Train as a Facilitator
There are two facilitator routes:
Think like a Tree
Explore this route if you are:
- a personal development coach
- a forest school leader
- a forest bathing/forest therapy guide
- a permaculture practitioner
- a health or wellness coach
- a community organiser
- a nature-lover (with any background) wanting a career-change
Your audiences can be:
- individuals
- groups
- families
- children
- couples
- community groups
Think like a Forest
Explore this route if you are:
- a leadership/business coach
- a business consultant
- a sustainability consultant
- a community business/ organisation facilitator
- in a coaching/ training role within a large organisation
- an experienced leader looking to establish yourself as a regenerative coach/consultant
Your audience can be:
- leaders
- teams
- sustainability audiences (talks and conferences)
- community businesses and organisations
- for-profit and/or not-for-profit
Think like a Tree
Inspirational and accessible nature-inspired facilitation
Our vision at Think like a Tree is to bring nature-inspired, regenerative change to everyone!
We believe that learning from Nature, as well as a deep connection with the rest of the living world, offers the best hopes for the future of people and planet.
Expect to think differently, challenge status quos, deepen your existing connection with nature and discover how learning from natural principles in a holistic design approach is the ‘thing that draws everything together’ that is so often missing in wellbeing programmes.
So much more than a personal development programme, this is a journey of discovery that will transform your world and the lives of whichever audiences you choose to work with.
Practical and transformational
We believe in combining the ‘being’ and the ‘doing’ of nature-inspired facilitation.
That means you’ll have access to a huge bank of resources to share with your audiences.
From workshop and course plans to marketing and business resources, you’ll supercharge your facilitation journey by joining with us.
And we operate as a mycelial network – so you can share your resources too, and benefit from the wisdom and experience of the whole network.
Where does the training lead?
Once you’ve completed the facilitator programme, these three options open up:
Replicate
Use Think like a Tree programme resources, workshops, tools and principles and deliver them in your location. This includes access to the full Think like a Tree programme plus workshop session plans.
Adapt
Adapt what you’ve learned for your own products and offerings, sharing natural principles in your own unique way.
You’ll have access to a wide range of frameworks, tools and resources to help you.
Myceliate
Collaboration opportunities.
Co-create and co-facilitate with other Think like a Tree facilitators – who knows where this will lead!
Your trainers:
Sarah Spencer: Regenerative trainer and speaker, Permaculture Diploma, alumnus of multiple regenerative trainings, Design Council Expert for regenerative practices, Fellow of the RSA. Regenerative smallholder (South Derbyshire).
Milly Carmichael: Trainer in permaculture, solution-focused practice and compassionate communication. MSc Public Health, public health and nursing background. Based in Wiltshire.
Sarah and Milly have been delivering the Facilitator Training since 2019 and people frequently remark how welcoming they are, how much fun the learning is, and how they embody the changes they share with others.
Our 3 day facilitator training in November combines training for both Think like a Tree and Think like a Forest (ensuring cross-pollination between faciltiators), so we will also be joined by:
JK McQuinn: Nature-based, regenerative coach and consultant for leaders and teams. Alumnus of multiple regenerative trainings. Founder Where the Mind Grows. JK is based in Leeds and in a woodland near Ripon (N. Yorks).
Milly and Sarah bringing Edward de Bono’s Thinking Hats to a facilitator training session.
Think like a Tree practicalities
Think like a Tree facilitator route:
Your steps:
- Complete a Think like a Tree programme (preferably in-person but online also available – dates here)
- Write up a personal design for your portfolio part 1
- Attend 3 day facilitator training in South Derbyshire in November (dates here)
- Complete your written portfolio
- Join the facilitator network for peer support, additional training and regular gatherings (online and in-person).
Timeline:
April to September – attend a Think like a Tree programme and write-up your personal design
November – attend 3 day facilitator training in South Derbyshire in November (dates here)
November to February – Complete your written portfolio
April – start delivering your own Think like a Tree workshops and courses
Your investment:
£75 – £300 for Think like a Tree programme
plus
£390 for facilitator training
Next steps for Think like a Tree facilitator training:
Think like a Forest
Inspirational, regenerative, nature-inspired facilitation
Our vision at Think like a Forest is to bring nature-inspired, regenerative change to leaders and teams across the UK.
We believe that learning from Nature, as well as a deep connection with the rest of the living world, offers the best hopes for the future of people and planet.
By creating win-wins, a regenerative approach is also the route to businesses and organisations that are healthy for people and profit and purpose.
Expect to dig deep into the mindset and paradigm shifts needed for regenerative transformation, challenge business as usual, deepen your connection with nature and discover how learning from living-systems in a holistic design approach allows you and your audiences to thrive in the complexity of the modern world.
So much more than a leadership development programme, this is a journey of discovery that will transform your world as well as your clients’ businesses.
Practical and transformational
We believe in combining the ‘being’ and the ‘doing’ of nature-inspired facilitation.
That means you’ll have access to a huge bank of resources to share with your audiences.
From workshop and course plans to marketing and business resources, you’ll supercharge your facilitation journey by joining with us.
And we operate as a mycelial network – so you can share your resources too, and benefit from the wisdom and experience of the whole network.
Where does the training lead?
Once you’ve completed the facilitator programme, these three options open up:
Replicate
Use Think like a Forest programme workshops, tools and principles and deliver them in your location.
Please enquire as to the full range of what’s included.
Adapt
Adapt what you’ve learned for your own products and offerings, sharing a regenerative leadership and business approach in your own unique way.
You’ll have access to a wide range of frameworks, tools and resources to use and to guide you.
Myceliate
Collaboration opportunities.
Co-create and co-facilitate with other Think like a Tree facilitators – who knows where this will lead!
All we can say is that so far some fruitful collaborations have arisen from this option.
Your trainers:
Sarah Spencer: Regenerative trainer and speaker, Permaculture Diploma, alumnus of multiple regenerative trainings, Design Council Expert for regenerative practices, Fellow of the RSA. Regenerative smallholder (South Derbyshire).
JK McQuinn: Nature-based, regenerative coach and consultant for leaders and teams. Alumnus of multiple regenerative trainings. Founder Where the Mind Grows. JK is based in Leeds and in a woodland near Ripon (N. Yorks).
Sarah and JK co-created the Think like a Forest programmes and have been working together since 2022 (after JK qualified as a Think like a Tree facilitator). They co-facilitate online and in-person and people frequently say how well their styles complement each other and how they put them at ease in learning new regenerative ideas and practices.
Our 3 day facilitator training in November combines training for both Think like a Tree and Think like a Forest (ensuring cross-pollination between faciltiators), so we will also be joined by:
Milly Carmichael: Trainer in permaculture, solution-focused practice and compassionate communication. MSc Public Health, public health and nursing background. Based in Wiltshire.
JK and Sarah at Whistlewood Common.
Think like a Forest practicalities
Think like a Forest facilitator route:
Your steps:
- Complete a Regenerative Organisation Programme (Fundamentals or Adventure)
- Write up a personal design for your portfolio part 1
- Attend 3 day facilitator training in South Derbyshire in November (dates here)
- Complete your written portfolio
- Join the facilitator network for peer support, additional training and regular gatherings (online and in-person).
Timeline:
October to February– attend a Regenerative Organisation Fundamentals programme (or a whole team Adventure)
February to November – complete a personal design for you and your business with regular additional support through the year
November – attend 3 day facilitator training in South Derbyshire, UK
November to February – Complete your written portfolio
April– assessment complete.
Your investment:
£775 – £975 for Regenerative Organisation Fundamentals
plus
facilitator training – please enquire for facilitator training pricing
Replicate
Use Think like a Tree programme resources, workshops, tools and principles and deliver them in your location
Adapt
Adapt what you’ve learned for your own products and offerings, sharing natural principles in your own unique way
Myceliate
Collaboration opportunities. Co-create and co-facilitate with other Think like a Tree facilitators – who knows where this will lead!
Can't decide which route is right for you?
Think like a Tree network
Become part of a supportive network for nature-inspired change:
On completion of the training and assessment, you’ll join the Think like a tree network, which will give access to peer support, ongoing training, facilitator gatherings (online and in-person) and collaboration opportunities.
Read the bios of our facilitators here.
"The Think Like a Tree three day course was hugely instrumental in helping me to make the final transition from a very safe a lucrative teaching career to the exciting (but sometimes scary) world of self-employment. I found the experience so profound that I was confident that becoming a Think Like a tree facilitator was the obvious next step for me. If I could benefit do much from the experience I wanted to help share this far and wide."
"In order to change an existing paradigm you do not struggle to try and change the problematic model. You create a new model and make the old one obsolete."