations Conference in San Diego. Subsequently, I was a founding board director of North American Systemic Constellations (NASC), and I have presented at all of the NASC conferences since 2011. This has led to expanding my relationships and work on an international level. I was a presenter at the International Systemic Constellations Association (ISCA) gathering in Zagreb, Croatia in 2016, and at the Australasian Constellations Intensive in Sydney, Australia in 2018. I’ve also led workshops in Thailand and New Zealand.
Perhaps most importantly, I am the founding organizer and faculty member for the Western Constellations Intensive, now in its eighth successful year, highlighting some of the leading trainers in the USA, including Suzi Tucker, Sarah Peyton, Shavasti, Peter DeVries, Francesca Mason Boring and Jane Peterson.
I have been in private practice since 2009, working with individuals and couples, applying Family Constellations principles and practices in a wide diversity of situations: marital trouble, depression, addiction, fertility issues, food problems, anxiety, employment and money challenges, and much more. I lead a regular constellations group that has been meeting every 2-3 weeks since 2009. At the same time, I’ve led many short workshops and longer change work programs and trainings.
I am also an ordained Episcopal minister, and have worked in the tender and personal place where spirituality and day to day life meet for over twenty years.
Class dates, location & payment deadlines:
Five Workshops: Each day, 8a – 3p PT (Los Angeles), 11a – 6p ET (New York). Please convert the time to your local region:
Saturday, February 22nd
Saturday, March 8th
Saturday, March 29th
Saturday, April 12th
Saturday, April 26th
Five 2.5-Hour Online Classes: 1:30-4:00p PT (Los Angeles time), 4:30–7p ET (New York time), Wednesdays. Dates: February 19th, March 12th, April 2nd, April 16th & April 30th
Optional Four-Day In-Person Residential Module: Placitas (near Albuquerque), New Mexico, USA. 10a-6p daily, Sunday, June 1st – Tuesday, June 4th
Optional Business Module Dates: Four 2.5-Hour Online Classes: 1:30-4:00p PT (Los Angeles time), 4:30–7p ET (New York time) Wednesdays. Dates: February 26th, March 19th, April 9th & April 23rd
Early Bird Price (save $150): Thru February 3rd
Regular Price: After February 3rd
Start of Program: February 19th
So, what does it cost?
Also:
Optional 4-Day In-Person Residency — Mentoring Option: $400
Optional 4-Day In-Person Residency — Learning Option: $325
Optional Business Growth Integration Module: $350
Installments: There is no penalty for paying in installments. Just choose the options below that you wish to purchase, paying the deposit(s). You will pay the balance in three more equal installments (due on March 4th, March 25th & April 15th) which will be invoiced over the course of the training.
Bonus! If you know you are going to join us, as an incentive to finalize your registration, everyone who does so by December 20th will receive an extra personal one-hour coaching session!
Note: Before confirming your participation, if we have not discussed your participation or we don’t know each other well already, I will contact you upon receiving your registration for a short conversation to make sure this class is a good fit.
Refund Policy: Up until January 20th, full refund minus an administrative fee of $50. From January 21st – February 12th, full refund minus an administrative fee of $100. From February 13th to the start of the training, full refund minus an administrative fee of $150. Once the training begins, the deposit is non-refundable (barring an emergency). If you need to leave the course at any time for any reason, you will not be billed for the remaining payments (assuming you are up to date on payments), but there is no refund of payments to that point in time. If you paid in full and must leave the training, you will be refunded in a prorated fashion as if you were a payment plan participant.
A note about the video conferencing:
Most of this training will be conducted on-line. So the platform we use is very, very important. All video conferencing will use Zoom, a high quality, very reliable and, most important, easy-to-use platform. No technical knowledge is required. It allows for full interactivity, as well as “meeting room” breakouts which make small group exercises possible. For more information, go to Zoom.us.
There is no extra cost for participants to use Zoom. It does require reliable internet access and a webcam. It also requires reasonable privacy, and the ability to set aside the time for the training (it is very difficult to participate while multi-tasking, like providing childcare or driving). Constellation work is, in its classic form, a group process, so we will be depending upon each other to create the group experience, learning and container.
Still on the fence?
I understand. It’s a big investment, and you want to make sure it’s right for you. To receive updates about this training and other constellations news from me, subscribe here.
Please contact me as soon as possible with your questions to see if this training is a good match for you. Contact me at leslie@conviviumconstellations.com.