The Awakening Group

Navigating Attachment Styles in Family Constellations with Brenda Sutherland
2026-04-19 11:00 - 12:00 (Australia/Brisbane) | Online via Zoom
“Your body is the family story”
The way we speak, the way we tell our story reveals our family story and the difficulties of moving towards or away in our interaction with others. Our attachment styles tell the story of our systemic loss and trauma. Meeting a client’s attachment style, despite being fluid depending on who you are interacting with, creates rapport quickly, gives therapists access to how to soothe, how to interact with the client, what to look for, as well as address the fundamentals issues in the family story.
* How do you soothe attachment styles and begin to work with these attachment injuries to change the way we interact with others?
* What story is your attachment style trying to tell?
* Discover our biggest attachment injury that no one talks about and how it changes the brain and nervous system!

Please bring plasticine and a board.
WORLD CONSTELLATION DAY

Case Supervision Group (Online)
2026-04-17 10:00 - 12:00 (Australia/Brisbane) | Online via Zoom
Case Study Supervision is an opportunity for counsellors in the community, who have trained with The Awakening Group at Diploma level, to come together and get support through analysis and discussion of their current cases. Numerous modalities will be used to address presenting issues.

Series of 3 Supervision sessions for $175

Navigating Grief and Loss
2026-04-14 18:30 - 21:30 (Australia/Brisbane) | Online via Zoom
A rich program on navigating the wilderness of sorrow, loss and grief, the many faces of grief, the numerous ways we grieve throughout the world including rituals that honour the dead and what has been lost. Working with befriending grief and complex grief with expressive arts, mindfulness practices and more. Understanding how to be a Grief walker providing support and skills to help to meet the tasks in grieving.
Supporting the Grief walker to navigate our own grief, through self care rituals, supervision, and continuous improvement.
Week 1: The Wilderness of Grief
Week 2: The Faces of Grief
Week 3: Walking with the Grieving
Week 4: Caring for the Grief Walkers
Dates: 14, 21, 28 April and 12 May @ 6.30pm – 9.30pm Online

The Work of Byron Katie: Loving What Is (Part I)
2026-04-11 09:00 - 2026-04-12 17:00 (Australia/Brisbane) | Online via Zoom
Time Magazine described The Work of Byron Katie as: “4 Questions to Inner Peace”. Through self enquiry into our beliefs they let go of us and what remains is the deepest truth of who you are – peace, compassion and humility.
‘I don’t let go of concepts, I question them. Then they let go of me’ Byron Katie

What is your most painful, stressful thought that keeps replaying over and over again?
How would your life feel if that thought was gone…would you feel more joyful? More full of energy and connection and laughter? Who would you be without that thought?
The Work of Byron Katie is a radical approach that doesn’t have any answers – it has something better – the questions. People who use The Work experience extraordinary and lasting impact on their daily lives, in their relationships, career, with their health etc.
Part II explores:

Saying “No” or “Yes” – Who is it I have difficulty saying “No” to or saying “Yes” to? What are my stressful thoughts?
Inquiry using The Worksheets
Doing The Work of Byron on Myself – “I”, personal stories of self, body illness etc
Stressful Events – What were my motives? Why don’t I say “No” or “Yes” to myself?
Wants – Why I think I can’t get what I want? Practice asking, beliefs that stop us….
The Gift of Criticism – Taking it deeper, How to receive. What was it like? Beliefs appearing and enquiry.
Turnarounds: Meeting life as it is, my thinking, shoulds,how I drink in my thinking and much more

Embracing Diversity
2026-03-17 18:30 - 2026-03-24 21:30 (Australia/Brisbane) | Online via Zoom
Welcome to a comprehensive course, a module in the Diploma in Holistic Counselling program, designed to support counsellors and support workers to navigate diversity.
This 28 lesson program is designed to support working with diversity such as gender, age, disabilities, LGBTQIA+, cultural, linguistic and faith communities, neurodiversity, all elements of diversity.

This course highlights and challenges implicit bias from a place of calling in and appreciation along with up-skilling participants on sensitive and inclusive language, inclusion, cultural etiquette in relation to conflict, relationships and many other aspects of diversity.

There are 4 modules and each module is broken up into further lessons, click on module titles below for further details.

CHCDIV001: Working with Diverse People. A comprehensive program on aspects of working with inclusion, diversity, belonging, inclusive language and intersectionality divided into 4 modules:

Implicit Bias
Diversity and Inclusiveness
Inclusive Language
Intersectionality

Case Management
2026-02-28 09:00 - 17:00 (Australia/Brisbane) | Online via Zoom
A comprehensive program on all aspects of case management including:

legalities
case management procedures,
forms for client intake, consent, personal plans, strength building, intervention, case closure
working with complex cases
conducting case management meetings
monitoring and review case work activities and processes
Intervention
working with stakeholders
case closure

Includes:

Includes live webinar
Includes comprehensive online classroom with audio, video, quizzes and assessment
Includes case management forms
Includes keynote presentation slides as workbook

Family Constellations: Combining Sensorimotor Art Therapy (Online)
2026-02-15 09:30 - 17:30 (Australia/Brisbane) | Online via Zoom
Experience Family Constellations using various props, drawing, plasticine to move in tune with your ancestors.
Often we find ourselves reacting in ways that despite all the counselling we can not change. These behaviours act as a symptom pointing to what needs to be seen and acknowledged in our ancestry. Once seen we can live our lives with a sense of freedom and support from our ancestors
Family Constellations works with Systemic principles and it is not the form that constellations take but the principles that govern systems.

For more information see link. https://awakening.com.au/course/family-systemic-constellations/

FREE Introductory Evening to Holistic Counsellor Training 2026 programs
2026-01-22 18:00 - 20:30 (Australia/Brisbane) | Online via Zoom
Welcome to a fun online introductory evening where you get to:

Meet the founder of this 26 year old, 5 star Holistic Counsellor program
Meet students
Experience a number of the techniques taught throughout the program
Find out more about the training program
Ask questions

To Register for Zoom Evening CLICK HERE

Systemic Constellation Facilitator Training Part II: The Form is Not the Work
2026-01-08 09:00 - 2026-01-16 17:00 (Australia/Brisbane) | Bardon Counselling Centre, 151 Boundary Rd, Bardon, QLD, Australia
This comprehensive program is unique as it moves away from the traditional master and apprentice style of teaching systemic work to creating a Learning Laboratory together. As educators (inspired and mentored by Dr Jane Peterson) we have broken Systemic Constellation facilitation down into principles, working with people and practice. Furthermore we have broken down what you can see in the chair, and on the floor through reading people, attachment styles, permission in the soma and much more.
A new and exciting program that demystifies systemic constellation work. This highly interactive and experiental program ensures students learn how to read the client’s body, understand the Orders presenting themselves and what each system needs to initiate a primary movement towards openness, support and love again and inline with the clients intention. These tools ensure students as facilitators discover how easy it is to access systemic information quickly and clearly with astonishing results.

PART 2: THE FORM IS NOT THE WORK

8 days in class training
4 Individual Coaching conversations
4 days Family Constellations Public workshops
2 days Structural & in Minds Eye Constellation workshop
Interactive Online Coaching Clusters
Online resources and in class resources
Unit quizzes and support

Systemic Constellation Facilitator Training Part I: Foundations for Working With People
2025-10-07 09:00 - 2026-01-07 17:00 (Australia/Brisbane) | Online via Zoom
This dynamic Systemic Constellation Facilitator Training program demystifies systemic constellation work in applying it to many sectors. This highly interactive and experiential program ensures students learn how to read the client’s body, have a working knowledge of Systemic Principles presenting themselves and what each system needs to initiate a primary movement towards openness, support and love again and inline with the clients intention.

6 Part Program (ONLINE) Available Now

Systems Thinking & Systemic Principles

What Is Systems Theory?
Systems Thinking vs Client Focused
Systemic Principles and Different Consciences
Violations of Systemic Principles
Learning Activities

Belonging: Systemic Principles Overview

Belonging as a basis for other systemic orders
Biological vs Social constructed systems
Could you survive poverty, wealth?
The Art of Helping
Learning Activities

Attachment and Bonding

Whats Your Attachment Style? Regulating the Regulator!
Early Attachment Patterns

How Developmental Trauma effects our brain
How we adapt to our environment

Adult Attachment interview
Healing Attachment Injuries
The Attuned Therapist
Learning Activities

Trauma and Human Development

Why understanding trauma is important for constellation facilitators
The Main Elements of Trauma – Trauma Equation
Causes of Trauma and the Physiological Responses to Threat
ACEs and Resilience
Symptoms of Trauma – Wounded by Reality

Neuroscience of Trauma memory
Trauma and Addictions

Working with Trauma in Constellation Work (in Chairwork and Floorwork)
Window of Tolerance
Learning Activities

Reading People: Bodies in Space, Pemission and Rapport

Facial Action Coding System
FACS in contact or SPAFF
Somatic Imaging by Dr Jane Peterson
The Stage Show!

Language & Sentences: Words are Worlds

Words are Worlds
The Answer is in the Narrative – Expressions of Systemic Principles

Attachment Styles tell a systemic story

Speech Acts – What do sentences do?
The Core Language Approach

Verbal and non-verbal core languages
The Four Unconscious Themes

Healing Sentences
Learning Activities

Case Supervision Group (Online monthly)
2025-09-05 10:00 - 12:00 (Australia/Brisbane) | Online via Zoom
Case Study Supervision is an opportunity for counsellors in the community, who have trained with The Awakening Group at Diploma level, to come together and get support through analysis and discussion of their current cases. Numerous modalities will be used to address presenting issues.

Join Us: https://awakening.com.au/course/case-study-supervision-groups/

Family Constellations (Melbourne)
2024-11-02 09:00 - 2024-11-03 17:00 (Australia/Melbourne) | The Living Centre, 16 TrinityPlace, East Melbourne, Australia
Often we find ourselves reacting in ways that despite all the counselling we can not change. These behaviours act as a symptom pointing to what needs to be seen and acknowledged in our ancestry. Once seen we can live our lives with a sense of freedom and support from our ancestors.
Developed by Bert Hellinger, Family Constellations evolved through setting up and observing constellations. He proposed that a ‘systemic conscience’, family soul or Orders of Love govern families and systems, supporting harmony, balance and growth in families or systems such as schools, organizations or communities. Conversely family constellations can identify any disruption in these orders of love creating imbalances or entanglements to the flow of love and support. This can appear as illness, relationship problems, emotional disturbances etc.

Many of the problems we are experiencing in life and in our relationships are due to the fact that we carry the burden that one or more of our ancestors were unable to resolve at the time. Looking once again at what happened to those ancestors and giving now what could not be given then, can lead to resolution and lifting of the old burden. To bring about healing we use our natural ability to resonate with the feelings of others to “bring back“ momentarily those distressed or excluded ancestors, allowing them to “relive” and “resolve” their painful episodes, undoing the present family member’s entanglement with that ancestor.
This is a method of looking at the entanglements, lack of support, no-flow of love and disharmonies within a family and the effect that has on us, ie: depression, anger or illness etc, and restoring the gifts and support of our ancestors.

For more information go to: https://awakening.com.au/course/family-systemic-constellations/
Trainer: Brenda Sutherland

Weaving the New Dreaming with Aunty Jenny Thompson
2024-10-21 08:00 - 2024-11-25 17:00 (Australia/Brisbane) | Online via Zoom
Weaving the New Dreaming is an opportunity to engage effectively with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Journey with Aunty Jenny Thompson, an indigenous elder and counsellor in stories to develop cultural sensitivity, awareness and safety that can be applied to many workplaces.

4 Modules

Getting to Know Your Ancestry
Sharing and Caring
Connecting with Place
Leading with Two Way Thinking

Cost includes online classroom, accreditation and live webinars.
This is a rare opportunity to sit with a respected elder who has been a counsellor for many many years.
This program is CHCDIV002: Promoting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultural Safety and is part of our increased accreditation

Weaving the New Dreaming with Aunty Jenny Thompson
2024-10-14 18:00 - 21:00 (Australia/Brisbane) | Online via Zoom
Weaving the New Dreaming is an opportunity to engage effectively with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Journey with Aunty Jenny Thompson, an indigenous elder and counsellor in stories, develop cultural sensitivity, awareness and safety that can be applied to many workplaces.
Weaving the New Dreaming is a collaborative course providing guidance on cultural awareness and sensitivity when engaging with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people at work and in many environments.
Learn Indigenous due diligence for respectful engagement. Gain insights, ask informed questions of Aboriginal Elder, Aunty Jenny Thompson, and build solid relationships through understanding and respectful interaction.
We invite you to be part of the New Dreaming and weave the awareness gained in this journey together into your everyday counselling practises as well as community organisations.
This course is an combination of live interactive webinars and online classroom lessons.

Family Constellations using Sensorimotor Art Therapy (Online Day)
2024-08-24 09:30 - 17:00 (Australia/Brisbane) | Online via Zoom
Often we find ourselves reacting in ways that despite all the counselling we can not change. These behaviours act as a symptom pointing to what needs to be seen and acknowledged in our ancestry. Once seen we can live our lives with a sense of freedom and support from our ancestors.
Introduction the Principles of Family Constellations work

Introduce the Principles of Family Constellations
Using Sensorimotor Art Therapy – plasticine, drawing discover social order, belonging, family dynamics
Learn key components: Family History, the Family Soul, Orders of Love, Function of Conscience, Belonging & the balance of Giving and Taking
Move in harmony with your ancestors as you re-experience the flow of support and love from previous generations
Movements of the Soul

Developing mindfulness
Family of Origin
Personal Constellations
Experience this phenomenological approach through being a representative
Address issues such as adoption, abuse, illness, belonging and much more

Opportunity to experience Family Constellations through your own and/or others

Effective Communication: (Short Course)
2024-03-28 18:00 - 2024-04-16 21:00 (Australia/Brisbane) | Online via Zoom
Advanced communication skills to effectively strengthen all relationships whilst maintaining self-esteem, connectedness, ensuring both parties get their needs met.
Effective Communication is an introduction to an extensive skills-based training that develops interpersonal communication and conflict resolution competencies.
Through Effective Communication, a combination of Non-violent Communication skills and advanced communication skills. Learn through demonstrations, practice via exercises and activities, to understand when and how to apply a powerful set of tools that measurably influence peoples’ behaviours, habits and beliefs. The result is more productive, efficient and fulfilling workplaces, families, and relationships.
Includes:

4 LIVE webinar classes
24 hour online classroom
Includes 8 online lessons with audio, video and written information
Online training webinar recordings
Printable Workbook
Quizzes
Online Learning Support

Fundamental skills to enhance your personal and professional effectiveness.

Active & Empathic Listening
Listening for Needs through Shifting Gears
Observation vs Interpretation
Advanced Problem Solving Skills
No Lose Method of Conflict Resolution
12 Roadblocks to Communication
Common Listening Mistakes and Alternatives
Decode what others are trying to express
Expressing Yourself Effectively

Want More?

The Work of Byron Katie: Loving What Is (Brisbane)
2024-03-23 09:00 - 2024-03-24 17:00 (Australia/Brisbane) | Bardon Counselling Centre, 151 Boundary Rd, Bardon, QLD, Australia

Certificate of Holistic Counselling
2018-03-23 - 2018-05-31 | Melbourne, PO Box 235, Noosa, Queensland, Australia
The Certificate in Holistic Counselling course began in 1999 to support health practitioners and students to utilize dynamic techniques for personal and professional development.
