Within the association there are around 20 volunteers who act as ‘facilitators’ at the workshops or who are training for this role.
‘Facilitators’ are the people who play an active role in running a healing of memories workshop.
Their task is to accompany participants on their journey throughout the workshop, especially during the discussions in small groups, and to offer them the possibility of a reunion some months later. They are not there to direct the sessions but primarily, as their name suggests, to ‘facilitate’ the telling of stories, to encourage balanced participation and to support participants on their path to healing.
First and foremost, though, facilitators are human beings with their own life journey, their own wounds. They are not mental health professionals or psychologists; it is important that they too be on their own path to healing and for that reason they participate fully in the workshops.
They are trained specifically to apply the healing of memories methodology and to accompany the process and they are recognised as facilitators by the Institute for Healing of Memories in Cape Town.
Co-facilitators or trainee facilitators may take part in the workshops to assist the accredited facilitators.
Each workshop is run by one or two lead facilitators, who ensure consistency throughout the process.
All the current facilitators and co-facilitators have been trained in Luxembourg directly by Michael Lapsley, who created the methodology.