Garden Gate Conflict Transformation
We host conflict transformation circles for anyone seeking a gently facilitated, consent-based, multi-partial, trauma-informed sharing space in which to address & heal from conflict.
To Begin, Please Contact Acorn & Frances Rose
We invite you to step through your garden gate of conflict, and welcome transformation!
Reach out with questions and to schedule an online or in-person circle process!
732-306-8400 ~ GardenGateConflict@gmail.com
Based in Central Vermont, N'Dakina - Dawnlands of the Abenaki Peoples
What We Do
Stepping into the garden ...
About Our Offering
We host conflict transformation circles for anyone seeking a gently facilitated, consent-based, multi-partial, trauma-informed sharing space in which to address & heal from conflict. Both Acorn and Frances Rose have been trained in the Restorative Circles methodology and have many years of experience hosting circles, and being stewards of community spaces. Acorn also completed their undergraduate studies in social work. We draw from these experiences, as well as from our personal spiritual & magical practices, to shape a circle structure and container that works for all parties to a conflict, and to help participants craft an action plan to move forward together, should that be desired. Our ability to arrive as hosts to these spaces with regulated nervous systems (generating a settled and peaceful presence) is the foundation for creating a supportive space for participants to move through the difficult emotions and embodied experiences often associated with processing conflict. We humbly invite you to step into the garden of conflict, choosing a path forward of direct engagement, transformation, and healing.
Pricing
All prices are sliding scale – please pay at the intersection of the value of this service to you and what is reasonable for your budget. Please be in touch if these prices are inaccessible to you and we can discuss alternative arrangements.
Circle Process for 2 participants (1 host): $125-250
Circle Process for 3 participants (1 host): $150-300
Circle Process for 4-8 participants (2 hosts):
$300-600 plus an additional $25-50 per person
Add an (optional) Post-Circle: $50-75 for 2 or 3 participants, $100-150 for 4-8 participants
An initial payment of $50 is due up front, and the remaining costs are to be paid after completion of the circle.
The above prices are for online (Zoom) circles. We ask an additional $25/hour for any travel costs associated with in-person circles (we are based in Central Vermont, and can travel to meet you or potentially host you at our home place).
How It Works
1Gather Your Group!
Determine who needs to & will participate in the circle process before contacting us to schedule.
2Pre-Circle
Each person, individually, will have a chance to meet with the host in advance of, and preparation for the circle. 30-60 minutes.
3Circle
All participants gather to process the conflict. The host(s) offer grounding, welcome, invitations to care & consideration, support to participants to offer one another reflective listening, as well as record an action plan. Usually, 1.5-3 hours for groups of 2 or 3, 3-6 hours for groups of 4-8.
4Action Plan
All participants receive a written copy of the action plan created at the circle. This details how the group has agreed to move forward from the conflict.
5Post-Circle (Optional)
All participants gather, weeks or months after the circle, to follow-up about how the action plan is going, revising it if needed. Approximately 1.5 hours.
Frances Rose
& Acorn
Frances Rose Subbiondo (she, they, or fae/femm/faer) and Acorn Swiggum (they) are cultural workers, cooks, & farmers, seeking to grow the better world our hearts know is possible. We live with our incredible babe, Salvia Hope, on a spectacular mountainside in Central Vermont, N'Dakina, homelands of the Abenaki peoples.
About Restorative Circles
Our approach to conflict transformation draws heavily from a methodology called Restorative Circles. Restorative Circles are “a specific systemic approach to conflict whose development began with the work of Dominic Barter and young favela residents in Rio de Janeiro in the mid 1990s and continues with a growing community both in Brazil and internationally.” (www.restorativecircles.org). We contribute 7% of proceeds from teaching & hosting conflict transformation circles to supporting ongoing Restorative Circles development, and would encourage anyone who finds these teachings supportive to make a donation at restorativecircles.org/contribute.
Stay in Touch
Testimonials
Hear attestations from people who have previously experienced circles with us...
Care & Spirit
"Acorn holds space with care and spirit, meeting energy with breath, activation with skill, and weaving through it all a sense of trust in a whole that is bigger than any one part. I am grateful Acorn lent their skill to support holding harm and the possibility of repair in my relationship with an estranged friend." - Anonymous
Listening & Synthesizing, Respect & Integrity
"Acorn held space for me in a conflict with a friend that was warm, sturdy and well contained. In particular Acorn is very skilled in reflective listening and synthesizing, helping me to see or name things that I might not have seen from my perspective. I admire Acorn's ability to hold space as a conflict worker in community, which is such a vital resource in these times. I trust their ability to see the different streams of power and positionality that flow through conflict and to hold them with respect and integrity. Acorn is flexible in holding space that encompasses magic and ancestors but is also accessible to all people." - Alexa Gabriel / ponyboy
Crafting New Paths Together
In 2015, my long-term partner and I were at an impasse. We were deeply in love, but saw no way forward. Queer, trans, and chronically ill, we live in so many margins of society. It seemed an impossible task to find a therapy or modality that could address the needs of our relationship, and the needs of us, as individual, whole humans.
The restorative circle that Rose and Acorn held with us completely transformed our lives, and our relationship.
We had the space and safety to fully feel our feelings and be present with one another — we hadn’t had that in our relationship for a very long time. The restorative circle set us on a new path, one we crafted together in the circle. Rose and Acorn are patient, compassionate, and sturdy. Don’t let their tenderness fool you — the roots of their practice grow down deep. I was able to share and understand heavy, dark things in the space they held, with no doubt that they would stand firm and hold the space to explore the hardest parts of our relationship, and ourselves.
I don’t suggest waiting until you’re at the end of the road to pursue a restorative circle with Rose and Acorn, but if you are, it’s not too late.
- Bantam Growley
© 2022