Advanced Group Work
Transform the way you work, collaborate and lead with groups.
Next cohort: April - November, 2027
Format: 8 months, 3 in-person retreats and monthly online sessions
Advanced Group Work is back
For the first time since 2024, we’re getting ready to welcome a new cohort into our eight-month program.
We’ve updated the program to reflect our changing world. How we show up matters more than ever.
As the challenges around us become more complex, so too does the work of coming together across different experiences, perspectives and needs.
Advanced Group Work gives you the practical skills to support your organisation, team, community or group to thrive and build a better future.
Growing your capacity to work with people
Across the year, you’ll build and deepen:
A grounded way of working with people and groups, shaped by your values, self-awareness and a clearer understanding of who you are and how you show up.
A deeper ability to read what’s happening beneath the surface in a room, including power, patterns, relationships and group dynamics.
Greater confidence working with complexity, conflict and difference, while holding multiple perspectives and navigating uncertainty.
The skills to design thoughtful, inclusive meetings, gatherings and processes that enable meaningful participation and help groups move forward.
A stronger capacity to work with power and inequity, creating conditions for fairer participation, accountability and repair.
Greater range, judgement and adaptability, so you can respond skilfully to different people, contexts and challenges.
“This course is a game changer.”
— Advanced Group Work graduate
Work with people?
This program is for you.
You don’t need to be a ‘facilitator’ to take part in Advanced Group Work.
The program is designed for anyone whose work involves people, from leaders and managers to community practitioners, consultants, educators and change makers.
Join us to discover what’s possible when groups and teams really thrive, and learn how to make it happen.
Key Dates
12-16 April
5 day in-person retreat at Commonground in Hilldene, Victoria on Taungurung Country
14-16 July
3 day in-person retreat at CERES in Brunswick East, Victoria on Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung Country
12-14 November
3 day in-person retreat at Commonground in Hilldene, Victoria on Taungurung Country
7-8 May
1.5 day online workshop
4-5 June
1.5 day online workshop
6-7 August
1.5 day online workshop
3-4 September
1.5 day online workshop
8-9 October
1.5 day online workshop
Meet the facilitators…
Sarah Norton
Passionate about supporting individuals and groups to achieve meaningful outcomes, build genuine connections, and enjoy the process along the way. In a world that increasingly calls for collaboration and creativity, she supports lively, participatory spaces where people can think together, engage deeply, and discover new possibilities.
Nancy Nuñez
A passionate facilitator committed to harnessing the power of groups to drive meaningful change. Nancy (she/her) believes in the transformative power of collaboration, helping individuals and teams work across differences to find creative, inclusive solutions that equalize power and open up new possibilities.
Matt Wicking
An experienced facilitator, artist and change-maker, Matt (he/they) has a gift for supporting groups to draw meaning from complexity, identify patterns, and find common ground. Matt understands the power of meaningful moments for creating change and brings authenticity, creativity and humour to his work with groups.
Partial scholarships available
We’re pleased to offer a small number of partial scholarships to support participation in Advanced Group Work 2027.
Scholarships are subject to eligibility criteria and an application process. To find out more, please get in touch.
Pricing
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Standard (based in VIC): $12,000 + GST
Standard (NSW, QLD, TAS, NT, WA, ACT, SA): $11,000 + GST
Not-for-profit or self-funded (VIC): $ 8,500 + GST
Not-for-profit or self-funded (NSW, QLD, TAS, NT, WA, ACT, SA): $7,500 + GST
Why is the course cheaper for interstate participants?
We want Advanced Group Work to be accessible to people from across Australia. We know that interstate participants will have additional travel and accommodation costs to attend the retreats. These reduced course fees help offset some of those costs.
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Standard (based in VIC): $13,200 + GST
Standard (NSW, QLD, TAS, NT, WA, ACT, SA): $12,100 + GST
Not-for-profit or self-funded (VIC): $9,350 + GST
Not-for-profit or self-funded (NSW, QLD, TAS, NT, WA, ACT, SA): $8,250 + GST
Why is the course cheaper for interstate participants?
We want Advanced Group Work to be accessible to people from across Australia. We know that interstate participants will have additional travel and accommodation costs to attend the retreats. These reduced course fees help offset some of those costs.
How do I apply?
If you’re considering applying for the 2027 Advanced Group Facilitation program, join one of our online information sessions first. You’ll hear more about what the eight-month program involves, meet some of the people involved and have plenty of opportunities to ask questions.
Attending an information session is part of the application process, so you’ll need to join one before applying.
Info Session 1: October 27th
Info Session 2: November 26th
Early bird applications close: December 4th
Info Session 3: February 2nd
Second round applications close: February 12th
Info Session 4: March 2nd
Third round applications close: March 12
Your questions, answered
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Anyone who wants to help groups of humans thrive. We teach the real, practical relational skills that support people to lead and facilitate collaborative spaces of all kinds - organisations, teams, community groups, and more:
People leaders: managers, team leaders, CEOs, department heads, directors, HR practitioners, business partners, organisational development practitioners
Facilitators and conveners: workshop facilitators, meeting chairs, group coaches, mentors and consultants
Community leaders: campaigners, community organisers, activists, neighbourhood groups, cultural and other community leaders
Project and program leads: project managers, program coordinators, event organisers, and operations managers
Educators and practitioners: teachers, trainers, researchers, health and social service leads, youth workers
Founders and change-makers: entrepreneurs, social entrepreneurs, nonprofit leaders, advocates, diversity and inclusion leads
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Yes, but it has had a major update. We have run a year-long facilitation skills course since 2001. A lot of the core ideas, frameworks and lessons are the same. But the world has changed. So we’ve spent the last year refreshing the content, bringing in new perspectives and ideas.
One of the major shifts is that the course is no longer just for facilitators. The ‘human skills’ we teach have powerful application for leaders and collaborators of all kinds. We’re excited about this refreshed version of our much-loved year-long training.
What have past participants said about Advanced Group Work?
“The course turns you upside down and inside out and I got an experience of becoming a more whole human being. And as a result a more whole facilitator of other fellow humans.”
“This course is a game changer, it has been wonderful to bring to light the workings of group dynamics and facilitation, to make these processes explicit, and to have the language and practice to work with groups confidently.”
“Warning: you will have a wonderful time, learn so many invaluable skills and meet other beautiful, like-hearted humans. Your life will be changed for the better!”