What is the AFLB Facilitator Training Program and who are we looking for? Check out this introductory video for more information.
About
Welcome to the AFLB Facilitator Training Program! You may have watched my Youtube series Advice From a Loving Bitch or even read my curriculum, a radical program for gutsy individuals who wish to transform their self-hatred into self-love. The Advice From a Loving Bitch Facilitation Program is a new opportunity for followers of this work to become Licensed Facilitators in the AFLB process and gain livelihood by facilitating groups of their own. Participants will participate in a nine-week facilitated AFLB process led by Rythea Lee and Divinah Erving, be part of a day-long certification training, and become eligible to purchase and use the Advice From a Loving Bitch License. Any individual who completes the nine-week group, certification training workshop, and purchases the license will be set up to facilitate their own groups and continue sharing the AFLB process with others. This is deeply transformative work for those who are ready to explore new venues for self-love and healing, and we invite you to come along.
Now YOU get to be a part of the process! For the first time, those who are interested in the Advice from a Loving Bitch process and video series have the opportunity to apply to join a nine-week AFLB process. Each week, this group will meet and be guided through one episode and chapter of the AFLB curriculum and dive into an in-depth, experiential group process. Each session has been uniquely crafted and invites participants show up as their full selves- this space is an opportunity to get to work on healing! After nine weekly meetings, participants will attend a day-long training that covers all the logistics that go into running these groups. It prepares you to use the curriculum as your guide, to know and understand the guidelines and handbooks, and once completed, gives you certification. Following your certification, you will be able to purchase the AFLB license, which will enable you to facilitate similar groups and benefit monetarily from helping others advance on their healing paths. Licensed AFLB Facilitators may facilitate as many groups as they wish during the term of their license.
Participants will have access to a community social media forum and will have the opportunity to be in contact with one another regarding the AFLB work and the process we are all experiencing. Everyone involved in the Advice From a Loving Bitch Facilitation Training Program will be connected to a network of people who join together on this healing path to support and inspire each other.
In order for the AFLB Facilitation Training Program to begin, we need to secure seven courageous individuals who are ready to face healing head-on. This is where you come in! We are seeking individuals who are natural leaders, comfortable and confident in group settings, serious about healing, and passionate about social justice issues. If you fit this description, please read on and consider applying to be a part of the AFLB Facilitator Training Program.
About the Facilitators
Rythea Lee has had a private practice in Northampton, MA for over 25 years. She specializes in treating childhood sexual abuse, trauma, and trauma education. She has taught Peer Counseling to groups for the past ten years, helping to build a strong community of peer to peer counselors who assist each other in processing emotions, breaking isolation, and creating a lifestyle of connection and intimacy. She is a radical unschooling, non-coercive parent of an 8-year-old who believes that the rights of children are an important and urgent social justice issue. She is a performing artist, author of two books, poet, painter, singer/songwriter, and activist. Her online show Advice from a Loving Bitch and the Curriculum that goes with it, is a body of work that is has had a significant therapeutic impact on individuals and groups locally and nationally. She is so excited about the Advice from a Loving Bitch Facilitator Training Program and being able to train and support gifted leaders to change the world!!!
Divinah Erving: Born in Kosciusko, MS, Divinah Erving is a foster care survivor and a trauma survivor. Determined to not live out trauma, she put herself through college and engaged in healing practices with Buddhism and therapy. Divinah is a Priestess Initiate at the Sophia Wisdom School where she cultivates plant spirit medicine and carries out Sacred Rites. She is a Buddhist practitioner and a Massage Therapist. Divinah is excited to co-facilitate the AFLB Facilitator Training program because it brings together her years of personal healing, social justice activism, and community building.
Get Involved
If the AFLB Facilitation Training Program speaks to you, please consider getting involved! There are several ways to be involved in the AFLB Facilitation Training Program as a Participant, Facilitator, or Sponsor.
Facilitators
Facilitators serve as the backbone of the Advice From a Loving Bitch Facilitation Program. As mentioned above, in order to become a Licensed AFLB Facilitator, individuals must first register as Participants and complete a minimum 9-week group. Then, interested candidates will attend an all-day certification training held by Rythea Lee and Divinah Erving. Following the training, candidates will purchase the Advice From a Loving Bitch Facilitation License, rendering you a Licensed Facilitator in the AFLB method. With the AFLB license, you will be able to recruit Participants, hold weekly groups, and receive compensation for your work. The work of Facilitators is courageous, gritty, and bold. We are seeking individuals who are reading to take on the HARD work of healing and to help others on their own healing paths. Read on for more information about applying to become a certified Facilitator in the AFLB method!
Why Become A Facilitator?
The AFLB Facilitator Training Program operates under the philosophy that we teach what we most need to learn. Become a licensed Facilitator is an opportunity to be compensated while engaging in this very life-affirming practice with others.
We live in the age of Zoom and this is an incredible chance to tap into Facilitation! AFLB Facilitators will absolutely grow their skills as a holder of space and a leader. As an AFLB Facilitator, you will be supported by this organization as you learn and grow as a leader and Facilitator. Additionally, you will join a network of Facilitators who are trained in this work and become a part of a community that centers leadership, empathy, and healing.
Not convinced yet? After completing a pilot program for the AFLB Facilitator Training Program in Spring 2019, our pilot Facilitators left touching reviews on what they learned through facilitating an AFLB process. Here’s what they had to say:
“I facilitated an 8-week AFALB Curriculum process group and I loved it! The curriculum truly changes lives. It brings light to a subject that thrives in darkness. The curriculum is light-hearted, humorous, and authentic. The creator of the process is healing right along with you, providing a space of unity and belonging for participants. Personally, I was afraid to begin this process. I believed externalizing the self hating voice would only make it grow, and that it is better for my healing journey to simply ignore the thoughts. The process revealed how empowering it truly is to witness the self hating voice and how often that voice is actually running the show. I believe I am now seeing myself more wholly. I feel more balanced and more capable of living life as a mature and joyful adult!”
“I think I gained confidence, and released some of the pressure and expectations I had for myself to “get it right” or see myself as an authority about the material. By the end, I really felt like I was just holding space for us to all move through the process in a mutually supportive way. “
“I learned I could hold all of my parts regardless of what they have been through, and that I am trustworthy to show up for myself.”
“I think I’ve gotten more comfortable with being in the role. I still feel like a have a lot to grow into. I’ve avoided being assertive for my whole life, so facilitating forces me to do that.”
“I facilitated an 8-week AFALB Curriculum process for myself, and found a whole lot of parts of me that were abusing me and wreaking havoc on an unconscious level. This program helped me to discover these parts, and to love and create healing for them. The process also helped me to be more honest with myself and to create more internal communication, and to become more whole. “
Click here to view episodes of the Advice From A Loving Bitch Youtube series!
Are you ready to take the leap and become a certified AFLB Facilitator? Apply today to become a part of this powerful program!
Participants
Participants are the individuals Facilitators seek out to join AFLB Focus Groups after becoming certified and licensed. Participants are individuals who attend weekly AFLB focus groups for 9, 12, or 20 weeks. Under the guidance of vetted Facilitators, Participants are given a safe space to explore their past experiences, become in touch with their Inner Child and Loving Adult, engage with exercises to transform self-hatred, and join together in a community of support and healing. Participants pay a one-time membership fee to the AFLB Program, in addition to weekly class fees which are paid to the Facilitators. Participants are expected to have strong support systems which will enable them to complete the work of the curriculum in an empowered and safe way. Facilitators contribute to the solid container of this work by screening Participants, choosing a healing-ready group, modeling the energy and intention of this work, and running the curriculum structure in ways that are well-organized, fun, empathetic, and inspiring.
Why Become A Participant?
Registering as a participant in an AFLB focus group can be a life-changing decision-one that pushes you to dig deeper in your healing, and to do so in community. Participants in AFLB Focus Groups get to learn experientially, watching others share in a space of empathy and care. Groups work with user-friendly tools to transform self-hatred and develop skills for self-care and self-love that you can bring into your everyday life. This work takes place around a group of people who focus on similar issues and challenges in their healing. Participants are held in a sacred space, in order to explore emotional and mental roadblocks, to be creative in a creative space, to express themselves fully, to be playful, and laugh a lot!
During your time as a Participant, you will have access to a community forum of other AFLB Participants who are part of AFLB facilitated groups. This community forum is a space to share creative outputs from the program, connect with other Participants, and be in community with others who are working through this gritty and gratifying healing process.
Sponsors
While many understand the profound value of the Advice From a Loving Bitch method, not everyone is prepared to join a group. However, there are other ways to become involved with the AFLB Facilitator Training Program! This program is not possible without the generous support of donations from community members and those who see the importance of this work. If you are interested in contributing to the longevity of this program, please consider donating via Venmo (@Rythea-Lee) or Paypal (rythea@crocker.com). Additionally, the AFLB Facilitator Training Program is proud to offer a scholarship fund for BIPOC and Queer/Trans* individuals, particularly for folks who identify across multiple marginalized identities. Please note in your donation if you would explicitly like your donation to be allocated to our scholarship fund.
Becoming a Group Participant
More information coming soon!
Becoming A Licensed Facilitator
The path to becoming a licensed Facilitator in the AFLB method consists of 2 steps: one 9-week course and an all-day Facilitation Training with Rythea and Divinah, followed by the purchase of the AFLB License.
Step One: 9-Week AFLB Focus Group and All-Day Facilitation Training Event
We are in search of seven dynamic individuals who wish to learn how to facilitate their own AFLB groups after completing their training! This group will meet weekly and work through 8 episodes of the AFLB curriculum/YouTube series. Each session will contain assignments for group members and the group will learn together. Session 1 of the 9 weeks will consist of an orientation, and the subsequent sessions will address one episode of the curriculum, up to Episode 8.
After completing the nine-week group, eligible members will attend an all-day Facilitator training event with Rythea and Divinah. The Facilitator training workshop is an integral part of becoming a certified Facilitator in the AFLB method. Topics to be covered in this training include: the logistics of running a group, including payment structure, time commitment, and group structure, the screening process for Participants, social justice awareness, the dynamics of running a group, the emotional competency needed for facilitation, logistics surrounding Zoom, and a review of the Participant and Facilitator Handbooks.
The Participant and Facilitator Handbooks are texts that are available to everyone in the AFLB Facilitator Training Program. These books provide important information about group dynamics, group structure, and necessary facilitation skills. The Handbooks are an additional resource provided to Facilitators and empower the Facilitator to reflect on Facilitation and the ways in which the most transformative AFLB focus groups can take place.
The 9-week course facilitated by Rythea and Divinah and the all-day Facilitator training event work in tandem; these two pieces complement each other and are necessary steps towards becoming eligible to run your own AFLB focus groups. Weekly sessions with Rythea and Divinah will be charged on a sliding scale and the price of the all-day workshop is $300.00. Payment for both the group sessions and workshop must be submitted as one payment.
Step Two: Purchase of the AFLB License
After becoming a Certified Facilitator, it is time to purchase the AFLB license. The license enables Facilitators to assemble and run their own AFLB focus groups for one year. With the purchase of the license, Facilitators will have the opportunity to be compensated for their facilitation and to bring the work of this curriculum into their communities. The cost of the license is $300.00, renewable annually.
Upon completion of 9 weekly sessions, the Facilitator training workshop, and purchase of the license, you become a licensed and certified AFLB Facilitator! This means you have the opportunity to run your own groups and receive compensation for your work.
Application Process
Are you ready to join the AFLB Facilitator Training Program and engage in a dynamic, new method for healing? Are you a natural leader looking for the next wild and deep challenge? If you are interested in being considered for the 9-week focus group and Facilitator Training Workshop, please fill out the AFLB Facilitator Training Program Application. Applications are due December 15th, 2020. You will receive a follow-up response shortly after your application submission. Should you be a qualified applicant for this program, a thirty minute phone interview will be scheduled to get to learn more about you and your background. We look forward to receiving your application!
Finances/Costs
Fees for Trainees in Rythea and Divinah’s Group:
Costs for training:
AFLB Curriculum Book: $40 (estimate of online fee for book)
9 weekly classes at $58.33 per session: $525
All-Day Training: $300
TOTAL: $865.00
The cost for BIPOC Facilitators-In-Training may be reduced up to 50% upon receipt of scholarship- see application section above for more details.
Licensing: after completing the 9 weeks and the all-day training, individuals in Rythea and Divinah’s group will have to pay for the license. The cost for the license is $300, eligible for yearly renewal.
What do Facilitators receive from their licensing fee?
- License to run AFLB groups for 1 year (9, 12, or 20-week sessions)
- Private Facilitator virtual live Q and A’s with Rythea
- Handbooks with extensive information for both Facilitators and Participants
- Networking support through Rythea’s website and connections to potential Participants for groups.
- Access to private forum for both Facilitators and Participants to post creative reports and sharing on their groups.
Facilitator Profit
After Rythea and Divinah’s participants complete the 9-week group, all-day training, and purchase the license, they will be eligible to facilitate their own groups. Below is an outline of possible profit to be made by running AFLB groups after becoming a licensed and certified Facilitator. This estimate assumes that Facilitators run one nine-week group with four participants total.
Facilitators receive payment for the weekly classes ($270 total per participant) and the AFLB organization receives payment for the book and membership.
Possible outcome after your first group:
The Facilitators receive $270 for classes x 4 Participants, totaling a profit of $1,080. This is a 9 week group estimate. If you run a longer first group or have 5 participants, you would easily cover the cost of your training.
Participant Costs
Once trained Facilitators begin to run their own groups, they are responsible for recruiting Participants to join their process. The AFLB organization may provide assistance to Facilitators in finding Participants. The following is a cost breakdown of what recruited Participants will be responsible for:
Book fee: $40
9 weekly classes at $30 each: 9 x 30 = $270 (FYI, you can run longer groups of 12 or 20 weeks, and as many groups as you want in a year)
Membership fee (this is a one time fee): $100
TOTAL: $410.00
What Participants Receive With Membership:
- Access to live Q and A sessions with Rythea
- Involvement in the community forum in which you receive feedback and affirmation from a network of AFLB participants.
- A Participant Handbook with guidelines on the work and resources for support.
- Opportunity to work with a trained and licensed Facilitator who is well-versed in the AFLB process
Link for registration and purchases coming soon!
Scholarship Fund/Financial Aid
Rythea Lee and the Advice from a Loving Bitch Facilitator Training Program is offering a scholarship valued at half the price of the training program fee to people living at the intersections of marginalized identities, prioritizing BIPOC and Queer/Trans* Facilitators/Participants. The intention of this scholarship is to offer reparations to those hit the hardest by systems of white supremacy. Social justice is a core value of this program and we are in continuous dialogue and exploration on how to best do our part in an ongoing fight for racial and class equity. We have 4 spots available upon application and approval.
Advice From A Loving Bitch Reviews
I know the AFLB Curriculum works because of the powerful and transformative shifts that have occurred in individuals who engage with this work. Here is some of what they have to say:
“I just finished an 8-week AFALB Curriculum process group and I’ll never be the same – in the best possible way. Who knew that peacefully waiting in the wings of my psyche was an inner loving adult, simply waiting to be beckoned forth to embrace me with love and reassurance? What a joyful surprise to connect with my inner loving adult, who now walks with me every day and counterbalances inner negativity. It’s a gift of such magnitude – everything feels different. This is the most amazing self-help program I’ve ever encountered.” -Stephanie
What can I say? This work is so important and timely and to the point and you bring such a beautifully funny light touch to it all— I hope you spark a world-wide revolution of loving bitches. – Ann Hackler
“I just finished an 8-week AFALB Curriculum process group and I am feeling SO FUCKING GRATEFUL! I feel so transformed in the most beautiful ways and can’t wait to continue to learn and grow with all of these tools I have been equipped with and the knowledge I have learned.”
Thank you, Rythea for courageously providing this crucial support for all those who need it. – Dylan Boyd
“I just finished an 8-week AFALB Curriculum process group and I feel as though I learned so much and have gained a greater appreciation and love for myself. I have learned that the self-hating voice does not need to be a part of me, it is just a voice that tries to persuade and bring you down. I do not have to listen.”
Wonderful series, highly original, much needed. Don’t normally donate but this really deserves encouragement. Thank you. – Adam Knowles
You can read more reviews of the AFLB Curriculum here
Cancellation Policy
Fifty percent of the total cost of the AFLB Facilitator Training program will be due 30 days before the start of group. This deposit is non-refundable. The remaining 50% balance is due by the start date of the group. This program depends on full, consistent attendance in order to maintain a safe and productive group environment, and no missed classes will be refunded.