Heather Plett is a facilitator (and much more) who has caught the attention of many practitioners doing the work of teaching, helping others to see different ways, and just generally being part of a support system. She recently published an article about “holding space” for others that has been shared over and over again. Although the context of Heather noticing what it means to “hold space” was around her dying mother, the 8 lessons she documents are applicable for everyone, in any situation.
Heather points out what most people would quickly say about themselves:
“I have a very human tendency to want to fix people, give them advice, or judge them for not being further along the path than they are, but I keep trying because I know that it’s important.”
I couldn’t help holding up Heather’s list of lessons as I thought about some of the challenges in the dog training world. How often have you listened to rants about failed interactions between dog trainers and their clients? How is it that the very people in a position to help dog owners are feeling so far removed from the process of improving the quality of life for dogs and their caregivers?
We all need to read the full article along with the descriptions and examples of each of the eight lessons. Think about your own practice as a dog trainer. Which of these pieces of advice do you already embrace? Reflecting on your past experiences with clients, what might you do differently if you were to follow these lessons?
One thought on “Holding Space”