Facilitating Reflective Practice Groups for Artists and Creative Health Practitioners (3-day training)
“A totally nourishing, inspiring and invigorating few days. Alison created a welcoming, non-judgemental, fully inclusive environment which allowed everyone the space and time to express themselves safely and confidently. I will use the energy I now feel, and the knowledge I have gained to forge ahead and help inform reflective practice within my organisation to help both staff and the artists we support.” Participant, 2024
The training course is aimed at artists, creative practitioners and arts in health professionals who are already experienced facilitators and want to deepen their practice and move into a more reflective gear. This 3-day experiential training course will introduce you to the concept of Reflective Practice and equip you with the skills to begin running Reflective Practice groups within your organisation or externally.
Reflective Practice can support wellbeing and vitality across the helping professions. Research suggests that artists and creative practitioners may be at increased risk of burnout and overwhlem. They regularly find themselves in contexts of moral and ethical ambiguity; and while rewarding and meaningful, navigating a freelance career as a creative can also be precarious, isolating and exhausting.
My research study, The Work Hurts, explored practitioners’ perspectives on the emotional impact of working in arts and health, and the mitigating effects of supervision and reflective practice. The findings were published in the Journal of Applied Arts and Health.
There is a growing expectation across the UK arts and health commissioning landscape for artist wellbeing to be integrated into all projects. The evaluation of a two-year programme of reflective support for artists, commissioned by Wales Arts Health and Wellbeing Network, and supported by The Baring Foundation, confirmed the benefits of Reflective Practice.
“The Reflective Practice Training built a new community of practice. The training fostered connection, confidence, and new facilitation skills, with reflective practice increasingly integrated into staff meetings, project debriefs, and creative sessions. Participants valued the experiential, well-held nature of the training and described becoming more reflective and less reactive in their work and daily lives.” How Ya Doing Evaluation Report, Jane Willis, 2025.
Day 1:
Introduction to Reflective Practice for creative practitioners.
Experiencing a Reflective Practice session as a participant: reflecting and learning from this.
Introduction to Reflective Group Dynamics.
Facilitation styles and skills required.
Day 2:
Practising in small groups with feedback.
Designing your first programme.
Framing a Reflective Practice session: time, objectives, group agreement.
Key considerations: Supervision and self-care; safeguarding; roles and responsibilities, common challenges and concerns.
Day 3:
This consists of two half-day sessions, 1 month and 3 months after the initial training, in which the group come back together and reflect on their emerging experiences as Reflective Practice facilitators. This will be a space to reflect on your practice and your professional growth.
What you will gain:
New skills to facilitate a Reflective Practice group with feedback on your facilitation skills from the course leader and peers.
Enhanced capacity to reflect, which can be applied to your own personal and professional wellbeing.
An understanding of how to plan, deliver and evaluate the effectiveness of Reflective Practice sessions.
Increased confidence to articulate the benefits of Reflective Practice to senior managers, colleagues and commissioners.
Dates: 18th and 19th Nov 2025 10am-4.30pm
17th Dec 2025 10am-12.30pm
25th Feb 2025 10am-12.30pm
Location: Online (zoom)
Cost: £350
Book a place here: (Spaces limited to 12, early booking recommended)