Online · 6 sessions of 3 hours
Courageous Conversations
Develop the confidence, skills and relational wisdom to navigate difficult conversations with honesty, empathy and courage.
Many of us avoid difficult conversations because we fear damaging relationships, getting it wrong or facing conflict. But the conversations we avoid often matter most – and our reluctance to have them can erode trust, leave problems unaddressed and limit the quality of our work and relationships.
Courageous Conversations is a practical, relational course that supports practitioners and leaders to develop the inner confidence and interpersonal skills needed to navigate challenging conversations with care, honesty and empathy. Drawing on social pedagogy values, attachment theory and communication frameworks, it explores how we create the conditions for authentic dialogue even in difficult moments.
Over six sessions, you will work through real situations from your own practice, building skills alongside a peer learning community that provides mutual support and challenge throughout.
AT A GLANCE
📅 START DATE
Dates to be confirmed
💻 COURSE FORMAT
6 x 3 hours online
💷 COST PER PLACE
£330 (no VAT)
🎓 CPD CERTIFICATE
21 hours
COURSE CONTENT
What you will explore
The course unfolds across three interconnected pairs of sessions, each building your courage and skill from a different angle.
✅ Sessions 1–2: Find your courage – understanding what makes conversations feel difficult and how to face our fears with honesty and purpose
✅ Sessions 3–4: Connect with empathy – developing the relational skills to hear, hold and respond to others with genuine care and attunement
✅ Sessions 5–6: Create conditions for learning together – turning difficult moments into opportunities for mutual understanding, growth and change
this course is for you if you want to …
✨ Understand what makes conversations feel difficult and face that with honesty
✨ Develop the empathy and relational skill to hold difficult dialogue with care
✨ Grow your confidence in navigating conflict, challenge and discomfort
✨ Build a team or organisational culture where honest, caring conversation is the norm
✨ Practise and receive feedback in a safe, supportive peer environment
BEST SUITED FOR
Practitioners and leaders in social care, education, health and community settings who want to develop more confident, empathic and effective communication skills.
OUR APPROACH
Building courage through practice
Each session builds on the last, connecting personal reflection with practical skill development. You will bring real situations from your own practice and commit to trying new approaches between sessions.
C
Capability
Acquiring new frameworks, skills and insights for navigating difficult conversations with confidence, honesty and care.
O
Opportunity
Identifying and creating real opportunities to practise these skills in your day-to-day work, supported by a community of peer learners.
M
Motivation
Connecting courageous communication to your values as a practitioner and your commitment to authentic, caring relationships.
WHO WE ARE
Your facilitators
Courageous Conversations is co-facilitated by Ali Gardner from Head, Hearts, Hands in Practice and Gabriel Eichsteller from ThemPra. Together they bring deep experience of relational practice, communication and social pedagogy to their facilitation.
Ali has extensive experience supporting practitioners and leaders to develop more courageous, empathic and effective communication – drawing on her work with Head, Hearts, Hands in Practice and her own background in relational social care. Gabriel brings his expertise in social pedagogy and learning facilitation to create a reflective, experiential and deeply human learning environment.
Ali Gardner
Head, Hearts, Hands in Practice [⚠️ Upload Ali’s photo to WordPress and replace this with a media-text block]
BOOKING INFORMATION
Dates & Costs
Session dates
Dates for the next cohort are yet to be confirmed. Sessions run 9.30am–12.30pm UK time online.
Register your interest now and we will notify you as soon as booking opens.
Course fee
£330
per place, no VAT
Payment by bank transfer or credit card, received at least 14 days prior to the start date. Purchase order details can be added to the invoice.
Group discounts are available for 5 or more places from the same organisation – contact us to discuss.
Making the case to your manager
Not sure how to make the case for attending? We have prepared a template email you can adapt.
Template email to your manager
Dear [Manager’s name],
I’d love your support to attend the Courageous Conversations course, co-facilitated by Ali Gardner and Gabriel Eichsteller from ThemPra Social Pedagogy CIC. I think the skills we would develop would benefit not just my own practice but our wider team culture.
Courageous Conversations is a six-session online programme that helps practitioners and leaders develop the confidence, skills and relational wisdom to navigate difficult conversations with honesty and care. It draws on social pedagogy values and communication frameworks to explore how we approach conflict, give and receive difficult feedback, and create the conditions for honest, empathic dialogue.
The course runs over six live online sessions of three hours each. The fee is £330 (no VAT) per person. Dates are yet to be confirmed, and I will share details as soon as they are available.
I’m genuinely excited about this, and confident it would strengthen how I communicate and support others – especially in situations that feel challenging or uncomfortable. I’d be happy to share what I learn with the team.
Many thanks for considering it – please let me know if you’d like any more information.
[Your name]
21 hours cpd
Certificate awarded on completion
Upon completing the programme you will receive a CPD certificate for 21 hours. This course counts towards a range of professional standards across social care, education and community development.
Professional standards this course supports
Knowledge & Skills Statements – Child & Family
Child and Family Practitioners: Relationships and effective direct work | Communication | Analysis, decision-making, planning and review
Practice Supervisors: Emotionally intelligent practice supervision | Promote and govern excellent practice
Knowledge & Skills Statements – Adult Services
Social workers: Person-centred practice | Supervision, critical analysis and reflection | Professional ethics and leadership
Professional Capabilities Framework for Social Work in England
Professionalism | Values and ethics | Diversity and equality | Rights, justice and economic wellbeing | Critical reflection and analysis | Intervention and skills | Professional leadership
Other online courses
Explore the full range of ThemPra’s online learning programmes.
Interested in joining the next cohort?
Dates for the next Courageous Conversations cohort are yet to be confirmed. Register your interest now and we will be in touch as soon as booking opens.