Holding Space

Practitioner Certification Program

Put your Holding Space training into practice. Lift the learning from the page into your life, from your head into your heart.

You’ve completed the How to Hold Space Foundation Program and you’ve already experienced how life-changing this practice is. Now you want to bring it into your life and work in a deeper, more profound way. Perhaps you want to host retreats, change how you lead your non-profit organization, strengthen your skills as a coach or therapist, grow your capacity as a professional trainer, deepen the quality of your work as a death or birth doula, or improve how you offer pastoral care in your church leadership role.

It may be time to become a Certified Holding Space Practitioner.

Join a small cohort of people in an intimate online space for this 9 month program (from October to June). You will be beautifully held in your learning journey, you will be challenged to go deeper in your self-reflection, and you will be supported as you step onto new ground.

The Four Pillars of the Program

Practice

Each participant will develop their own Holding Space practicum, related to their particular area of interest. It might be a coaching practice, a facilitated group, or a course – anything that’s rooted in the practice of Holding Space. Practicums will be designed to stretch participants’ learning and capacity, and feedback will be provided by peers, mentors, and those participating in the practicum. The practicum will culminate in a presentation, workshop, or facilitated session at the final virtual gathering at the end of the program.

Peer Support

Participants will gather on weekly Zoom calls where they will contribute to collective learning, offer peer mentorship and feedback, and participate in group coaching sessions. Participants will also contribute to an online space (on Mighty Networks), in support of other participants’ self-reflection, and will practice hosting calls together.

Self-Reflection

Each participant will be expected to keep a personal journal (with journal prompts and creative exercises provided) in which they reflect on their own growth, identify their blindspots and barriers, and practice holding space for themselves. They will also be encouraged to do other self-reflection practices, including creative and somatic practices. Some of that self- reflection will be shared in a group space where other participants can reflect back what they’re witnessing.

Mentorship

Teaching and mentorship in this program will be provided by our Leadership Team. Each participant will be assigned a mentor who will meet with them one-on-one before and after the practicum and also be available for consultation in between. The Leadership Team will host the calls in the first half of the program, and then will support the participants as they practice hosting calls.

The pre-requisite for this program is completion of the Foundation Program (at the Coach, Leader, or Facilitator level). There is an application process for acceptance, with a maximum of 16 people in a cohort. Applications will be reviewed by the teaching team and you may be invited to a one-on-one interview in order to better explore your fitness for this program.

Apply now

You know those ‘payment-for-paper’ certifications? The ones that merely hint at something of substance, requiring no developed skillset or demonstrated acumen? THIS is not one of those certifications.

It’s been eight months of internal, relational and emotional labor. Eight months of rumbling and fumbling and (eventually) flourishing. Eight months of asking and answering some REALLY tough questions, stretching and growing and outgrowing the prematurity of each. Eight months of community and agency and autonomy, exploring layers of privilege and power and pain. Eight months of speaking up, soaking in and (sometimes) stepping away. Eight months of being seen, seeing others and seeing ourselves—all within the relative safety (and absolute bravery) of fourteen humble human souls. Eight months of bringing our best to the table, seeking a little mystery (and making a little magic) each step of the way. Eight months of liminal, seminal and inaugural space—the womb that conceived, the amnion that nurtured, the canal that delivered a veritable kaleidoscope of neo-creation.

This Certified Holding Space Practitioner program, gifted to the world by Heather and Krista (with loving support from Emily, aka my new favorite Canadian), represents SO MUCH MORE than words can capture following eight months of big conversations.

This program is something special, exceptional and exponential.

– Rae Gaelyn Emerson, 2021 Graduate, Relational Trauma Recovery Coach

Benefits of Certification:

Strengthened skills in Holding Space, including practical application and integration into your life and work.
Ongoing access to a global community of learners and practitioners.
License to use a variety of resources (courses, presentation material, graphics, exercises, books, etc.) developed by the Centre for Holding Space.
Ongoing support from and access to the Centre for Holding Space Global Team, including occasional alumni Zoom calls.
Opportunities to attend in-person Alumni Gatherings (including special access to sessions reserved for Certified Practitioners).

Requirements for completion of The program

Full participation includes:

Regular attendance on weekly Zoom calls (at least 75% of calls attended).
Completion of a practicum. (The first 2 monts will be design, the last month will be completion and reflection, and the six months in between will be active practice.)
Meeting with mentors at least twice (before and after practicum).
Practice serving as host and guardian of our weekly group calls.
Regular self-reflection using the Holding Space Self-Exploration Tool.
Contribution to a multi-day virtual gathering at the end. Each participant will be required to host/teach some type of holding space practice with the group.
Contribution to peer feedback, peer mentorship/coaching/support.
Receiving feedback from peers, mentors, self, and those receiving the services offered by the applicant.

Our global teaching & mentorship team is here to serve and support you on this learning journey.

Since creating the initial Holding Space training program in 2011, Heather Plett has been working with (and mentoring) a global team of highly skilled facilitators who will be your Grounded Guides throughout your time with us. Each member of our team has been certified as a Master Practitioner.

Learn more about Emily, Lucy, Krista and Heather on our Global Team Page.

Learn and grow in a supportive global community.

Your own unique learning journey

The learning and growth in the program will be rooted in the same principles and values as the Foundation Program (which participants will have completed). We believe that each individual is sovereign and unique and that we each have the wisdom to find the path most suited to us. While we will support you, hold space for your learning, and provide selective guidance in helping you find your path, we, as your mentors and teachers, will not function in authoritative ways, directing you, evaluating you, or micromanaging your journey through the program.

The evaluation process will consist of a feedback loop that will be rooted in self-reflection, community-reflection, and mentorship-reflection. We have developed a special Holding Space Self-Exploration Tool, based on the principles you learned in the Foundation Program, to guide you in meeting your learning goals.

We will hold space for your growth, dignity and autonomy.

Learning in community

Participants will be self-directed learners who are passionate about Holding Space. They engage in community-building and the co-creation of generative learning spaces. They show humility and grace in accepting challenges and in identifying their own biases and blindspots. They have the maturity to stay in conversations even when they are difficult. They promote other people’s learning and success along with their own. They ask for what they need and offer what they can. They’re committed to building a culture rooted in equity, anti-oppression and justice.

About the Final Gathering

We will gather virtually over 3 to 5 consecutive days in 3 to 4 hour blocks.
The tentative dates for the gathering are:
June 8-12, 2026

This gathering will be many things:

A celebration of the completion of your hard work
A chance to deepen our relationships and explore the potential for self-organizing communities beyond the course
A time to celebrate & amplify what each individual brings to circle practice
An opportunity to learn from each other
An opportunity to present your learning to the group
A community-building time that will help equip us for the work moving forward
A ceremonial way of marking the end of this journey and the beginning of the next one

Come join us!

Program Dates: October 20, 2025 – June 12, 2026
Program Cost: $5000 CAD

To complete the application process and pay the $500 registration fee, click the button below. (The remaining balance can be paid in full or by instalments upon acceptance into the program.)