Our next QQI Level 6 Group Facilitation training programme will be delivered on September 10th, 17th & 24th, and the 1st, 8th of October 2024. The following course will be held on the 25th October and the 1st, 8th, 15th & 22nd November. The cost is €495 per person
Courses are available nationwide. In-house groups are available nationwide.
Each participant on the programme will get a free pdf copy of our latest publication on Group Facilitation, Crossing the Threshold (Fusion Press, 2021). Gerard's widely praised first book Effective Group Leadership, was published by Orpen Press in 2016. and is now also available as a free download.
This programme is chiefly aimed at people with some prior experience of facilitating groups; who wish to further develop and deepen their skills; who wish to gain an internationally recognised qualification; who work with people; who wish to develop their leadership skills or who are interested in further developing their own personal and interpersonal skills.
The programme will be a vibrant and dynamic mix of practical skills, activity, and the theory that underpins groupwork. All participants will practice facilitation and co-facilitation skills on the course. The programme will be highly participative.
For further information, contact Gerard Fitzpatrick at 083 3482333, by email at ger@fusiontraining.ie or by e-mail via our contact page. below.
Course Requirements
Participants will have the opportunity to demonstrate the skills they have learnt by co-facilitating the group. They will also need to demonstrate considerable awareness of the core concepts of groupwork and facilitation in writing, and will be expected to produce a 2,000 word assignment.
Course content
- Building a cohesive team
- Establishing norms
- Establishing the core conditions
- Therapeutic group factors
- Leadership skills
- Theories of group development
- Facilitating voice
- Task and process in groups
- Creating effective groups
- Key facilitation skills
- Communication & Listening
- Effective questioning
- Co-facilitation: skills and challenge
- Facilitation and co-facilitation practice
- Personal growth and development
- Conflict resolution
- Empathic connection in groups
- Giving and receiving constructive feedback
- Developing presence
- Transference and counter-transference
- Developing self-awareness
- The reflective practitioner
- Ethics
Benefits of the programme
On completion of the programme, participants will have an excellent grasp of the theory and practice of facilitation. They will also have acquired an experiential and theoretical knowledge of co-facilitation. The advanced personal and interpersonal skills they acquire will be of considerable benefit to their careers and their lives in general. They will feel confident working with, leading and facilitating groups and working with people in general. They will have learnt a considerable amount about themselves and others. The programme will also be useful to those who wish to go on to further study on programmes that teach the highest level people skills. Participants of our most recent groups have spoken of the profound effect the programme has had on them, in both a personal and professional sense. Fusion would be happy to put any prospective client in touch with former participants.
Course tutor
Gerard Fitzpatrick has worked as a group facilitator for fifteen years, and has extensive experience of working with the public and private sector. He holds an MA in Group Facilitation and a Postgraduate Diploma in Integrative Psychotherapy. He is certified in Reality Therapy. He also possesses an M.Phil in History, a BA (Hons) and a graduate diploma in Training & Development. Along with working as a facilitator in a broad range of settings, Gerard lectures in Counselling, Psychotherapy and Facilitation at third level. Gerard published his second book on group facilitation, entitled Crossing the Threshold (Fusion Press, 2021). It is available for free download on this website.
Entry Requirements and Progression
To access this Level 6 programme, potential participants need to have completed a level 5 qualification. However, should applicants have notable levels of work or personal experience in the field, it is possible that this may qualify them for a place on the course. Further details are available in our Student Handbook which we will forward to you on request. Moreover, the Course Director is available to discuss the matter further at 083 3482333.
Those who complete a QQI Level 6 programme will be eligible to complete further Level 6 components and advance to a Major Certificate Award, or progress to a Level 7 award. The Course Director will be pleased to discuss these options and opportunities with you further.