Four Saturdays. A small cohort. A skill that changes how every relationship feels — personal, professional, and civic. You'll leave knowing how to hold a space where people feel genuinely heard.
The Empathy Circle Facilitator Training is a four-session online program that teaches you to host the world's most accessible form of deep listening practice. No therapy background required. No spiritual framework to adopt.
You'll learn the four-role structure — speaker, active listener, silent listener, and facilitator — and how to hold that container for any group, in any context. It's simple enough to teach in 10 minutes. Deep enough to transform how people relate.
By the final session, you'll have facilitated multiple circles, given and received structured feedback, and left with everything you need to start running your own.
We ask that you attend two Empathy Circles before applying. It takes 90 minutes. It answers every question better than words can. There are many Empathy Circles to choose from.
The training is comprehensive. You leave with practice, feedback, community, and tools — not just information.
You won't just watch — you'll participate in multiple circles each session, rotating through all four roles with structured debrief.
Complete written guide covering how to open, run, and close a circle — plus common challenges and how to navigate them.
Between sessions, you'll practice one-on-one with a training partner. Structured calls with clear guidance on what to work on.
Word-for-word opening scripts, role introductions, and closing sequences so you can start hosting immediately — even while nervous.
You join a network of thousands of people across many countries building a global culture of empathy. Connections that last.
Everything here is yours to use, adapt, and redistribute. Run it in your workplace, school, congregation, or community — for free.
Each session builds on the last. By the end, you've moved from participant to facilitator — with real practice hours, not just theory.
Sessions run on Saturday mornings, 10:00 AM – 12:30 PM Pacific. All sessions are recorded and shared with the cohort.
"This is one of the most practical and immediately applicable skills I've ever learned. I use it every week — in my work, my family, my community."— Cohort Graduate
Completing the training is the beginning, not the end. Graduates join an ongoing community of practice with access to:
All cohorts run online via Zoom on Saturday mornings, 10:00 AM – 12:30 PM Pacific. Apply early — cohorts are small by design.
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Don't see a cohort that works? Email Bill Filler — we periodically schedule additional sessions.
Already a graduate? The Train the Trainers pathway gives you everything you need to run the Facilitator Training yourself — in your organization, community, or region.
This is how the Empathy Circle practice spreads without centralizing. Every trainer who completes this pathway can spin up new cohorts independently, using the same open-source curriculum.
Continuous training since 2011 across 30+ cohorts with global participants.
Graduates facilitating circles on every continent, in workplaces, schools, and communities.
Open-source curriculum. Free to use, adapt, and redistribute. Gift economy by design.
Each trained facilitator typically reaches hundreds. The math scales beautifully.
Everything people ask before applying.
Empathy training teaches you to listen deeply and reflect back what you hear — without advice, judgment, or problem-solving. Empathy Circle training specifically uses a structured four-role practice (speaker, active listener, silent listener, and facilitator) developed over 30+ years of practice. You learn to create the conditions where people feel genuinely heard.
The Empathy Circle Facilitator Training runs across four sessions, each 2.5 hours, on Saturday mornings. Most people complete it in one cohort — about one month. There's also optional between-session buddy practice of around 30–60 minutes per week.
Yes. Participants who attend all four sessions receive an Empathy Circle Facilitator Certificate of Completion. The certificate is recognized within the global Empathy Circle community and signals that you have the skills and practice hours to lead circles independently.
The training is free. It runs as a gift economy — you're welcome to donate if it's meaningful to you, but nothing is required to apply, enroll, or receive your certificate.
The training is open to anyone, worldwide. No therapy background, no coaching credentials, and no prior experience required. Graduates work in schools, workplaces, healthcare, conflict resolution, community organizing, and family life — anywhere people communicate.
Yes — the entire training is online via Zoom. Participants have joined from dozens of countries. The only requirements are a reliable internet connection and the ability to attend four sessions on Saturday mornings (Pacific Time).
Empathy Circle training is not therapy and doesn't require or provide clinical support. It's a skill-based practice — you learn to facilitate structured listening circles in everyday settings. The goal is to help communities build their own capacity for empathy, not to treat individual trauma or mental health conditions.
Four Saturdays online. Small cohort. Free by donation. You'll leave knowing how to host a practice that genuinely changes how people listen to each other.
Training is free — by donation. Support the movement →
Questions before applying? Email Bill Filler — Training Lead. He'll respond within 48 hours.