UPCOMING WORKSHOPS

Encounter with Self

Encounter with Self is a group designed, supported and facilitated to promote personal growth through witnessing (primarily listening and observing oneself in a “sacred I space”) and a sharing of self in a sacred “we space” of a group encounter. Our time also will provide opportunities for intermittent silent introspection.  This group integrates self-reflection with the sharing of self.  By making internal self-perceptions visible to others, others can witness that experience in themselves.  Using quiet silent reflection invites participants to become increasingly more aware of parts of themselves. 

By sharing one’s self, members connect with the self that they perceive in others, can examine those parts in depth, and create opportunities for broader and deeper self-realization. 

The present group meets twice a week, once to process and share outwardly the parts of the self that have emerged or are emerging and a second time for a shorter, shared silent or guided reflection and meditation.  By witnessing self together, this community both honors and supports one another’s personal growth journeys. 

A second “Encounter with self” will be starting soon! 

Our current group has become a stable community and is closed to new members. Our new group will start as soon as we have at least ten members.

We will be meeting at two pm EST two times a month. The meetings will be One & half hours

The cost for join this group is $15 dollars a session. We are asking participants to make a three month commitment in order to support the development of the group as a community.  

If you are interested in learning more, please email me to discuss this person-centered integral approach to personal growth at patrickhowley0@gmail.com

 The Person-Centered Integral Education Project (PCIE) 

The PCIE Project’s main goal is to create opportunities for educators interested in both a person-centered approach and an integral approach in education to apply these understandings with both self and others.  As a “community of practice”, the group members will explore the tenets of “person centered ways of being” as well as “integral approaches” to education through the lenses and experiences of school leadership, school counseling, research, and person-centered teaching and learning. The facilitators are committed to supporting members as they pursue their personal interests, their graduate programs, professional practices and their career choices.  Through a process of dialogue, sharing, exploration of ideas, concepts and percepts, the project will foster connections, growth and exploration of the “self” personally and professionally. 

To do this, I have invited a group of highly committed and experienced educators, to join us in facilitating a process group that supports educators and people to grow personally and professionally.  I have personally worked with each member of the team of facilitators listed below in a broad array of settings and across many years; each person has unique skills, talents and gifts.  Each person is committed both to their own growth and development as well as supporting others on their educational journeys. Please read below and get to know our team members. You will see in the descriptions their years of experience and you might get a feel for their love of this profession. What you may not always see is the years of struggle, personal loss, failures, the striving to make a difference in the world of education and the humbleness of searching for relationships in schools that build community for our teachers, administrators, parents and most of all the children we were serving. We needed each other many times and now we are deeply thankful we have found each other. We want to reach out to others and be there for them. Please think about joining us. We would love to have you.

As a team of facilitators, we see ourselves as a learning group committed to being life-long holistic learners, attending to mind, body, soul and spirit.  We have created a sacred “we space” to explore together what it means to be person-centered as we also research the topic of using a more integral approach to education. As the team grows and develops coherence with one another, additional educators will be invited to support the expansion of this community.

Some key texts that inform our dialogue include but are not limited to: Carl R. Rogers, On Becoming a Person; Krishnamurti, Education and the Significance of Life; Parker Palmer, The Courage to Teach; Ken Wilbur, A Brief History of Everything. 

We are inviting people in the field of education to join us in this endeavor by signing on to our monthly meetings. There is no fee for full members of CSP. The fee for associate members is $50. for the year.  The yearly fee for non-member educators joining us in this project is $150. 

Interested?  Contact me at patrickhowley0@gmail.com

Meet the Person Centered Integral Education Project (PCIEP) Facilitators:

Kelly Falvey 

I seek nonjudgmental spaces to reflect and grow by listening and being listened to. When I discovered after many years that my teaching approach was person-centered, I felt surprised and frustrated that I had not been exposed to Carl Rogers' core conditions during my educator preparation or professional development experiences. 

As a result of my reflections within supportive meditation groups and CSP, I now feel grounded as a Person-Centered educator. I navigate teaching and growing with patience and optimism for all learners, including myself. I am grateful for my work in public education as a high school educator and mentor to new/pre-service educators. Feel free to also inquire about my roles with Adult Education, Sarah, Inc., or Assistant Registrar at the polls.

I care deeply about building partnerships and differentiating learning to make personal development inclusive and achievable. I am currently pursuing an Ed.D. in Educational Leadership at Sacred Heart University, which offers a holistic approach to developing
social, emotional, and academic school leaders and programming. I live in Branford, CT where you will likely find me outdoors, laughing with loved ones, or binging shows and podcasts. 

Sandy Lefebvre

“I have me be...a Visionary or Cultural Creative.”  It seems to be the essence of my choices, of where I have landed, and of where I am going.  The first significant step in my growth was my Sociology Class at JFKennedy High School (Waterbury, CT) in which Mr. DeBello wanted to know what we thought!  We spoke, grappled, debated, and built a classroom community, a microcosm of what larger communities could be.  I began my journey called “Social Justice.”  I earned a B.S. in Human Development and Family Relations and am one course short of my Master’s in Social Work.  I worked 5 years for the Dept. of Children & Youth Services before earning my Teacher’s Certification.  I earned a Master’s and 6th Year degree in “Wholefield Learning”, a progressive integral pedagogy based on the work of Ken Wilber.  I have been a teacher for 24 years, predominantly 5th Grade because of their developmental stage. I have my class and me be...joy, pain, silence, talking, activity, academic learning, personal learning, inside, outside, groups, individuals, partners...social justice.  I am also a member of a meditation community led by Pat Howley within which we practice loving-kindness and authenticity as we grow to live harmoniously and integrally, holding a sacred place in the Kosmos.  I have me be a part of a coalition of peaceful revolutionaries. I live adventurously with hiking, biking, kayaking, rock-climbing, gardening, woodworking, writing, and playing with my two grandchildren who teach me the most.

David Howes 

Building relationships and making connections drive my learning.

I am a school leader, a teacher and a coach who has been engaged in school reform and school choice throughout my career. I am skilled in building learning organizations and leading professional learning through coaching, team building, curriculum development, and program development.  I am particularly fascinated with helping school leaders and teachers to develop effective strategies to educate the whole child and all of their parts—physical, intellectual, social and emotional.  I have earned advanced degrees in Educational Leadership and Administration and Executive Leadership. Currently, I am the principal of an alternative high school and I am pursuing an Ed.D. in Curriculum, Teaching and Learning at Northeastern University.

My family is my center and my inspiration.  My wife Tami and I first met as teachers.  She is the most talented educator I know, and we are fortunate that both my daughter and son were her students!  I enjoy being outdoors with my family—boating, playing sports, biking, camping and hiking.  

JoEllen Moldoff

As a teacher and a counselor for almost 40 years, I have been a learner.  I began my teaching practice as a biology teacher in NYC and transitioned to a suburban high school where I began my counseling career.  During my years at Scarsdale High School, I facilitated groups with students, parents and teachers.  I met Pat Howley when he came to the school as a consultant and led a Myers-Briggs workshop.  This was the start of a professional collaboration and friendship which deeply influenced my life.  We facilitated many workshops with teachers.  I have also studied family systems therapy, and facilitated professional development courses for teachers.

Several years before I retired, I began writing poetry and taking writing workshops. I began coordinating poetry workshops for teachers, and have been teaching poetry and memoir writing to adults through my local library for almost twenty years.  

The teacher of biology became the teacher of poetry.  Teaching, for me “has made all the difference.”

Mary Mayrick

I enjoyed over 32 years as a NYS public school educator, from NYC to Long Island in high need, low socioeconomic areas. Early in my career I worked as a general elementary teacher. I consistently sought new tools and programs personally and professionally to create a palate of possible solutions to the growing needs of the school communities I worked with. My graduate work includes a master’s degree in early childhood education and a master’s in educational technology. Personally, I sought alternative programs that supported my own growth and development as well as the students and staff I worked with. I am certified in Reiki (level 2), yoga, and PMAI (assessing personal archetypes). 

I became involved in the school reform movement which connected my district to the Yale School Development Program, leading me from solely working with the students to a district wide position as SDP Facilitator/Staff Developer for the entire school community. During this time, I worked closely with Patrick Howley facilitating adult growth and development. As implementation took hold, I returned to the classroom as a technology facilitator in one school. Retirement has given the gift of time for to me to focus on my love for learning. I am currently nurturing my growth of body, mind, spirit and connection through yoga, hiking, photography, pottery, gardening, cooking and travel.

Stu Mayrick 

I earned my doctorate at Yeshiva University in School/Clinical/Child psychology. I recently retired with over 30 years of experience as a School Psychologist in Long Island. I taught briefly at the elementary school level and as an adjunct professor at Dowling College at the graduate level. Drawing upon the conventional and unconventional, I have been a therapist, coached youth sports, performed comedy improv, hosted a monthly karaoke show, travel the world as a points and miles enthusiast and am a psychic medium.

 Eileen S. Howley

I dedicated my career to the development of educators and educational leaders.   I cultivated a “person centered” relationship driven approach to leadership development, as well as school and district improvement efforts. I have supported “person centered” retreats and been a contributing member to the meditation groups led by Patrick Howley. I have consulted with districts across the state and the country on best practices in instructional improvement and educational leadership and continue to consult with school districts and state agencies across two states. I learned early on that relationships, including the one with yourself, is most key to high quality leadership development.  My work in leadership has been influenced by the writings, teachings, and learning experiences with Richard Elmore (leadership theory of action), Carol Pearson (archetypal development) , Carl Rogers (empathy), and Ken Wilber (integral meditation and practice), among others.    I recently retired from my position as Executive Director of a regional educational service center and have served across a broad array of positions in education, including the superintendency and central office positions, a state department of education, university teaching, staff development specialist, and teacher. I earned my doctorate at the University of Hartford and focused my research on expert teacher development, the journey to authenticity. I currently reside in Rhode Island with my husband, Patrick, and love the seashore, travel, books, music, and gifts of family and good friends.

Pat Howley 

I have worked at several grade levels in education from elementary school to middle school to a Director of a high school gifted program in social/emotional learning. I began my work as a school counselor for eleven years facilitating encounter groups for middle school students and high school students.   I later worked as a crisis intervention therapist at a mental health clinic, was a director of a spiritual counseling center, taught at several colleges in Connecticut teaching courses in counseling, group theory and practice, sensitivity training and teaching skills. I later became an independent consultant to school systems throughout the state of Connecticut which led to my position as a School District Coordinator for The School Development Program, Yale Child Study Center. My work there evolved including as a consultant with school systems in Guilford County, North Carolina, Miami-Dade Public Schools, Detroit Public Schools, Charlotte, North Carolina Public Schools and the Westbury Public Schools where I worked closely with Superintendents, District level school leaders, Principals and teachers to create school climates that were more child centered. I also became the lead for the annual Principal Academy. In addition, I became the director of Teachers Helping Teachers and the Director of Teacher and Adult Development. I continue my work in consultation, coaching and counseling focused on integrating Rogerian principles with an integral approach to human development.

Come join us!  Interested? Contact me at Patrickhowley0@gmail.com

PAST WORKSHOPS

July 9 to 11, 2019- Exploring Your Way of Being in Rhode Island

May 3 to May 5- Exploring Your Way of Being in Rhode Island

January 30 to February 2, 2019- Carl Rogers 2019 Annual Conference/Center for Studies of the Person in San Diego CA

January 11 to January 13, 2019- Exploring Your Way of Being at the Wisdom House in Litchfield, CT

November 2 to November 4, 2018- Exploring Your Way of Being: A Personal Growth Workshop in Rhode Island

April 27 to April 29, 2018- Exploring Your Way of Being: A Personal Growth Workshop in Rhode Island

January 31 to February 3, 2018 - Center for the Studies of the Person/Carl Rogers Annual Conference