Certified Trainer Profiles

Contact Michèle by telephone (250) 746-8765 - Duncan BC
Or by email for more information.
As a volunteer prison chaplain, I first heard Marshall Rosenberg sharing his process of Nonviolent Communication in the company of some of the most violent people I have ever met. Like many of the inmates and staff present that day, I struggled with how to honestly express myself without sounding critical. I spent my life living from my head - a place of judgement and shame.
Recognizing this didn't serve me or allow me to contribute to the world in a more meaningful way, I was at a loss. I wanted something deeper, something different, and didn't know how to achieve it. Nothing in my experience had taught me how to be empathic. Hearing Marshall interact that day, I witnessed the "how to" of compassion in a simple and immediately powerful way. Suddenly, I heard a clear, doable process, a language with which to connect to others, and most importantly, to provide me with a clear road map to my self.
The immense contribution the process has made in all of my relationships has reinforced the value of this gift. Whether in my personal or working life, I celebrate each heart-felt connection. Now, I often find myself embracing conflict for the opportunity it brings. Like Gandhi, my goal is "to be the change I want to see in the world".
I relish every opportunity to deepen my understanding, and to share this consciousness with others. My greatest satisfaction comes from working with individuals, couples, families and community groups to assist them to live all aspects of their lives more fully and deeply. "May you laugh all your laughter and cry all your tears."
"I read Marshall's book and found it fascinating. I participated in Michele's workshop, experienced Michèle living the process and found it magical."
- A participant


Contact Martha by telephone (250) 598-4255 - Victoria BC
Or by email for more information.
Martha Henry has been passionate about Nonviolent Communication since March of 1999, when she attended her first workshop with Marshall Rosenberg. It was the phrase "Language of the Heart" which initially attracted her attention because at the time she was consciously practicing living from an open heart as she was healing from a bout of breast cancer.
By September, Martha had decided that NVC could greatly benefit the students she worked with in a local high school. She with the assistance of Penny Wassman started the first practice group for Victoria High School students in November 1999. There were 15 students who practiced weekly for the remainder of that school year. There have been NVC practice groups in the school ever since. In June of 2003, the students developed an introductory presentation for elementary and middle school students. It had incredible reception from both staff and students in those schools.
Martha's passion for sharing NVC inspired her to become a Certified Trainer. She was certified by Lucy Leu in December of 2001. She also holds a BA in Child and Youth Care from the University of Victoria and has worked as a school-based Youth and Family Counsellor for the past 24 years in both alternative and regular schools.
Martha has shared NVC in a variety of settings. In 2003 she presented at International and National conferences for educators, community leaders, youth care professionals, parents, police, health care and social workers. She also facilitated an NVC practice group for government workers. In addition she facilitated and co-facilitated many workshops for the general public. She delights in co-facilitating workshops with trainer buddies Rachelle Lamb and Penny Wassman.
Martha is committed to strengthening and building peaceful and harmonious communities. In recognition of those efforts she was honoured in 2002 with a "Women of Distinction" nomination for Community Leadership. She continues to strive to create communities where everyone can have their needs met and where authentic empathy will be commonplace. She is deeply inspired by this Buddist proverb:
"If there is light in the soul
There will be beauty in the person
If there is beauty in the person
There will be harmony in the house
If there is harmony in the house
There will be order in the nation
If there is order in the nation
There will be peace in the world."


Contact Rachelle by telephone (250) 480-7122 - Victoria BC
Toll-Free 1-866-480-7122
Or by email for more information.
Visit Rachelle's web site at www.rachellelamb.com
Rachelle Lamb is the president of Mindful Communication and past president of the BC Network for Compassionate Communication. She has shared her skills with over 2,000 people during the past two years offering trainings to parents, educators, health care workers, managers, government employees, counselors and others seeking ways to communicate more effectively and compassionately.
Rachelle's passion for sharing Nonviolent Communication stems from witnessing its powerful results in the lives of those she shares it with. She is a firm believer that integration of the model can initiate profound paradigm shifts for people that positively impact personal and professional relationships. Her life long interest in the evolution of human consciousness, cultural anthropology, relationship dynamics and social change add a stimulating and thought-provoking dimension to her presentations. She is author of Steps to Conscious Living, 2000 and Communication Basics: An Overview of Nonviolent Communication, 2002.
Rachelle's workshops and presentations are customized to suit the needs of the groups and organizations she provides her services to.
Please contact her for more information.
Rachelle's clients include:

Amnesty International Canada (Ottawa)
Assembly of First Nations (Ottawa)
BC Association of Social Workers (South Vancouver Island Branch)
Canadian Acupressure College
Focus on Women magazine
Garth Homer Society
Ghost River Rediscovery (Calgary)
Individual Pursuits Program
Justice Canada - BC Crime Prevention Branch
Human Resources - BC Government
Hollyhock Educational Retreat Centre
Ministry of Finance - BC Government
Military Family Resource Centre Women's Conference
Saanich Volunteer Services Organization
Service de Sante SCO Health Service (Ottawa)
Students and Teachers in Victoria, Sooke and Galiano Island Schools
Victoria Community Response Network


Contact Judi by telephone (250) 386-3663 - Victoria BC
Or by email for more information.
Judi Morin is committed to restorative justice - a justice based on needs rather than on vengeance and punishment. When Judi discovered Nonviolent Communication, she knew she had found a language of restorative justice. She sees it as a vehicle for changing our paradigm from one of judging and blaming to one of hearing the needs of each party involved. Once the needs are identified, it is easy to find ways to fill them. Then the community involved can come to wholeness - a wholeness they may have never experienced before.
Judi Morin is a Sister of Saint Ann with a passion for education. She has been a chaplain in federal prisons in BC for 21 years. Since March of 1999, she has taught and used NVC in prisons and in the community. Judi loves to watch the process in herself and others from being stuck in anger or victim stance to using new skills first for identifying the unmet needs of both sides and then for finding strategies to meet those needs. She is also very grateful when two people, who saw themselves as enemies, finally hear the other's side with empathy and compassion.
In mediation, she helps people to find ways to be reconciled with self, others, and the community. She also helps people who have experienced crime to use their limited energy for healing and freedom.
"My dream and goal is to have NVC available to inmates and staff in prisons across Canada."

Contact Penny by telephone (250) 722-2237 - Nanaimo BC
Or by email for more information.


Businesswoman
Fundraiser
Parent
Grandparent
Friend
Certified CNVC Trainer
A Founding Director of BCNCC

"Nonviolent Communication introduced itself to me in 1998. Captivated by its potency and simplicity, I realized I had found a process I could integrate into my life and my work. I knew that NVC would satisfy my yearning that my work contribute to positive social change, so I immersed myself wholeheartedly in training. With gratitude and enthusiasm, I became the first person in Western Canada to receive certification from the International Center for Nonviolent Communication. Since that time, I have shared NVC with corporate and government groups, with First Nations people, with teachers and students and religious groups, with parents, prison inmates, and with advocacy groups... with all manner of people from Ontario to British Columbia. Whether I am offering my services as a private counselor to an individual, or as a facilitator to a group of 50, my work is stimulating and fun, and my clients consistently tell me how valuable it is to them. Practising the concepts of NVC as I integrate them in my own life, and sharing them with my expanding community, are the two most significant contributions I can make towards a peaceful and thriving planet."
-Penny Wassman
"I have experienced Penny Wassman's depth of knowledge in Nonviolent Communication and can say without question that her dedication, knowledge and ability to share this work will enable those who are intent on enhancing their connection with others to enrich those communications, both personal and professional."
-Leah Bailey, A/Executive Director, Compliance & Regulatory Branch, Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General, Province of British Columbia
"I would like to deeply thank Penny Wassman for her warmth and love and incredible expertise in the area of NVC. Her sharing and knowledge provided me with great insights into myself and colleagues... and in my personal life."
-Government Session Participant
"I was touched deep when we spent time together... as if layers and layers peeled off."
-Counseling Session Client


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"Empathy is a respectful understanding of what others are experiencing."
-- Marshall Rosenberg