At times people have questions about the tickets for my group coaching.

I am modeling my ticket tiers after some other programs in which I am certified, including:

• Organic Intelligence offers a BIPOC affinity group and some grants for BIPOC, and I heard from participants how much it helped to have some grants available and for them to be in a space with a facilitator who understood more about their day-to-day experiences of racism. BIPOC is a term in use in the US and stands for Black Indigenous and People of Color (pronounced bye-pock). Internal Family Systems uses the term “People of the Global Majority,” in recognition that people of color are the global majority, while underrepresented in many places due to barriers to inclusion.

• While my group coaching is not an affinity space for a certain group, I saw how the Body Trust program offering this statement and pricing tiers also helped people gain financial access and feel more comfortable when they knew the facilitators understood more about their experiences: “The Center for Body Trust embodies values, policies and practices to create access to the resources we offer. Black, Indigenous and People of Color, trans and non-binary folks, queer people, super and inifinifat folks, and people with disabilities are disproportionately impacted by barriers to healthcare and wellness services due to systemic and institutionalized systems. We wish to address this impact by offering a three-tiered pricing structure: equity, standard and standard plus.”

The ticket section is the only area where people have different options based on their identities, in order to give people who are underrepresented in healing groups the opportunity to have a space in the group.

People have the opportunity to introduce themselves, including sharing what brings you to group coaching. I introduce myself in a way that is becoming more common in workplaces and other groups. If this is a way that’s comfortable for you, you may also introduce yourself that way. If it’s new to you, here are some resources to learn more.

• Pronouns
• Indigenous land that you live upon (US map)

Different practices are comfortable for different people. Some people will feel more comfortable because I bring in the concepts of pronouns and land acknowledgements. Some people won’t like that and may prefer a space to discuss how the world is changing too quickly for them, and talk about their fears. If someone would like that kind of space, I suggest making that request in organizations providing healing groups.

For anyone who would like to think more about the stresses that come with different life experiences, this is the quiz I offer to coach trainees. Taking this quiz on relative position and privileges is a start in raising awareness of what to learn about being of support to people with different life experiences. Some questions are more for college students and I welcome comments on alternatives.

As we examine our own identities and think about how our experiences may differ from people in our lives, it’s important to consider intersectionality. When a person is from multiple marginalized identities, the effect doesn’t just add up, but multiples. See: The urgency of intersectionality | Kimberlé Crenshaw 

We may need to build capacity to face all of this, learning little by little.

I look forward to some folks joining my groups, and to others finding the combination of supports that will be most beneficial.

When the sliding fee-scale tickets and grants for BIPOC have sold out, I keep a list of people who need those, in case the workshop doesn’t fill. For my own financial sustainability, I put a certain number of tickets in the full price tier.

Warmly,

Dev