Beyond the Irish Question
The Art of Collective Integration
A FOUR-DAY GATHERING IN DUBLIN
How do we stay present with one another when a room goes quiet, a conversation gets charged, or a group begins to pull apart?
With David Young, Simon Courtney and Heather Thalheimer
March 2027 · Dates to be confirmed
FOUR DAYS IN DUBLIN · MARCH 2027
Come practise with us
Three days to learn the practices, then a fourth to work together with a theme that has surfaced in the group.
AN INVITATION FROM SIMON AND DAVID
What it’s like to be in the room
Picture us sitting in a circle.
A conversation goes quiet. You notice yourself holding your breath. When we pause to ask what people noticed, one person says they were uneasy. Someone else says they were glad to have a moment to think. Now there’s a little more room to hear each other.
That’s the kind of moment we want to give time to in Dublin. Over the first three days, we’ll practise in pairs and as a group. We’ll notice how we respond when a conversation gets difficult, hear how the same moment felt for someone else, and try again. It’s something you can bring back to a team, a community or your own family.
On the fourth day, we’ll use what we’ve practised to work together with a theme that has surfaced in the group.
We’d love to practise with you.
Simon & David
THE EXPERIENCE
What we’ll practise together
In the wider group, we’ll practise staying in conversation when people are responding differently. You can try asking a question, leaving a pause or naming something you sense, then hear how it landed.
Make room for different experiences
WHOLE-GROUP PRACTICE
GUIDED AND PARTNERED PRACTICE
Sitting with a partner, you might notice your breath change or feel an urge to fill a silence. You’ll have time to put words to what you noticed and hear how the same moment felt to someone else.
Notice your response as it happens
THE PROGRAMME
Four days in Dublin
March 2027 · Dates to be confirmed
DAY 1 · FOUNDATIONS
Notice what shifts in a group
Begin with guided practice. Pay attention to how connection, tension or distance register in your body as your attention moves from yourself to the group.
DAY 2 · DEPTH
Stay present when tension rises
Practise staying aware of yourself and others when a conversation becomes charged. Explore how grief and shared histories can show up in the room.
DAY 3 · APPLICATION
Practise guiding a group
Try out ways to pause, name what you sense and invite people to share how they’re experiencing the same moment.
DAY 4 · A LIVE GROUP PROCESS
Practise guiding a group
We’ll use what we’ve practised to work with a theme from the first three days. The people in the room will shape the focus, and we’ll reflect together on what we can take into our own groups and communities.
Who this is for ?
For people curious about what happens in groups, including facilitators, therapists, coaches, educators, community organisers and people working with teams.
New to Collective Integration? You’re welcome to begin here. You can join us even if you haven’t attended the December introduction or the January workshop.
YOUR FACILITATORS
Who you’ll be with
Irish psychotherapist, coach and group facilitator. Through Beyond the Irish Question, Simon explores how the stories we inherit live on in our relationships and communities.
Simon Courtney
Teacher, facilitator and developer of the Art of Collective Integration. David works with groups to explore how conflict, history and unspoken experiences shape the way we relate.
David Young
Co-owner of WholeHearted, executive coach and Transparent Communication facilitator.
Heather Thalheimer
What participants have shared
DUBLIN, IRELAND
Join us in Dublin
If you’d like to hear when dates and booking are confirmed, get in touch and we’ll send you the details.