Circle Agreement & Informed Consent

Women’s Circle Experience

We are honoured to welcome you into this space. This agreement is here to support clarity, safety, and shared understanding so that you can fully arrive, participate, and care for yourself within the circle.

1. Nature of the Experience

This Women’s Circle is a facilitated group experience designed to support connection, self-awareness, and embodied exploration. Together, we may engage in practices such as guided reflection, movement, mindfulness, journaling, and shared conversation.

While your facilitators are Registered Psychologists, this offering is not psychotherapy, counselling, or psychological treatment.

• No diagnosis or individualized treatment will be provided

• A therapeutic relationship is not established through participation

• This experience is experiential, educational, and community-oriented

2. Not a Substitute for Therapy

This circle is not a replacement for therapy or mental health care.

If you are currently navigating significant emotional distress or would benefit from individualized support, we gently encourage you to seek care outside of this space.

At the same time, we recognize that needs can evolve. If you are unsure whether this experience is the right fit—or if something arises for you—we are open to having a conversation about support options.

This may include:

• Exploring whether this space is appropriate for you

• Discussing additional supports or referrals

• If aligned, sharing information about working together in a more formal therapeutic context

3. Your Participation & Choice

Your participation is completely voluntary and self-directed.

You are invited to:

• Move at your own pace

• Listen to your body and inner cues

• Modify or opt out of any practice at any time

You are the expert on your own experience. Taking care of yourself is always the priority.

4. Emotional & Physical Awareness

Circles can be meaningful and supportive—and at times, they may also bring up unexpected emotions, sensations, or reflections.

You are encouraged to stay connected to your capacity and care for yourself throughout, including taking space when needed.

5. Confidentiality & Shared Respect

We are committed to creating a space of trust and respect.

Facilitators will uphold professional confidentiality; however, within a group setting:

• Confidentiality cannot be fully guaranteed

• Participants share responsibility for maintaining privacy

We ask that you honour the following principle:

“Take the learning, leave the stories.”

6. Role of the Facilitators

Facilitators are here to:

• Gently guide the flow and structure of the experience

• Support a grounded, respectful, and emotionally attuned environment

If moments of distress arise, facilitators will offer in-the-moment support to help you feel stabilized and resourced.

Ongoing or individualized therapeutic support is not provided within the circle itself. If further care would be beneficial, we are happy to help you explore appropriate next steps outside of this space.

7. Movement & Physical Participation

Some practices may include gentle, optional movement or body-based awareness.

You are invited to:

• Move in ways that feel supportive and safe for your body

• Adjust, pause, or opt out whenever needed

• Notice where there may be room to gently expand beyond what feels familiar

You are encouraged to explore this edge with care and consent—without pushing, forcing, or performing.

8. Outcomes & Expectations

Each person’s experience in the circle is unique.

While many find these spaces supportive and enriching, specific outcomes cannot be guaranteed.

9. Boundaries Beyond the Circle

Participation in this circle does not create an ongoing professional relationship.

• Facilitators are not available for ongoing support outside the circle unless formally arranged

• Any future therapeutic work would require a separate intake and consent process

10. Community Space (Optional Facebook Group)

As an extension of the circle, you may be invited to join a private online community for continued connection, reflection, and shared learning.

This space is reserved for individuals who have attended a circle, helping to maintain trust and shared experience.

Within the community:

• A code of conduct and shared boundaries supports respectful engagement

• Participants are expected to communicate with care and integrity

Facilitators may engage by sharing reflections, practices, or resources, and may occasionally offer live experiences.

While facilitators are present, the group is not a therapeutic space.

• Participation is offered in a general, community-oriented way, and we may not always be able to respond to individual experiences in a personalized way

• For personal support, we encourage connecting with appropriate care outside the group

Confidentiality cannot be guaranteed in an online setting.

Participation is optional.

11. Consent & Acknowledgment

By signing below, you acknowledge that:

• This is an experiential offering and not a therapy service or therapy session

• You understand and agree to the terms above

• You are choosing to participate voluntarily

• You will be responsible for your well-being