NVC and The Religious Experience:
The Alignment of Needs Consciousness and Spirituality

The founder and author of Nonviolent Communication, the late Marshall Rosenberg, was deeply interested in the common thread found in the world’s great religions and wisdom traditions. Drawing from them, Rosenberg was able to language their essential beliefs, values, and character traits as universal needs: the heart of Nonviolent Communication. Despite this, the topic of religion- albeit messy- and its potentiality within the framework and paradigm of NVC remains largely unexplored in circles of learning and teaching of Nonviolent Communication.

HoustonNVC invites you to explore the intersection of religion with Nonviolent Communication in this first-of-its-kind course offered online this fall. The course will be led by two seasoned Facilitators/Trainers who have spent much of their adult lives in search of beauty and meaning and perhaps surprisingly, have therefore aligned their unique religious beliefs with the practice and spirit of Nonviolent Communication.

We ask that participants have some level of NVC in the form of having read Marshall’s book, having taken one of our Fundamentals of NVC workshops, or another equivalent. Please email us if you have any questions regarding this request.

Karen Starz MA, MAEC, and CNVC Certified Trainer

Karen is a consultant, coach, speaker, and facilitator. The connection with Marshall Rosenberg’s work and NVC came naturally and peaked further, ongoing exploration into the foundations of NVC. Her background spans many areas, from interpersonal relationships, to businesses, schools, and non-profit organizations. Other services she provides include mediation, conflict resolution, and curriculum writing. Her approach to NVC is based on embodying the whole of nonviolent consciousness to create an automatic, empathic, somatic response and awareness. Karen aims to bring social change through learning, and is particularly interested in the spiritual connection that NVC fosters.

See more at www.karenstarz.com

Jamil Popatia, CNVC Certification Candidate

Jamil struggled to find his purpose, identity and a sense of belonging while growing up in Western Canada with immigrant parents. Jamil now considers these struggles as opportunities to build resilience in an unpeaceful environment. It wasn’t until his 30s that he discovered what dignity, purpose and meaning would be for him. His response to his environment was to explore ways of nonviolently addressing interpersonal conflict. As a counselor, mediator and trainer his passion is balancing empathy with authenticity in all interactions. Jamil considers this use of nonviolent communication to be dignified dialogue in that it is true to compassion and connection. Jamil is particularly interested in the intersection of faith, spirituality and NVC as seen through the lenses of the religions of the world.

See more at www.DignifiedDialogue.ca

We welcome all religions and belief systems: faith-based or otherwise. Please come with curiosity and a willingness to explore the intersection of needs-based consciousness and spirituality.

We will meet Tuesdays from October 6 through November 24th, from 7-9 pm CT.

Register before 9/21 to take advantage of the early bird price of $290. Full price is $359.

Click here to register

We will be meeting on Mondays, October 5th – November 23rd, 7-9 pm CT.

An 8-week online learning community facilitated by Todd Porter, HoustonNVC Board Member

What is it? This is a highly interactive, discussion-based exploration of Marshall Rosenberg’s book “Nonviolent Communication: a Language of Life, 3rd Ed.” (Puddle Dancer Press, 2015). Together, we will form an online learning community in which we can apply what we’ve read about with real people in real conversation. Reading, reflection, and review homework provide participants with the opportunity to make the most of the weekly online interactions, which will focus on practice and application. This is an excellent foundational workshop for the beginner or a sound refresher for returning practitioners.

Who is it for? This course is for people who have occasion to communicate with people and want to be able to do so more effectively, especially in the conversations which are most important to us. The people who will get the most out of the experience are those who read along in advance of each week’s session and come ready and willing to risk trying the things they read about in a real conversation with a real person.

What is unique about this course? Rosenberg’s compassionate communication framework is a powerful tool we can use to make authentic, heart-to-heart connections. Being heard, understood, and accepted is one of the most powerful gifts we can offer one another. It is also a gift that those around us desperately need. This group provides an opportunity to create peace in the world by creating peace within ourselves, as well as between ourselves and all with whom we speak.

For more information or to register: click here


Susan Wildin MD, CPC invites you to Dialogues for Social Change

In these difficult times when everyone seems to be taking sides, I want to support people working together to separate our perceptions and judgments from our deepest longings. I believe if we act from these longings, change can happen more effectively and without alienating others.

To create this connection to longing and a space of mutual connection and understanding between people across barriers of belief and judgment, I use a process I call Dialogues for Social Change which is based on the work of Marshall Rosenberg, PhD, and Jim and Jori Manske. I will be sharing this process and basics of Nonviolent Communication online in 3 two-hour, weekly workshops Saturdays September 12, 19, and 26, 2020 from 1:30-3:30 pm CDT.

Registration link

Susan Wildin MD, CPC invites you to Relating to Your Adult “Children”

Do you see the oxymoron in the title? We will explore this and more in three 2-hour online workshop sessions October 10, 17, and 24, 2020 from 1:30-3:30pm Central time in which we will mourn the loss of childhood, celebrate the growth of the adult, find purpose for ourselves, and creatively transform our relationships with our offspring. We will also practice dialogues around real life issues or concerns.

Registration Link

Join Susan Wildin MD, CPC, for an opportunity to practice Nonviolent Communication at home in community with others, exploring the curriculum in The Ongo Book: Everyday Nonviolence – Daily practices in Mindfulness, Nonviolent Communication and More, for individuals, couples, and groups by Catherine Cadden and Jesse Wiens.

Ongo will be offered starting June 7, 2020 and meeting weekly on Sunday through August 16, 2020 from 1-3 pm CT. The program consists of group sessions weekly, led in turn by each group participant using the scripts in the book, weekly empathy buddy sessions (buddies change monthly), and daily solo practices.

Susan requests $20 per participant for the entire 12-week session to support her time and work in organizing and doing the tech work, as well as the cost of the Zoom program. She is open to dialogue if this amount is a problem for anyone. You will also need to purchase The Ongo Book.

To register or for more information click the links.

This International Intensive Training (IIT) is a 9-day, Nonviolent Communication “immersion experience.” Offered as a residential workshop, and led by a team of experienced CNVC certified trainers. The purpose of this IIT training is to offer people the opportunity to live the process of Nonviolent Communication in community with others over an extended period of time, in order to develop a deep understanding of Nonviolent Communication through skills and consciousness.

Please contact CNVC at https://www.cnvc.org/training/iit

Learn about the process of creating Restorative Circles and using Restorative Systems, while practicing using NVC, to resolve conflicts. Everyone will bring an example of a conflict in their lives, and we will choose one or two to role play in a Semi-Simulated Restorative Circle format.

Please contact Tina Michel at tina.michel8@gmail.com or info@houstonnvc.org

Learn the steps to self-empathy in order to manage your reactions with care, and strive for connection in challenging situations. This two hour virtual course will include dyad and triad work as well as larger group work. Bring a situation or experience that is mildly stimulating to you, and we will pick one or two to work with.

For more information, contact Karen Starz

In today’s climate of polarization – in politics, world views, families – would you like to connect through your differences?  Even in the most divisive energy, people can be heard, valued, and seen, and still connect.  If you would like to know more about empathy, come join us for this life-changing workshop.

Contact Karen Starz at starz.organizer@gmail.com or info@houstonnvc.org

An interactive workshop on Community, Power and Privilege.

CEUs are provided for this course for Mental Health Workers and Family and Marriage Counselors.

For more information, email Houston NVC

Let’s explore what “power” means to all of us. Is it possible to share power with others without giving up on what is precious to us as individuals?

Topics may include:

• Understanding personal power and systemic power;
• Engaging in dialogue for shared understanding;
• Entering agreements with care and curiosity;
• Making effective collaborative decisions;
• Cultivating practices for transforming conflict and restoring relationship;
• Creating sustainable, effective and life-serving systems and processes and much more

For more information, email Houston NVC

A training to explore Compassionate Communication. It will focus on how participants can share their practice of compassionate communication in their own lives, schools, communities, workplaces, groups and among people.

For more information, email Houston NVC

A three part exploration of Compassionate Communication:

• Overview of Compassionate Communication
• Self-compassion: the first step to healing
• Communicating Compassion in family relationships

Contact Susan Wildin at susan@wildins.net, or info@houstonnvc.org

This group practice is designed for people of all ages, to play through strategies of practical and enjoyable games that create and strengthen connections.

For more information, email Houston NVC

According to author Dr. Bruce Perry “Empathy underlies virtually everything that makes society work—like trust, altruism, collaboration, love, charity”— and we have the ability to increase our empathic skills for ourselves and others.

Join us for empathy building games and exercises. Come have fun while practicing the art of connection and supercharge your relationships with empathy.

You will learn skills to re-frame your communication in a way that creates connection and peace. Facilitated in an interactive, fun learning environment, we will practice these transformational processes – self-connection, empathy for others, and expressing ourselves with a balance of authenticity and care.

For more information, email Houston NVC

Play some fun and invigorating games to connect you with compassion, empathy and self-empathy while learning and practicing ahimsa, or nonviolence. Play in an atmosphere of natural giving and receiving.

Based on the work of Marshall Rosenberg, Ph.D. and author of “Nonviolent Communication, A Language of Life.”

There is no experience necessary.

Contact Karen Starz at starz.organizer@gmail.com or info@houstonnvc.org

This virtual course will teach you ways to maneuver through challenging conversations and connect with others in an authentic way. Bring ease to your holiday season by learning new concepts and skills in order to be heard and hear others- despite past wounds, misunderstandings, or political divides.

Contact Karen Starz at starz.organizer@gmail.com

Join us as we explore the spectrum of facilitation from open space to teaching.
This workshop will be made up of 3 two-hour sessions with practice in the main group, dyads, and triads.In session one, we will concentrate on tracking and the different hats a facilitator can choose to wear.
The second and third sessions will be more practice and opportunity for participants to facilitate with feedback from their peers.

The suggested donation is $30 per session; all persons welcome regardless of donation.
Meetings held via Zoom video.

For more information, email Karen Starz

Want to embody Peace, Compassion, & Wisdom in your words and actions?

Want to join an online learning community for 12 weekly 90-minute calls to explore life using a powerful resource: The Ongo Book: Everyday Nonviolence?

Woven into this soul-engaging and practical resource book are daily practices of Mindfulness, Nonviolent Communication, and more. Each participant holds the intention to do 5 solo practices per week (scripted in the book) and to telephone another pre-selected & rotating participant to do the scripted buddy exercise for that week.

For a peek inside the guide: www.zenvc.org/ongobook/

Email Susan@wildins.net if interested. As soon as we have 12 participants, we will convene a session. A small fee will be requested + each person will purchase the book.

Create an opportunity to enjoy a 2 to 3-hour interactive workshop and learn to use the skills and precepts of Compassionate Communication to foster trust, kindness, learning, and cooperation. When we prioritize connection and empathy, we meet the needs of both children and parents.

Would you like your children to:

• Contribute and listen to what you value?
• Form life-long bonds with you?
• Learn how to attend to their needs?
• Respect your needs for rest and self-care?

Contact Bren Hardt to arrange a presentation anywhere.

For an informational flyer, click here

Do you long to be truly heard? Do you long to hone your skills of listening in a meaningful way to others? Now imagine how having this skill could prevent miscommunication, deepen personal relationships, communicate across differences, and foster a more compassionate future for all of us.

Hard-wired into our brains is the capacity for empathic understanding and yet most of us have not been trained to listen well.

Empathic listening builds connection, honesty, trust and may stem the growing epidemic of loneliness. Find 3 or 4 other people and we’ll form a LISTENING CIRCLE to grow your skills and have fun at the same time.

These can be in-person Listening Circles or electronic gatherings on Zoom. They can be around a set topic or ask each person to talk about “whatever” is on their heart.

Click here for a camera-ready flyer about Listening Circles.

Contact Bren at bbhardt@gmail.com for more information.

Learn by doing.

We can think of no better way to learn the elements of connecting communication and get them into your bones at the same time than to pick a “live” conflict and role-play with someone how you might navigate to a solution that met the needs of all.

We use Nine Skills for Conflict Resolution based on work of CNVC certified trainers, Jim and Jori Manske.

If you are interested in this 3-hour workshop for any level of NVC folks, contact Bren or Susan.

When we have 8 or more interested, we’ll create a class.

In times of uncertainty, repetitive thoughts and judgments can lead us to opinions of right and wrong and some strong feelings one way or another. We might be left feeling disconnected from others. What we really could be disconnected from, however, are our longings, desires, hopes, and dreams.

In my experience, Nonviolent Communication (NVC) doesn’t ask me to ignore, squash, or judge my judgment. The process of NVC gives me a playful and fun avenue in which to entertain my evaluations, judgments, and opinions – it is called jackal language. These jackals, when engaged, connect us to what is important to us and to the people who stimulate our judgments.

I invite you to bring your Jackals to my next series: a Jackal Dance where everyone is invited. There is no need for a permission slip, to be self-conscious about your hemlines, or to leave your contempt at home. I will create an atmosphere, with your help, of trust and companionship. I hope you will take the ability with you to dance with your jackals and have compassion for your judgments.

No level of NVC is necessary.

Where: Zoom

To express interest in scheduling this workshop with a group, email Karen Starz

We are constantly giving and receiving feedback, whether consciously or not. This course teaches you how to do it in a way that inspires collaboration. What you will gain:

• skills or resourcing yourself before, during and after feedback sessions
• a new way to “review” employees
• improved connection and productivity
• the ability to pause
• ability to make doable requests
• connecting through power differences

The workshop will be 50% skills + knowledge and 50% practice. Once completed, you will have access to an online donation-based practice group that meets weekly.

Facilitated by Karen Starz, CNVC Certified Trainer (karenstarz.com)

Where: Zoom

You are invited to the continuation of the workshop series, Living Peace, an Experience in
Connection to Others and to Yourself. The workshops are conducted by Susan Wildin, MD,
Certified Professional Coach, and are based on the work of Marshall Rosenberg on Nonviolent
Communication. Each workshop stands alone so anyone can participate.

Past session dates:

Transforming Anger into Compassion. April 5, 2020
Choose Honesty! May 3, 2020

Susan requests $20 per session to support her work and any amount would be appreciated.
Preregistration is required, so I can send the meeting URL and handouts.

Register at www.wildins.net/workshops.php and following the link.
You can ask questions or register by contacting Susan at susan@wildins.net.

Do you think of money as a need? Want to be a part of a collective experiment on money? Do you have some belief systems getting you down, or some thoughts about money that bring up anxiety and fear?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, this workshop is for you. With facilitation by Karen Starz, CNVC Certified Trainer, we will explore a new paradigm of giving and receiving, within the context of a nonviolent consciousness.

The aim is to honor all the energy we expend while dancing out the door with joy. This is a 5-week course and the more people who come, the more we will have to work within our collective energy pile.

To express interest in scheduling this workshop with a group, email Karen Starz

Join Susan Wildin MD, CPC for Heart Centered Parenting. Heart Centered Parenting is for
parents of children of all ages (even adult children), grandparents, educators and anyone else
who has contact with children. Using principals of Nonviolent Communication, we will explore
connecting with children in our lives in ways that are nourishing to everyone. The sessions are
designed to build on one another, and you can come in at any time. The format will be 1 hour of
topical teaching and practice and one hour of role play with real life issues in each session.

Susan is a retired developmental behavioral pediatrician and a transformational life coach with
12 years of experience in Nonviolent Communication.

An 8-week online learning community facilitated by different HNVC facilitators.

What is it? This is a highly interactive, discussion-based exploration of Marshall Rosenberg’s book “Nonviolent Communication: a Language of Life, 3rd Ed.” (Puddle Dancer Press, 2015). Together, we will form an online learning community in which we can apply what we’ve read about with real people in real conversation. Reading, reflection, and review homework provide participants with the opportunity to make the most of the weekly online interactions, which will focus on practice and application. This is an excellent foundational workshop for the beginner or a sound refresher for returning practitioners.

Who is it for? This course is for people who have occasion to communicate with people and want to be able to do so more effectively, especially in the conversations which are most important to us. The people who will get the most out of the experience are those who read along in advance of each week’s session and come ready and willing to risk trying the things they read about in a real conversation with a real person.

What is unique about this course? Rosenberg’s compassionate communication framework is a powerful tool we can use to make authentic, heart-to-heart connections. Being heard, understood, and accepted is one of the most powerful gifts we can offer one another. It is also a gift that those around us desperately need. This group provides an opportunity to create peace in the world by creating peace within ourselves, as well as between ourselves and all with whom we speak.

For more information? Email info@houstonnvc.org

Finding Common Ground in Challenging Times with David Weinstock

• Learn how to speak your truth with confidence
• Increase your ability to live with inner and outer harmony
• Discover new tools for creating and deepening connections
• Expand your capacity for holding others with compassion
• Click here for details

The “Let’s Work Collaboratively” Coaching Program with Dian Killian

• Bring NVC to work in radical game-changing ways
• Enjoy greater collaboration with your colleagues
• Expand your team’s effectiveness
• Experience more empowerment and ease with your boss
• Click here for details

Taste of Compassionate Leadership Free Video Conference with Jim & Jori Manske

• FREE program that meets on the fourth Saturday of most months
• Experience a taste of living within an empathic community
• Enjoy short yet powerful training/practice sessions with our trainers
• Learn concrete skills and steps for practicing compassion and leadership
• Click here for details

Would you like to bring Compassionate Communication to your group? Whether it is a school, a professional group, a gathering of friends or a spiritual based organization, we have a diverse group of NVC trainers in our area ready to create workshops or presentations to address your group’s specific needs.

Email us at info@HoustonNVC.org to learn how our highly qualified trainers can support you and your group.