Accompany Circles
Most of us read about flourishing on our own and forget it by the weekend. An Accompany Circle practises it together: six to ten people who meet for eight sessions of two hours, each one given to a single skill. The host takes part in every practice too. A circle is not a class, not therapy and not coaching. It is company, and practice.
Every session has one practice at its heart, done in the room: a strength named, a letter written, a breath slowed, a conversation held well.
When someone shares, the circle listens without fixing and names the strength it heard. People leave knowing what others see in them.
Each member has a page for their circle: the week's tool, its workbook, a question to ask someone and a thought to keep, so the practice lives on between sessions.
Two hours
People share more when they feel safe, and a group that knows what comes next can give its whole attention to the practice.
Every session
Every circle begins the same way: each person says "I agree".
The Circle Library
A host chooses where their own passion meets the need of the people in front of them: a runner hosts runners, a manager hosts new managers, a residence head hosts first-years. Every circle starts with Foundation's shape and a skill of its own.
For everyone
Life stages
Paths
When life brings it
For those who carry others
What you love
Meaning and faith
Circles that touch something painful, such as loss, anxiety, illness or conflict, are hosted by experienced Senior facilitators.
Look inside a circle
Open a circle to see who it is for, the skills it practises and the shape of its eight sessions. Every one begins by forming the circle and ends by carrying it forward.
For everyone
Anyone, at any stage of life. The first circle most people join, and the circle every future host sits in as a member.
The eight sessions
Anyone who wants steadier confidence: before an interview or a hard conversation, on a stage or a sports field, in a new job or a new stage of life, or simply day to day. Here confidence is a habit you build, not a personality you are born with.
The eight sessions
Anyone who is kinder to others than to themselves: people with a loud inner critic, high achievers, carers, and anyone who would like a gentler way of being with themselves. Good for every age.
The eight sessions
Anyone who wants calmer evenings and better mornings: early risers and night owls, parents, carers, students, people at work and shift workers. Over eight weeks each member watches their days, designs their own bookends and tests one change as a small experiment.
The eight sessions
Anyone curious about how beliefs shape what we notice, feel and do, and who would like to grow beliefs that help: at a new start, after a setback, or simply ready to believe a little more in what is possible.
The eight sessions
Anyone who would like fewer polite exchanges and more real conversations. Mixed generations are welcome and make it richer: a teenager, a grandparent and everyone in between can sit in the same circle.
The eight sessions
Anyone who would like to meet setbacks, large and small, with more steadiness. The first of four Bouncing Back circles: each is complete on its own, and together they form a series. It starts from the resilience members already have.
The eight sessions
Anyone who would like to think more flexibly about setbacks and steady themselves when stress arrives. The second of four Bouncing Back circles: each is complete on its own, and together they form a series. Nobody needs to have joined the first.
The eight sessions
Anyone who would like to stay steady when life presses in: worry, uncertainty, a full load. The third of four Bouncing Back circles: each is complete on its own, and together they form a series. Nobody needs to have joined the others.
The eight sessions
Anyone who would like skills for the moment itself: when self-talk starts, a feeling drops or a decision presses. The fourth of four Bouncing Back circles: each is complete on its own, and together they form a series. Nobody needs to have joined the others.
The eight sessions
Anyone who would like to look after their brain with everyday habits: moving, eating, sleeping, thinking, connecting and living with purpose. No medical knowledge is needed, and the circle is about habits, not health conditions.
The eight sessions
Anyone who would like to understand their feelings better: to notice them sooner, name them more precisely, read what they are saying, and handle and share them well, at home, at work and with the people they love.
The eight sessions
Anyone who would like more connection, friendship and belonging in their life: after a move, a change of work or stage of life, or simply a season that has grown quiet. The circle itself is the first place to belong.
The eight sessions
Anyone who would like a rich life beyond money: more time, growth, a calm mind, good work, deep and wide relationships, adventure and service, and a healthier relationship with money itself. For every stage and every income.
The eight sessions
Anyone who wants a habit to hold: a new routine, a practice they keep meaning to start, a skill to grow, or simply a steadier rhythm to their days.
The eight sessions
Anyone who would like to learn to meditate, or to come back to it, in good company. No experience, special posture or belief is needed; chairs are fine.
The eight sessions
Anyone who would like to train their wellbeing the way people train their bodies: regularly, in good company, and for the long run. It suits people who like a plan, and people who have started and stopped before.
The eight sessions
Anyone who would like to care for their wellbeing more wisely, one pillar at a time: positive emotions, engagement, relationships, meaning, accomplishment and health.
The eight sessions
Anyone who would like to feel well, not only be free of illness: at any age, in good health or living with a condition. Positive health works on the whole line, from wherever you start.
The eight sessions
Anyone who wants to work more skilfully with their own mind: to notice what is going on, test what their thoughts tell them, put truer thoughts in place and build new habits of attention. Rewire is written from a Christian faith and presented as such; people of any faith or none are welcome, and every practice works without it.
The eight sessions
Anyone who would like to live a little more happily, and to try, in good company, what the evidence suggests. A good second circle after Foundation, and good for mixed groups: friends, neighbours, a staff room.
The eight sessions
Anyone who says yes when they mean no, gives more than they have, or would like to hold a limit without becoming someone they do not want to be. The circle practises kind boundaries: with others, and with ourselves.
The eight sessions
Adults at any stage of life who want to look after the everyday things that shape how life goes: how they move, eat, sleep and rest, what gives them purpose and who they are close to. Not a diet, a training plan or medical care: one small, sustainable step at a time.
The eight sessions
Anyone who would like their days to look more like what matters to them: at a crossroads, in a busy season, starting something new, or simply wanting to live on purpose.
The eight sessions
Life stages
First-year students in their first months at university or college: in a residence, a day-student community or a faculty. The ACCOMPANY stage of Arrival (about 18 to 19), and anyone starting higher education later in life.
The eight sessions
Adults in the building years, from about 27 to 35: the ACCOMPANY stage of establishing, when work, relationships, a home and perhaps a family are all being built at once. For anyone who wants to build those years on purpose rather than by accident.
The eight sessions
People aged 65 and beyond: the ACCOMPANY stage of elderhood, whether newly retired or long into these years, who want to live them fully, with curiosity, play and wisdom to share.
The eight sessions
People in the handover years, roughly 55 to 65: still at work, stepping back, or recently stepped back, often the most experienced person in the room, and starting to think about what to pass on and to whom. The ACCOMPANY stage of the handover. Anyone handing on a role, a craft or a place in a family is welcome.
The eight sessions
Learners aged 16 to 18 in their last years of school: the ACCOMPANY stage before the gate. Held only through a school, in a room the school holds, with a teacher present, and hosted by a vetted facilitator.
Hosted by a Senior Circle Facilitator.
The eight sessions
People in their first years of work, from the first post after studying to about five years in: graduates, apprentices, interns and anyone starting working life. The ACCOMPANY stage of the first post (about 22 to 27), in a workplace, a graduate programme or an alumni community.
The eight sessions
Adults in the long middle of life, from about 35 to 55: the ACCOMPANY stage when work, family, community and ageing parents often all ask for time at once, and when many begin to ask what they are passing on.
The eight sessions
Students in the middle years of a degree, usually the second and third year: past the first months, not yet at the final year. The ACCOMPANY stage of the middle years (about 19 to 21), in a residence, a day-student community or a faculty.
The eight sessions
Students in their final year of a degree or diploma, on the threshold between study and whatever comes next. The ACCOMPANY stage of the final year (about 21 to 22), in a residence, a day-student community or a faculty, and anyone finishing a qualification later in life.
The eight sessions
Paths
Adults changing career, or thinking seriously about it: by choice, after a job has ended, returning to work after years at home, or turning a long-held interest into work. Any age and any field.
The eight sessions
Anyone who helps a family member, partner, child, friend or neighbour who cannot manage fully on their own because of illness, disability, frailty, memory problems or mental ill health, whether they live together or far apart, and whether the caring is new or has gone on for years. Members come as carers; nobody describes the illness. A Senior Circle Facilitator hosts this circle.
The eight sessions
Anyone who wants to love well: partnered, single, preparing for a relationship, or after an ending. Members come as individuals, not as couples; every practice can be done together with a partner, alone, or looking back. For relationships that are basically safe.
The eight sessions
Parents, step-parents, grandparents and carers raising children from about two to eighteen, whatever the family looks like. The circle is for the adults; children are not present. It can meet wherever adults gather: a community hall, a place of worship, a workplace, or a school's parents' evening held for parents only.
The eight sessions
Honours, master's and doctoral students, full-time or part-time, at any stage of a research degree or a long project. The circle can be hosted by a faculty, a postgraduate office, a residence or a students' association, or by any facilitator for students from several institutions.
The eight sessions
When life brings it
Anyone whose marriage or long-term relationship has ended, through divorce, separation or a break-up, whoever ended it and however long ago, once the first shock has eased. Members come as themselves; nobody tells the story of the break-up or speaks about a former partner. A Senior Circle Facilitator hosts this circle.
The eight sessions
Anyone coming back to sport or exercise after an injury, at any level: team players and solo athletes, club regulars and weekend runners, still out or newly back. Open from 16; members aged 16 or 17 join with a parent's or guardian's written consent. The circle works on the mental side of the return; your doctor or physiotherapist decides when you are ready.
The eight sessions
Anyone who lives with worry or anxiety in everyday life and would like to meet it with more calm, alongside others who know it from the inside. Members come as themselves; nobody needs to describe their anxiety or where it comes from, and nobody is diagnosed or treated. A Senior Circle Facilitator hosts this circle.
The eight sessions
Anyone who wants to handle disagreement and difficult conversations with more steadiness, respect and skill: at home, among friends, at work or in a community. Members come as themselves; nobody brings a conflict with another member, and nobody names or describes a real person who is not in the room. A Senior Circle Facilitator hosts this circle.
The eight sessions
Anyone living with a health challenge of their own: a long-term condition, a recovery, a disability or an illness that is part of life for now. Members come as people, not patients; nobody needs to name a diagnosis. The circle meets somewhere accessible, with comfortable seating and room to move. A Senior Circle Facilitator hosts this circle.
The eight sessions
Anyone for whom money has become a source of worry or stress, at any income and any stage of life. The circle works on the worry, the stories and the shame that can come with money, never on the finances themselves.
The eight sessions
People about to retire, newly retired, or a year or two in: from paid work, a business, a profession or a long career at home. The circle is for the move itself: who you are without the job, what gets you up in the morning, and how you fill the days well.
The eight sessions
Anyone carrying a lot: a heavy load at work or in study, caring for others, running a household, or simply too much at once; and anyone who senses the early signs of running on empty. For people who feel stretched rather than people in crisis. Members come as themselves; nobody needs to explain the details of their load.
The eight sessions
Anyone grieving the death of someone they love, once the first shock has eased. Members come as themselves, at whatever point in their grief they are; nobody tells the story of the death. A Senior Circle Facilitator hosts this circle.
The eight sessions
Anyone living through change or not knowing what comes next: a move, a new role, a family change, a long wait for news, or simply an unsettled world. Members come as themselves; nobody needs to explain their situation in detail.
The eight sessions
For those who carry others
Accompany Circle Facilitators at any level, from newly signed-off hosts to Seniors, growing in the craft together. Hosted by a Circle Trainer, who takes part in every practice. Members sit as members again, and practise as hosts; nothing any member of their own circles said is ever repeated here.
Hosted by a Senior Circle Facilitator.
The eight sessions
Coaches at any stage, including those working towards the Certificate in Accompaniment Coaching: life, wellbeing, executive, academic and peer coaches. Members bring their own material and practise on each other; no client is ever identifiable. A Senior Circle Facilitator hosts this circle.
The eight sessions
People who lead others at work or in a community: new managers finding their feet, and experienced ones who want to develop the people they lead. Team leaders, supervisors, heads of department, committee chairs and project leads.
The eight sessions
Doctors at any stage, from internship to retirement, in any specialty and any setting, public or private. Members come as themselves, first names only, from different hospitals and practices where possible. A Senior Circle Facilitator hosts this circle.
The eight sessions
Lawyers at any stage, from candidate attorneys and pupils to partners, advocates, in-house counsel and judges, and law graduates on their way in. Members come as themselves, first names only, from different firms and practices where possible.
The eight sessions
Teachers and lecturers at any stage, in schools, colleges and universities, public or private, from their first year to their last. It is about the teacher's own wellbeing, not their classes or results. Any Circle Facilitator may host it, in person or online; held in a school, it meets in a private room after hours, and it is never hosted by a member's own principal, head of department or line manager.
The eight sessions
People who teach the flourishing skills: PHECA lecturers, tutors, residence and student-support staff, in higher education and beyond. A practice circle among colleagues: each skill is lived first, then its teaching is rehearsed, with strengths named and nothing assessed. Any Circle Facilitator may host it; one who has taught PHECA is a good fit.
The eight sessions
A whole group that already works or meets together, as one circle: a workplace team, a department, a club committee, a sports team's staff, a congregation's volunteers, a school staff room. Six to ten people is best; a larger group can split into two circles. The facilitator is ideally from outside the group, or a member who manages nobody in it; the leader takes part as an equal member.
The eight sessions
What you love
Anyone who makes things, or would like to: painters and potters, knitters and woodworkers, singers and players, writers, makers of every kind, beginners and lifelong makers alike. No talent is required; in several sessions making is the practice, with simple materials.
The eight sessions
Parents, grandparents and carers of young athletes in any sport and at any level, from a first season of mini-sport to provincial teams. The circle is for the adults; the children are not present.
The eight sessions
Athletes of any sport and level, individual or team, in season or out of it: athletes from 16 at school or university, club players and masters athletes. Members aged 16 or 17 take part with a parent's or guardian's written consent.
The eight sessions
Golfers of every handicap and none, from the first lesson to decades in the game, and people coming back to it. The circle meets indoors, or at a golf club; session 4 goes outside for a short, slow walk.
The eight sessions
Runners of every pace and distance, from a first parkrun to an ultra, and people who would like to run. The circle can meet indoors or partly on the move: the arriving practice standing, a practice on an easy run or walk, the debrief at the end.
The eight sessions
Walkers of every pace and age, from a daily stroll to long hikes, and anyone who would like to walk more, with a facilitator who walks. Each session meets at a starting point: the arriving practice and check-in standing, the practice on an easy walk of twenty to thirty minutes, the debrief back at the start. On a day of bad weather any session can be held indoors with a short walk around the building.
The eight sessions
Sport fans of any code and any team who would like to enjoy watching more, in good company. A light, social circle: some sessions are held around a match on a screen. Newcomers to sport are welcome.
The eight sessions
Meaning and faith
People who want to make a difference, at home, at work, in their community or in the world, whatever their title or starting point. Every cause is welcome; the circle practises the skills of change, not any one cause.
The eight sessions
A faith community of any tradition: a congregation, a mosque, a temple, a synagogue, a parish group or a fellowship, hosting Foundation for its own members, led by one of its own. The practices are Foundation's; the readings, prayers and faith are the community's own.
The eight sessions
Anyone asking what matters: at a crossroads or a new stage of life, after a change, or simply wanting to live with more purpose. No beliefs are assumed, and every answer is the member's own.
The eight sessions
In every circle
A check-in question to begin, a handful of big-talk questions to go deeper, and one question for the week, to ask someone at home.
A thought to arrive with, and one each member chooses to take home: words from many traditions, each one checked at its source.
Each practice comes from the FlourishIQ library, with a workbook members can keep, so what they write stays their own.
Every circle ends with a letter each member writes to themselves, to be read on a day they choose.
Who hosts
Every Accompany Circle Facilitator has been a member of a circle before hosting one, and grows in the craft with someone beside them.
Hosts Foundation and the circles they have trained for, exactly as written, and talks after every circle with a Senior.
Hosts the whole library, including the circles that touch pain, and walks beside newer facilitators.
Hosts the circles new facilitators sit in, and signs them off when they are ready.
Every host knows what to do in a hard moment, has the help lines to hand, and has a Senior or Trainer one message away. A circle is never a substitute for professional care, and people who need more are helped to find it.
Becoming a host
About thirty hours over ten to twelve weeks, most of it in circles, and it ends in practice rather than a test.
Join a Foundation circle as a member, hosted by a Circle Trainer, and live the eight sessions from the inside.
Seven modules: the shape of a circle, holding it, safety and care, running a session from the library, inviting and forming a circle, and co-hosting.
A short knowledge check, mostly on what to do when something is hard.
Co-host two sessions with a Senior, then lead one while a Circle Trainer watches and signs you off.
When all four are done, the certificate is issued at once, with a number anyone can confirm, and the new host is welcomed into the Circle Console, where every circle is prepared and run.
Where circles meet
Weekly or fortnightly, wherever the people are.
Walking and running circles hold their sessions outdoors.
A residence, a firm, a school staff room, a club or a congregation.
A first-year and a grandparent in the same circle, talking as equals.
Why circles
On the Friendship Bench, trained lay health workers listen and help, and former clients go on to meet in peer circles of their own, passing a talking piece.
Eight-week wellbeing courses led by pairs of volunteers raised the life satisfaction of the people who took part, in a randomised trial.
Small skills groups led by trained schoolteachers helped young people recover after war.
What they share is what every Accompany Circle has: a steady shape, trained hosts, and support behind them.
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