Cuddle Party Facilitator Certification
Training via group video conferencing
Cuddle Party Facilitator training is built on the skills learned in Foundations of Facilitation. Then we add to that the needs and skills specific to facilitating Cuddle Parties. Cuddle Party is a short workshop/social event that teaches basic consent, boundary, communication and touch skills, in a relaxed and friendly setting. We currently have over 180 Certified Facilitators all over the world.
You Will Learn How To:
- A deep understanding of the principles that have made Cuddle Party work for over a decade.
- Practical, nuts-and-bolts tools for running your events
- Extensive coaching from experienced leaders who have your back
- Online training materials you can reference any time
- Hand-holding, troubleshooting and brainstorming through your first few events
- Participation in a community of fellow facilitators devoted to bringing welcomed, affectionate, consensual touch to the world
Certification Requirements
In order to successfully complete the Certification program, participants must complete:
- at least 10 group tele-classes
- do all homework assignments to the satisfaction of their certification leader
- get certification in CPR and First Aid
- lead three provisional Cuddle Party events with feedback
Please note that enrollment in Certification Training does not automatically guarantee that you will Certify. It requires completion of the requirements, plus our confidence that you can successfully uphold Cuddle Party standards.
Once Certified, You May:
Facilitate Cuddle Party events and list your credentials as a Certified Cuddle Party Facilitator
List your Cuddle Parties on the official Cuddle Party website
Join the Certified Cuddle Party Facilitators Facebook Group
Join monthly Certified Cuddle Party Facilitators support calls
You’ll Receive:
Tele-classes with certification coaches
Detailed online training modules
Online training videos
Extensive coaching and mentoring with experienced CP facilitators
Investment
Fee for the complete Certification program (including FOF class) is $3,400 US.
Payment plans, volunteer work exchange, and scholarships may be available. If cost is a barrier for you, please talk with us at Hello@cuddleparty.org .
Online Curriculum
Changes and cancellations
Life happens!
Certification is a continuously available ongoing process. Sometimes people need to postpone or reschedule their participation due to life circumstances. Please be sure to talk with us if you have any need to revise your payment or participation plans at any time. You have two years to complete your certification requirements. There will be an additional fee to certify after two years in the program.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Foundations of Facilitation (FOF) Training?
This training is for any group facilitator who wants to foster the ideals of good communication, respect for consent and boundaries, embodied consent, inclusion, accountability and empowerment in their community groups. The FOF training will help you take your group facilitation skills to the next level.
FOF consists of an online course in Ruzuku with weekly support zoom calls available to you. You will work with experienced facilitators who can help you refine your understanding and your facilitation practice as you process the written education materials. Whether you are new to running events for groups, or have been facilitating for years, this interactive online training will provide you with skills that will enhance your confidence, create new depth to your presentations, and improve your ability to create relatedness with just about anyone.
Foundations of Facilitation is a prerequisite to the Cuddle Party Facilitator Certification course. It offers relevant skills to any facilitator of group connection events.
LIVE FOF EXPERIENCE
The supplemental live Foundations of Facilitation Experience is a three and a half day intensive program designed to provide you with an experiential workshop to practice the skills you learned in the online course. You will practice creating powerful, transformative workshops.
If you would like a live FOF Experience in your area, and you have eight or more paid commitments and a host location. Anyplace suitable for a Cuddle Party would work as a training space as well. Once your training date and location are settled, we can promote it here to enrich participation.
Who should be trained?
In addition, anyone who wants to run Cuddle Party events must take this training. It is the first step in the Certification process and it provides a solid background for conveying what the Cuddle Party is about, and skills, techniques and information for creating a successful Cuddle Party event, whether as a hobby or as an add-on to participants’ existing work.
Why should I be trained?
Foundations of Facilitation Training is designed to provide you with the skills you need to create powerful, transformative events. During this training, you will learn how to:
1. Create safe, non-sexual space to explore intimacy on both on a personal and professional level
2. Lead workshops that leave your participants feeling touched, open, valued and nurtured
3. Generate an environment where women and men communicate more authentically
4. Listen profoundly
5. Create a powerful relatedness with strangers quickly and easily
6. Be more open to others and able to give and receive comfortably
7. Create strong boundaries for yourself without shutting others down
You will also learn:
tools for building a strong, intimate community
advanced tools for handling rejection
communication techniques that open people up to discuss intimacy, desires, fears and needs
Regardless of whether you want to lead Cuddle Party events or not, the material covered in this intensive can be beneficial on the job, in your relationships, and even in your interactions with complete strangers.
What will be covered?
What is the live FOF experience and what is included?
The supplemental live Foundations of Facilitation Experience is a three and a half day intensive program designed to provide you with opportunities to practice the skills you learned in the online course. You will practice creating powerful, transformative workshops.
If you would like a live FOF Experience in your area, we ask you to organize eight or more paid commitments and a host location. Once your training date and location are settled, we can promote it here to enrich participation.
You will be offered: Participation in a Cuddle Party event
Three and a half days of intensive training, covering communication techniques, touch exercises, facilitation training, in-depth listening, boundary setting, and more (See training curriculum for more information.)
Workbook including facilitation concepts, tip sheets, worksheets, and more
Snacks
Opportunities to connect with your fellow participants
What should I wear to the live experience?
What should I bring for the live experience?
Bring your pajamas and comfy clothes, a notebook, a pen, your calendar, your stuffed bear, and your smiling face.
What is the cancellation policy for the live FoF experience?
Cancellations more than two weeks prior to the event will receive a refund of moneys paid, minus the registration fee. If a paid participant wishes to postpone and reschedule for a later date, the participant will be charged a $50 service fee, and placed into the date of their choice. The participant may choose either to receive a refund (minus the application fee) for the original event or to postpone and reschedule for a future event. Cancellations less than two weeks before the event will be allowed to reschedule (with $50 service fee), but cannot be refunded.
Ongoing Virtual Training is available continuously and works on the mutual agreements you make before beginning training. Please communicate effectively and promptly to advise CP HQ of any changes needed in your participation or payment schedules. All efforts will be made to ensure mutual support throughout your training process.
What is the difference between the FOF training and certification?
The FOF Training is the prerequisite class before you can become certified as a Cuddle Party facilitator. The FOF course is open to people from all walks of life and provides participants with an opportunity to learn the skills offered during the training intensive. The FOF course does not offer a certification, but you can get a participation certificate!
Certification is required only for those who wish to facilitate Cuddle Party events.
How much does training cost?
FOF Training fees are $1400. FOF and CPFC together are $3400. These rates include perpetual access to the online classes, training videos, content and access to zoom calls with experience coaches.
When is my payment due?
You may pay in a lump sum or you may make a case to us for a monthly payment plan. Once you make your first payment, you will have access to the course. You will need to complete all payments in order to receive final certification.
What if I can’t afford the training fee?
Becoming a highly trained facilitator or achieving Certified Cuddle Party Facilitator status offers an opportunity for participants to create an additional revenue stream for themselves. Many facilitators can recoup the cost of the training during the first year of events they hold. In addition, the skills you will learn throughout these courses will carry over into other areas of your life, both personal and professional, creating new perspectives and new ways of being with and interacting with others.
If fiscal abundance does not seem accessible for you just now, you can contact us to talk about work exchange volunteer opportunities, sliding scale and possible scholarship. Training@cuddleparty.com
How do I register?
Fill out the registration form. Then we talk with you, answer your questions, and set up your payments.
About the Cuddle Party Certification Program:
Do I have to enter into the Cuddle Party Certification program?
To take Foundations of Facilitation – No, you don’t. Not at all.
To certify as a Cuddle Party Facilitator and use the Cuddle Party format, name, logo and be listed on the Cuddle Party website (and be part of a world wide community of CP facilitators) – Yes, you do.
Many people want to take the Foundations of Facilitation Training to complement the work they already do. We have had people from many different backgrounds take our training, including artists, computer programmers, workshop facilitators, seminary students, teachers, chefs and yoga instructors. The skills and techniques taught in this intensive are applicable in many areas of life, both personally and professionally.
If you would like a live FOF training in your area request one if you have eight or more paid commitments and are willing to host at a suitable location. Anyplace suitable for a Cuddle Party would work as a training space as well. Once your training date and location are settled, we can promote it here to enrich participation.
What is required for certification?
In addition to taking the Foundations of Facilitation Training, those who wish to become Certified Cuddle Party Facilitators must participate in the Cuddle Party Certification program. Included in this program is
- Extensive coaching and support
- Ten tele-classes with certification coaches. You must attend at least one tele-class before scheduling a review party and at least one tele-class after each review party
In order to successfully complete the Certification program, participants must complete a minimum of 10 tele-classes, do all homework assignments to the satisfaction of their certification leader, get certified in CPR and First Aid, and lead three provisional Cuddle Party events with feedback.
Benefits to certification include:
- License to use Cuddle Party materials for your own Cuddle Party events
- Listing on the official Cuddle Party website
- Access to the Certified Cuddle Party Facilitators discussion board
- Access to monthly Certified Cuddle Party Facilitators support call
Please be aware that while most training participants will be allowed to move directly into the certification program if they so choose, in some cases we will postpone participation in order to prepare participants as powerfully as possible to take on the certification program. Participation in training does not automatically guarantee participation in the certification program.
How much does certification cost?
Participation in the Certification program is $3400. Payment is due prior to the first tele-class of each session. Payment plans are available when necessary.