Experiential Facilitation for Counselors, Wellness Professionals, & Mental Health Program Facilitators
Engagement, connection, and meaningful, lasting growth.
Through professional learning programs, ongoing mentorship, and direct-service facilitation, Jen Stanchfield empowers counselors, social workers, psychologists, prevention specialists, and wellness professionals to facilitate dynamic therapeutic and wellness groups that build rapport, foster trust, and nurture growth. She integrates neuroscience research, experiential facilitation principles, and actionable strategies you can apply immediately to enhance outcomes.
Guided by decades of experience in community and clinical mental health settings, Jen empowers mental health and wellness professionals to engage participants physically, emotionally, socially, and intellectually. Her approach is participant-centered, strengths-based, and collaborative, offering practical strategies across diverse modalities. She acts as a partner in learning, modeling responsive facilitation rather than providing a prescriptive curriculum.
Jen’s Foundational Books on Experiential Teaching and Facilitation Methods
“Jennifer Stanchfield successfully takes critical, yet complex concepts like social-emotional learning and 21st Century skill development and makes them practical, relevant and approachable by framing them through an experiential learning lens.” ~ Kara Bixby, Manager of Research & Evaluation, Saint Paul Public Schools FoundationCounselor as Facilitator
Mental health and wellness practitioners recognize the value of reflection and processing in group work, but often find that facilitating it is one of the most challenging aspects of groupwork.
With intentional reflection woven throughout sessions, Jen supports counselors in cultivating ownership, voice, and a sense of belonging in therapeutic and wellness groups.
- Deepen insight, self-awareness, and application of groupwork to real-life situations
- Support social, emotional, and relational skill development
- Create connected, inclusive, and supportive group environments with engaged participants
- Facilitate deep processing and reflection with confidence
- Design theme-based wellness activities that resonate and inspire
These strategies are adaptable across settings, group types, and therapeutic modalities.
“I would point to Jen as the single most impactful professional in my life in terms of my facilitation and leadership skills development. Jen’s grounded, realistic but hopeful approach to the art and science of facilitation freed me up to just be who I am when I step in front of a group. Jen has also served as a catalyst for our institution over the years. Her boundary spanning ability to provide relevant learning opportunities to faculty, staff, administrative leaders, and students all in one visit creates momentum that we have put to good use.”
Relevant, Adaptable, Invitational
Workshops are interactive, participant-centered, and brain-based. You will leave with simple, actionable strategies and easy-to-implement tools that support the work you’re already doing.
Choose from a sampling of popular professional learning workshops for counselors, wellness professionals, and mental health program facilitators or contact Jen to co-design a workshop tailored to your program’s specific needs.
The Art and Science of Experiential Therapeutic and Wellness Group Facilitation
Confidently guide powerful, strengths-based therapeutic and wellness groups with a foundation of experiential facilitation principles. Design and sequence activities that build rapport, foster trust, and nurture growth. Engage participants with differing personalities and comfort levels. Create meaningful group experiences that support mental health, resilience, and social-emotional development.
Meaningful Reflection Tools and Techniques to Enhance Therapeutic and Educational Outcomes
Use reflective practice to bring therapeutic group work into real life skills, increase insight, and create pathways to future learning. Leverage teachable moments and enliven therapeutic experiences by weaving tangible reflection and dialogue techniques throughout your program. Use multiple methods including movement, metaphor, reflective games, art, and interactive dialogue to increase relevancy, depth of understanding, and connection to real life and future learning. Create lasting lessons and inspire participants to become lifelong reflective learners.
Enliven the Traditional Sharing Circle with Responsive Facilitation Techniques
Enhance meaningful engagement, and deepen buy-in, voice, reflection and productive dialogue in community circles and restorative practices. Facilitate more effective circles by infusing engaging, multi-modal techniques that empower everyone to participate and share. Transform circles into active, powerful tools for connection, healing, and growth.
Metaphors to Bring Learning to Life: Themed Based Wellness Activities and Experiential Program Design
Design powerful therapeutic, wellness, and prevention programs that resonate with participants using metaphor and experiential facilitation practices. Meet program goals by leading practical, relevant, and engaging programs on coping skills, stress management, strengths-building, social and emotional skills development, and self and social awareness. Bring your wellness curriculum alive with activities and techniques that participants connect with, remember, and apply to their lives. Create experiences that transform abstract concepts into tangible learning.
Inspire, Engage, Connect, and Reflect for School Counselors, Mental Health, Wellness, SEL and Systems of Support Facilitators
Fill your toolbox with experiential, brain-based methods to inspire, engage, and create lasting, meaningful lessons. Enliven groupwork, counseling lessons, circles, and meetings with experiential facilitation and active reflection techniques. Cultivate belonging, involvement, participant voice, choice, and ownership. Integrate meeting or counseling content with essential life skills and social-emotional competencies. Increase involvement, emotional connection, relevancy, and depth of understanding. Bring learning to life with active review and reflection techniques. Use the power of play to build a joyful, connected community.
Collaborate with Jen to Create a Custom Workshop for your Organization
Jen’s interactive workshops explore the why behind the practice to offer practical tools and techniques and the confidence you need to adapt them right away. Each workshop blends the foundations of experiential education, neuroscience research, and tangible strategies based on decades of experience with diverse groups and learners. Her participant-centered approach creates a forum for everyone in the room to learn from each other. Reach out to Jen to start a conversation about your school, college, or organization’s unique goals
Community of Practice: Ongoing Professional Learning, Consultation, and Mentorship
In this collaborative professional learning model, counselors and wellness professionals deepen their experiential facilitation skills through sustained mentorship, embedded support, and connection with a community of peers. This ongoing format allows you to explore new skills and strategies within your own therapeutic and wellness groups, while receiving the support of a professional facilitator and fellow practitioners.
Through regular check-ins, co-creative problem-solving, and shared learning, you’ll gain confidence in facilitating using experiential methods, expand your repertoire of strategies for integrating social-emotional learning, and refine your ability to design meaningful, participant-centered group experiences that promote lasting growth and resilience.
“Jen’s ongoing professional development work has deepened what members of the Social Emotional Wellness and Systems of Support team provide in terms of training, coaching and related support across the district. As a result of her work with Austin Independent School District staff, we have embedded experiential learning practices in daily classroom settings, high level administrative meetings and in support sessions for caregivers. Her works meshes well with campus-based counseling sessions, districtwide trauma-informed responses and Social and Emotional Learning Signature Practices.”
Enliven Your Facilitation with Experiential Tools for Reflection and Dialogue
Based on requests by the educators and facilitators in her programs, Jen has developed many of the reflection and engagement tools she uses in her own facilitation into products you can use in your work.
Making experiential, brain-based methods of engagement, reflection, and group dialogue accessible is a passion of Jen’s work and every tool she offers is hand-selected for usability, quality, and aesthetic appeal.
Let’s Transform Your Group Facilitation
Author, educator & facilitator Jen Stanchfield’s innovative workshops and books blend the art of teaching and facilitation with the latest neuroscience. With over three decades of diverse experience — including in recreational therapy, expressive therapies teams, adventure therapy programs, K-12 education, higher ed, and organizational team building — her work has inspired educators, school counselors, college wellness initiatives, and prevention program facilitators to spark joyful learning, cultivate emotional connection, and build resilient communities.
Jen will support you in crafting more creative, rewarding therapeutic and wellness experiences that truly transform. If you’re ready for a collaborative, engaging partnership, begin a conversation with Jen today.
