Nonviolent Communication Practice Group

Practice time for attendees of monthly Nonviolent Communication (NVC) Workshop.

Accompanying each class, there will be an optional follow-up practice session a week later. Willow will provide activities and exercises that will help you integrate and practice what was in the last class. Practice groups are common in NVC as times where members will have the opportunity to gain confidence in giving each other empathy using the model's 4 steps: offering guesses on observations, feelings, needs, and strategy.

Expect these sessions to be mostly participant-led, with guidance from the instructor for communication to stay at a safe and comfortable-enough level, while still supporting challenges and growth. Everyone within this group agrees to confidentiality; a policy of 'stories that are shared in practice group, remain in practice group.' You are welcome to come to participate at your own level of choosing, whether it’s with just observation, practicing with light-hearted topics, or (after checking in with the group) heavier topics. Most people leave practice groups feeling grounded, compassionate, curious, and/or connected.

Instructor bio:

Willow Wightman has been studying Nonviolent or Compassionate Communication for 5 years. She started after she was in the Wright State University Peace Club and attended her first NVC class at Dayton International Peace Museum. Along the way she has been in a Shamanic Apprenticeship for 4 years and worked as an Registered Behavior Technician using Applied Behavior Analysis as a therapist for kids ages 3-20 on the spectrum. Before that she trained dogs and horses, and still does with her business Sunshine Pet Sitting and Training that she has been running on and off for 10 years. She moved to Athens last year with her husband after he finished his degree at Hocking College and the two fell in love with the Appalachian community. They built a tiny home - a Bow Top Vardo - and Willow hopes to bring her training, healing, and communication skills to multiple sustainability communities in the area and eventually around the country.