Training in Symbolic Modeling Skills

Training Offerings

Learn to easily access your clients’ most powerful inner resources—their personal metaphors with a client-centered, systematic process that helps them get unstuck, heal, and move forward.

Be more effective with clients and have fun doing it!

• Better your listening skills
• Establish instant empathy
• Be assured you are working with your clients’ content, not your own ‘stuff’
• Take the guess work out of what your clients need most right now
• Empower your clients to trust their inner knowing and find their own solutions
• Work on the mind/body level

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Level I

• Introduces the most basic Clean Language questions used with everyday information or metaphors.
• Works with Desired Outcomes, starting with the fundamental question that guides all Symbolic Modeling sessions, "What would you like to have happen?"
• Teaches a systematic questioning process to work through a client's needed change(s).

The training balances didactic explanations with lots of practice so you'll understand the what's and why's of Symbolic Modeling and Clean Language AND gain basic skills. We'll practice utilizing these skills with verbal, drawing and space-related approaches so you can find your preferred way of working with a variety of individuals and/or groups.

Trainings run 12 hours over two days. Visit our Calendar to learn more.

Prerequisites: None

These skills can be used by many different people in many contexts (learn more).

Continuing Education credits available (learn more).

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Teleclass Level I

The teleclass covers the same information and skills as the in-person training. The class meets 6 times for a total of 12 hours, and consists of time together as a whole group as well as separate practice in smaller groups with me or an assistant. See our Calendar for upcoming dates.

Prerequisites: A phone.

Continuing Education credits available (learn more).

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Level II

Level II skills are a significant step up from Level I, and are well-utilized by coaches, therapists, counselors, and others in the healing professions.

• Continues building on the basics by developing your facilitating skills
• Adds powerful additional questions for working more deeply still with metaphors
• Places emphasis on ‘thinking like a modeler’—on the logic of selecting questions and guiding the session

Theory and explanations are balanced with lots of hands-on practice and feedback for trainers.

Trainings run 24 hours over 5 days (with one or two 1/2 day breaks). See our Calendar for upcoming dates.

Prerequisite: Level I and a full Symbolic Modeling session with me or another approved facilitator.

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When Space Becomes Psychoactive

Are you looking for an easy-to-learn, easy-to-facilitate technique that:

• is client-centered ?
• actively and creatively engages the client ?
• can help a client gain clarity and make new discoveries about any topic ?
• works with both mind and body ?
• can rapidly address thoughts, feelings, beliefs and more ?
• can guide an individual to develop an action plan ?

Just as you can imagine a real, physical space in your mind, you can reverse the process, and project your inner knowing into the physical space around you. Move in that space, and you’ll discover that what you know standing in different spots is different! Space becomes the metaphor you work with. Psychotherapist David Grove called this technique Clean Space.

You’ll have opportunities to explore your psychological response to space and ways to work with it creatively. With an introduction to Clean Space theory and demonstrations, you’ll practice with the technique as both client and facilitator.

Training runs 12 hours over two days. (see our Calendar for upcoming dates)

Prerequisites: None

Continue Education credits available (learn more).

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Using SyM with Groups

Working with Symbolic Modeling and Clean Language is effective for groups too. Explore these ideas or contact me to discuss one of your own!

• Mining Your Metaphors for Twos
• Mining Your Group Metaphors
• See also: Who uses these skills?

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Advanced Practice and Supervision

I offer further practice, training, guidance, and supervision opportunities. I will offer periodic teleclasses and in-person trainings for keeping up with the skills you’ve learned and for adding new modeling strategies. Check our Calendar and the Trainees Only section for news.

As an accomplished trainee, you may choose to assist in future trainings, a fine way to hone your skills.

The Trainees Only section of this site will also help you develop connections with other members of our Mining Your Metaphors community, with opportunities to practice and brainstorm together. Check in regularly for free practice drills and feedback!

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Calendar

Visit our Calendar and Metaphorum Blog to learn of upcoming events, trainings, talks, and sessions.

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CEUs

Gina Campbell is a certified provider of CEU credits for NBCC, the National Board for Certified Counselors. All trainings with her are eligible.

Level I and Level II trainings have also been approved for PDA points through NCCAOM, the National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine.

The National Federation for Biblio/Poetry Therapy has approved Gina’s trainings for didactic credit for those pursuing credentialing, subject to the approval of the trainee’s mentor/supervisor.

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Testimonials

What do trainees say about the program? Find out here.

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Hear a Sample Session

Hear me facilitate a session with Jon Mejia, a radio interviewer, who wants to stick to an exercise program.

(Click to listen; right-click or option-click to download)
>> SampleSession-15min.mp3

Hear a Facilitation Example

To get a feel for how a facilitator works, hear me talk briefly in the radio interview about my strategy for selecting questions during the session. (Click to listen; right-click or option-click to download)
>> FacilitatorsStrategy.mp3