Donna Frost

Facilitation of the development of professional artistry 227 7 Oh, I would never have tried that [painting a picture] if I hadn’t trusted you! I didn’t knowwhat to expect to start with but your instructions were clear, that helped. And besides, I trust you not to ask me to do something that doesn’t have some kind of purpose. I know I can stop when I want if I want. But no, I didn’t consider stopping. (Mara-RNI-Mtg 6 -Rec 3 of 4 -p 10 ) I’m stunned. This [using association cards to reflect on practice episode] has given me such a different way of looking at that consultation. […] We went straight to the feelings, to the emotions, for example. Could we do this with patients, do you think!? (Dylan-NPI- 20130730 CRC-p 8 ) Despite the identificationof specific strategies in theabovedescription, it is important to note that not every strategy was needed or effective in every situation. When considering my own experiences as facilitator and analysing the reflections I had made, I saw that what was important inmy facilitationwas discovering and following the needs of the people I was facilitating. The patterns of engagement described in Chapter six were, perhaps unsurprisingly, also evident in my reflections. Creating a safe and sheltered space, for example, in which trust could grow and develop. Working with the parts and the wholes, in the now and the not yet and aiming for the best I could achieve. As well, I needed to be alert to and trust in my ability to take transformative action, when the situation arose. Strategies like letting participants knowwhat they could expect and being transparent about the purpose of different parts of the process were sometimes transformative, for example, and sometimes better described as a way to contribute to a safe space and pay attention to the parts so that the process, as a whole, could proceed. In moving towards the second milestone, then, a trusting relationship with the facilitator was necessary and a safe space in which the inquiry member could experiment and learn. This was also true of the safe space I experienced when working with my own supervisors and, for example, when facilitating workshops with other PhD students.