Announcement – Mother Circles

I am delighted to announce an expansion of my work on The Awakened Parent: Mother Circles. I am so excited about this – a way to use my skills and experience of facilitating groups, and my passion of helping parents to hear their inner voices. I feel that these Mother Circles will hopefully start to create micro-societies where we mothers are able to feel respected and valued, where we can learn to trust that our instincts carry far more weight in the choices we make than what our friend or sister or the woman on TV chooses.

If you live in the Gloucester, UK, area – read on! And if you don’t, please pass onto anyone you know who may be interested. I have many wonderful visions of how these circles will evolve and I am very excited about what the future holds.

The body of this post is also a page, which is linked to at the top of this page, and will also have a big link in the sidebar eventually. Let me know what you think.

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Supportive space for you to explore your
changing life and roles as a mother.

New group starting in Gloucester in September 2012

for mothers of babies aged 0-9 months.

Scroll to the bottom of this page for

information on how to join.

Please also register your interest if you have older babies or children as new groups will be set up as time goes on.

Who are mother circles for?

What are mother circles?

What mother circles are not – important

The practical stuff

Contact form

who are mother circles for?

After over eight years of supporting new mothers, I now believe that most mothers would find Mother Circles to be helpful and a valuable support, not just in the first year of motherhood, but as life as a mother progresses.

You may find the groups helpful if you find you are feeling any of the following things:

• confused by conflicting advice
• feeling isolated from the sort of support that honours your beliefs and truths
• wanting to deepen your understanding of your parenting in a safe place
• wanting to talk about issues without the fear of judgement or of being persuaded to follow a path that doesn’t feel right
• itching to give voice to your experiences
• struggling to hear or to heed your inner voice

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What are mother circles?

As mothers, many of us feel a huge pull to giving voice to our stories – from the daily struggles and moments of sheer joy, to the profound and life-long transformation we begin the day we birth our babies. These Mother Circles are monthly gatherings where mothers can do just that.

Mothers of similarly aged babies and children meet regularly in space held for them where they can speak their stories. The groups aim to be safe places, where the stories of those who want to speak can be heard in confidence and without judgement.

Being closed at a maximum of eight members, these Mother Circles hope to create a feeling of trust and compassion where mothers can support each other as they begin to move deeper into their parenting experiences, where mothers can ask the key questions that will help them to unlock the door to their inner voices: their strong, wise instinctual higher selves.

And work continues outside of the meetings, of course, as we find what we’ve discovered during the sessions weaves its way into our daily lives. It is wonderful to hear examples of this being shared at the next month’s meeting. top

What Mother Circles are not – important

Mother Circles are not therapy groups. I am not a counsellor or a therapist, and the intention of the meetings is not to bring healing, although healing may well result indirectly. I would go so far as to say that this group is not even a support group.

Neither is my role is to lead or to own the group, or to offer group therapy or counselling. I see my role as a ‘holder of space’, someone who creates and maintains space for mothers to come together and explore their new roles in life, and where they can work on blossoming into their new selves.

I am a trained and experienced group facilitator and have experience of being involved in women’s circles, both closed and open ones. My hope is that the Mother Circles will be truly owned by the mothers who join them, and that they will evolve over time so that they continue to meet the changing needs of the mothers. top

The practical stuff
How often? How long for?

The Mother Circles will meet monthly and last for two hours.  I ask that mothers commit as far as possible to come to every meeting because part of the strength of the group is that we come to know each other, and to trust and feel safe with one another as the months go on.

How much do they cost?

These Mother Circles cost £15 per month, which pays for the venue, refreshments, and my time and energy. I ask mothers to pay for four months in advance (£60), so that there is a commitment from each of the group members.

If money is an issue, please get in touch – I hold a percentage of spaces open at a reduced rate.

Can I bring my baby/child?

Non-mobile babies are very welcome at any Mother Circle. However, it is hard to listen to other mothers or to concentrate on your own words if you also have one eye on a crawling/toddling baby or may be being needed by your child for various things, so I ask that for groups of mothers of older babies and children you attend on your own. Such groups will run at a time to make this as convenient as possible for the mothers attending.

How do I join a Mother Circle?

If you live in the Gloucester area and are interested in joining a Mother Circle, please fill in the form at the bottom of this page, making sure to include a telephone number, and I will call you back as soon as I can.

All mothers joining a Mother Circle are invited to have at least a telephone conversation with me first, if not a meeting face-to-face so that they are able to make sure that a Mother Circle is going to be right for them. The venue for the meetings has free parking, is very easily reached from the main roads around Gloucester, and has a beautiful healing energy.

New Group

I am starting a new group for mothers of babies aged between birth and nine months in September, dates to be confirmed, so please get in touch in plenty of time if you think this circle may be for you.

Please also register your interest if you have older babies or children as new groups will be set up as time goes on.

I very much look forward to hearing from you. top

Contact form
[contact-form]

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