Facilitator Journey
I WANT TO FACILITATE
Become a CSS Facilitator
Learn the framework. Develop your practice. Facilitate CSS with others.
The Cultivating Safe Spaces Facilitator pathway is for people who want to move beyond learning CSS for themselves and become certified to facilitate approved CSS learning experiences with others.
You do not need to be a professional facilitator.
You do need to be willing to learn the framework, understand yourself, practise regulation and listening, work within your scope, and take responsibility for how you carry the work.
Your Path to Certification
1. Complete an Intro to Cultivating Safe Spaces
Before entering Train the Trainer, you need to complete an approved Intro to CSS learning experience.
We currently offer two online options:
Intro to Cultivating Safe Spaces eCourse — $149
A structured, self-paced introduction to the CSS framework.
Special Edition Intro to Cultivating Safe Spaces — $199
A seven-lesson learning experience built from a recorded live session with Elaine Alec and the closest online experience to being in a CSS learning space with her.
Both courses meet the Intro to CSS prerequisite for Train the Trainer.
Purchase Intro to CSS eCourses
2. Apply for CSS Train the Trainer
Once you have completed, or are in the process of completing, your Intro to CSS learning, the next step is to apply for Train the Trainer.
The application helps us understand:
Your experience with CSS
Why you want to become a facilitator
The people, teams, or communities you hope to work with
Your current facilitation or leadership experience
Your readiness to work within the scope and responsibilities of CSS certification
Train the Trainer is not an open-access course. Applications must be approved before registration.
Apply for CSS Train the Trainer
3. Complete CSS Train the Trainer
Once your application is approved and your Intro to CSS requirement is complete, you can register for Train the Trainer.
The CSS Train the Trainer prepares you to become a Level 1 Certified CSS Facilitator.
Current Train the Trainer Opportunities
Choose the format that works best for you:
In - Person
Friday, February 26, 2027
Penticton, BC
$2,500 per participant
Small-group, in-person learning with Elaine Alec.
Saturday, October 17, 2026
Saturday, December 12, 2026
Live Virtual
Online learning with Elaine Alec
$2,200 per participant
Live facilitator development for people who want the interaction of a cohort without travelling.
Self Paced
$1,999 per participant
Complete the Train the Trainer learning on your own schedule while following the same prerequisite and application process.
Need Professional Development Funding?
If your employer, Nation or organization may support your participation, download our Professional Development Funding Information sheet.
What you will learn
Train the Trainer prepares you to understand, carry and facilitate the foundational CSS framework.
You will deepen your understanding of:
The Four Necessary Conditions
The Four Protocols
The Four Perspectives
Understanding Self
regulation and responses under pressure
disciplined listening
relationships and responsibility
different ways people process and make decisions
facilitator boundaries and responsibilities
preparing and delivering an Intro to CSS learning experience
holding space when conversations become difficult
CSS facilitation is not about memorizing a script or learning to facilitate exactly like Elaine.
It is about understanding the framework deeply enough to carry it in your own voice and from your own strengths.
What Can a Level 1 CSS Facilitator Do?
Level 1 focuses on the first two scales of the CSS Architecture:
SELF
Who do I need to become?
RELATIONSHIP
Can two people remain connected while navigating difference?
Level 1 Certified CSS Facilitators may deliver approved Intro to Cultivating Safe Spaces learning experiences for groups of up to 30 people.
You may bring CSS into settings such as:
workplaces
community organizations
Indigenous Nations
education
health
leadership development
nonprofits
government
teams and community learning spaces
Your Level 1 certification is lifetime certification.
Certification and Ongoing Learning
Your CSS Facilitator certification does not expire.
After certification, you can also choose to participate in the broader CSS Facilitator Ecosystem through continued learning, facilitator calls, resources, professional development and optional membership opportunities.
Membership is optional and is not required to remain certified.
Who Is the Train the Trainer For?
The facilitator pathway may be a good fit if you:
want to introduce CSS in your workplace, Nation, organization or community
facilitate groups, meetings, workshops or learning spaces
work in leadership, governance, education, health, HR or community development
want stronger tools for relationships and difficult conversations
want to build your own facilitation practice
are willing to examine how you respond under pressure
understand that becoming certified comes with responsibility
You do not need to have years of professional facilitation experience.
You do need a willingness to learn, practise, reflect and remain accountable.
Ready to Begin?
New to CSS?
Start with the foundational learning.
Already completed an approved Intro to CSS?
Take the next step toward certification.
Find a CSS Facilitator
Looking for a Certified Cultivating Safe Spaces Facilitator to support learning, facilitation or organizational work?
The CSS Facilitator Network includes practitioners with different professional backgrounds, lived experience, areas of practice and levels of certification.