Holding the Circle

Holding the Circle is for anyone who facilitates therapy groups, support groups, workshops, community circles or reflective conversations. The way you hold the space matters as much as what you do within it. Drawing on her experience as a counsellor and group facilitator, Sandra Hawes MBACP explores the qualities that create groups where people feel safe enough to speak honestly, listen deeply and connect authentically. Combining psychological insight with practical wisdom, she shows that effective circle holding is not about having all the answers. It is about cultivating the presence, integrity and relational awareness that allows others to flourish. Warm, thoughtful and deeply grounded in lived experience, Holding the Circle offers guidance, encouragement and reflection for both new and experienced circle holders. More than a practical guide, it is an invitation to become the kind of person who can hold others carefully, with compassion and humanity.