The Centre for Holding Space offers personal development workshops,
online courses, retreats, and opportunities to deepen your relationship
with yourself and others while learning in community.
Holding Space is for everyone seeking deeper connections. When we hold space, we show up with open hearts, compassionate support, mindful presence, healthy boundaries, and a willingness to be with what is.
Holding Space is for the liberation and
sovereignty of all people.
Yes, I’d like to join the
Centre for Holding Space Community.
In a world that feels increasingly complex,
with a future that may be chaotic and unfamiliar,
there is a critical need for more people to
grow the capacity to hold space for themselves and others.
And Holding Space is for anyone who is …
Supporting clients or communities in crisis,
conflict, or transition
Facilitating meaningful conversations
Seeking to deepen relationships
with family or friends
Navigating death, birth, marriage,
divorce, career change,
and all things liminal
Desiring healthy boundaries
in their relationships
Nurturing a more tender relationship
with themself
Dismantling and/or disrupting
systems of harm
Supporting marginalized
individuals and communities
Searching for support in
how to face an uncertain future
And Holding Space is the way we show up,
the way we release control,
the way we learn to trust in the wisdom
of ourselves and each other,
and the way we stay present in the midst of disruption.
We need people who know how to stay present in the mess and discomfort of liminal space.
Liminal originates from the Latin word “limen” which means “a threshold”, and is the period of anticipation, uncertainty, ambiguity, restlessness, fear and discomfort, in which something has been dissolved and a new thing has not yet emerged to take its place.
—Heather Plett, “Holding Liminal Space”,
August 22, 2016 Blog Post
And at the Centre for Holding Space, we equip people with the skills
they need as they navigate the liminal space.
We walk with them through their discomfort, we help them to see what’s limiting them, we guide them in deepening their trust and compassion for themselves and others, and we encourage them as they practice the
art of holding space.
The practice begins with you. No other relationship is more important than the relationship you have with yourself. When you learn to hold space for yourself, you learn how to ground yourself when life feels wobbly, face your own discomfort with tenderness, soothe your activated nervous system, navigate the liminal space with courage, develop healthy boundaries, and hold all of your emotions without shaming yourself for having them.
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The practice extends to all of your relationships. When you learn to hold space for other people, you learn how to listen compassionately even when their stories make you uncomfortable, witness their struggle without running away or trying to fix them, support them in the midst of liminality, stay present in the face of conflict, honour their boundaries and sovereignty, and allow them the wholeness of their experience.
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Holding Space for
Yourself
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Holding Space for
Others
The practice extends to all of your relationships. When you learn to hold space for other people, you learn how to listen compassionately even when their stories make you uncomfortable, witness their struggle without running away or trying to fix them, support them in the midst of liminality, stay present in the face of conflict, honour their boundaries and sovereignty, and allow them the wholeness of their experience.
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And Holding Space is for:
INDIVIDUALS ・ COUPLES ・ PARENTS ・ TEACHERS
THERAPISTS ・ CARE-GIVERS ・ HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONALS ・ ORGANIZATIONS
NEW ONLINE LEARNING OPPORTUNITY – For leaders who wish to strengthen their agility, adaptability, emotional intelligence and decision-making capacity, particularly in times of transition and uncertainty. Join us for LEADERSHIP FOR LIMINAL SPACES, a series of monthly webinars, plus an optional study group for deeper learning and connections with leaders all over the world. Learn to be a Grounded Guide in times of change.
JOIN US ON BEAUTIFUL VANCOUVER ISLAND! – We’re delighted to announce that we’ll be hosting an alumni gathering on Vancouver Island, September 25-28, 2025. At the gathering, we’ll be celebrating the FIFTH ANNIVERSARY of the Centre for Holding Space. If you have participated in any of our programming (or you participated in Heather’s programs before the Centre was formed), we would love to see you there! REGISTRATION OPEN NOW!
WE’RE ON SUBSTACK! We’ve got a podcast and newsletter on Substack called A Tender Space. You can also find the podcast on Apple or Spotify. Most of our blog posts are now hosted on our Substack site, so please visit us there and sign up. With a paid membership, you’ll get weekly Lunchbox Notes from Tenderness and Poems for Holding Space. We look forward to growing our connections there. JOIN US!
We believe that when people are equipped with
the capacity to hold space, transformation happens
and we all find our way toward greater
freedom, possibility, and connection.
What happens to us as humans, when we learn to ‘hold space’
with and for each other?
What happens to us as humans, when we learn to ‘hold space’
with and for each other?
As shared by former Centre for Holding Space Foundation Program Participants.
We drop judgements and
we grow acceptance of self and others.
We grow more expansive in our thinking and
being (breaking down boundaries and limitations), and
more able to model kindness, inclusivity, courage,
acknowledgement, and authenticity with one another.
We feel seen and heard and held through change.
We go from surviving to thriving. We open up to
what’s possible on the inside — which extends to our outer lives.
Our nervous system begins to heal and
seeds like self awareness, conscious presence,
authenticity and community care take root.
In time, we blossom and bloom.
We become more connected,
more caring, kind, compassionate,
understanding, feel understood, feel safe,
feel loved, feel supported, feel connected to
self, source, and others.
Deep, true connection happens,
a place to be vulnerable and courageous.
Connection grows, love grows, understanding grows —
a community of caring grows.
What is Holding Space?
Responses shared by some of our program participants…
Holding space is creating a safe space for others; witnessing another’s vulnerability and honoring where they are on their journey in life…
Holding space is creating a safe space for others; witnessing another’s vulnerability and honoring where they are on their journey in life; self-care via holding space for myself; being present with another without the need to change them, fix them, and not offering up advice or feedback unless specifically asked (and even then supporting the person in finding their own answers); drawing on my empathic approach to listen deeply without judgment; honoring pain without mending another’s pain; LISTENING from the heart and soul.
Holding space is a practice. It is lifelong and ever-changing. To hold space for someone, including yourself, means to put aside your preconceptions and listen...
Holding space is a practice. It is lifelong and ever-changing. To hold space for someone, including yourself, means to put aside your preconceptions and listen. Truly listen. It means you let be what comes without judgment. It means defining clear boundaries for yourself and protecting your own needs so you can be present for others. It means acceptance, grace, and love. It means acknowledging your own needs and abilities to hold space; to go deep or lovingly decline to hold the space according to your own abilities to “go there”. To hold space is to “offer what you can and ask for what you need”.
Holding space is kind of like a roller coaster. Sometimes you laugh, sometimes you cry, and sometimes you hold your breath...
Holding space is kind of like a roller coaster. Sometimes you laugh, sometimes you cry, and sometimes you hold your breath. It’s being there when someone just needs to know you’re there. You might laugh with them, or cry with them, or just be still and let them be. But you’re still there with them so they know they’re not alone. And, sometimes, that someone you hold space for might be you.
Holding space is creating an environment that feels safe and supportive so hard things can be discussed to help the other person (or yourself) figure things out on their own...
Holding space is creating an environment that feels safe and supportive so hard things can be discussed to help the other person (or yourself) figure things out on their own. We do this by listening without blaming or judging the other person and allowing them to feel their feelings and work out their issues in a safe place. -SJ Nesbitt, Lac du Bonnet, Manitoba, Professional Caregiver