The Include-Performance Framework®
Facilitator Online Training Programme
When the usual approaches aren't enough
Understand what's getting in the way. Make more informed decisions. Achieve greater impact.
You already have experience working with people, groups or organisations.
You have knowledge, established approaches and a strong commitment to doing good work. Yet sometimes your usual methods don’t seem enough.
You may find yourself navigating resistance, competing needs, difficult group dynamics or the same conversations without the progress you'd hoped for. You recognise something isn't working as well as it could, but it isn't always clear what's causing the difficulty or what to do differently.
The Include-Performance Framework® Facilitator Programme is an advanced, research-informed professional development experience for people who want to deepen their practice, professional judgement and impact.
It brings together psychological and systemic perspectives, anti-oppressive and trauma-informed practice, group dynamics, power, reflexivity and real-world application.
Know when to trust your approach, when to adapt it, and what the work needs from you next.
November 2026 cohort | 12-week blended programme | €875
Over 12 weeks, you'll deepen your practice, apply the Include-Performance Framework® in real work and develop an applied project with faculty and peer support.
Ready to join? Book your place directly, or request the programme brochure to explore the learning experience, dates and participation requirements before deciding.
When experience and good intentions aren't enough
At some point in professional practice, more knowledge, a different technique, or more careful preparation doesn't necessarily resolve the challenges we're facing.
You might recognise some of these experiences:
You've had the conversations, tried different approaches and invested considerable effort, but little seems to change.
You know something is happening beneath the surface, but you're not entirely sure what it is.
You encounter resistance, disagreement or disengagement that doesn't make sense based on the presenting problem.
Your usual approaches work well in some situations but seem less effective in others.
You find yourself questioning your decisions, replaying interactions or wondering what you could have done differently.
You're navigating competing needs, power dynamics or differences that cannot simply be resolved by getting everyone to agree.
You're carrying responsibility for progress and sometimes wonder whether you're doing too much of the work for others.
These experiences don't necessarily mean you lack knowledge or capability. They may indicate that there is more happening in the situation than your existing approach allows you to recognise or respond to.
Developing your practice isn't always about learning what else to do. Sometimes it's about understanding more of what is happening, including your own role in it.
Who is this programme for?
The IPF Facilitator Programme is designed for experienced, ambitious, impact-driven professionals with an established, informed practice working with individuals, groups, or organisational change.
You might be a facilitator, coach, trainer, consultant, organisational development specialist, psychologist, HR or people professional, leader, community practitioner, educator or someone whose work involves supporting others through complex situations.
What connects participants isn't a particular professional title.
It's the nature of their work and their desire to deepen it.
What will you develop?
Greater insight into what's happening
Develop the capacity to recognise more of the psychological, relational and systemic dynamics influencing individuals, groups and organisations. This includes looking beyond the presenting problem, noticing what may be unspoken, recognising power and positionality, and becoming more aware of your own contribution to the dynamics of the work.
Stronger professional judgement
Become more intentional in how you assess situations, choose interventions and adapt your approach. Rather than relying on familiar methods or instinct alone, develop a clearer basis for understanding when an approach is appropriate, when it needs to change and what information might be missing.
Greater competence in working with complexity and difference
Deepen your ability to work with resistance, disagreement, competing needs, uncertainty and group dynamics. Explore how to recognise and respond to differences that may not be immediately visible, hold professional boundaries and exercise authority responsibly without needing everyone to agree with your position.
A more authentic and distinctive professional practice
Bring together your knowledge, experience, values, strengths and differences into a practice that is genuinely your own. Develop a clearer understanding of your professional identity, your responsibilities and the ethical boundaries within which you work. The aim isn't to become a different kind of practitioner. It's to deepen your understanding of how you practise and expand the choices available to you.
Greater self-trust and professional groundedness
Develop a more constructive relationship with uncertainty, mistakes and professional self-questioning. Learn to distinguish useful reflection from unhelpful self-doubt, and build trust in your judgement without needing certainty, perfection or external approval.
Greater impact with less unnecessary frustration
Strengthen your ability to recognise what may be maintaining a difficult situation, make better use of your existing expertise and identify more meaningful ways forward. The IPF does not promise to remove complexity or guarantee particular outcomes. It supports you to work with the realities of the situation more thoughtfully, responsibly and effectively.
Ready to join? Book your place directly, or request the programme brochure to explore the learning experience, dates and participation requirements before deciding.
What makes the Include-Performance Framework® different?
A development process, not another collection of techniques
Many experienced practitioners already have considerable knowledge, qualifications and methods. The challenge isn't always finding something new to learn.
Sometimes it's knowing how to bring that knowledge together and use it effectively in the situation in front of you.
The Include-Performance Framework® helps practitioners examine what is happening, make sense of different influences and develop a clearer rationale for their decisions.
Its research-informed approach brings together:
Psychology and group dynamics: Understanding the interactions, emotions, assumptions and less visible processes that influence individual and group behaviour.
Power and positionality: Recognising how authority, identity, experience and relationships influence what becomes possible, whose voices are heard and how decisions are made.
Psychodynamic and systemic perspectives: Exploring transference, countertransference, repeated relational patterns and how existing organisational dynamics can be reproduced even within interventions intended to create change.
Anti-oppressive and trauma-informed practice: Developing greater awareness of how power, experiences of oppression, trauma and differences in needs may influence participation and engagement.
Inclusion and performance: Working with both human needs and the responsibilities, purpose and outcomes of the work, particularly when legitimate needs and priorities compete.
Evidence, reflection and ethical judgement: Using relevant information, theory, critical reflection and professional accountability to inform interventions and understand their contribution to outcomes.
These are not separate techniques to apply mechanically. They offer different ways to recognise what may be happening, examine the practitioner's contribution, and decide what the work needs next.
How you'll learn
Experience the principles, don't just study them
The programme combines research-informed learning, independent study, live faculty-facilitated development sessions, peer learning and an applied project.
Learning happens through more than discussing concepts. The way sessions are facilitated provides opportunities to experience, notice and reflect on the principles being explored.
Different faculty members bring different professional approaches and styles. Some sessions involve group discussions, while others use smaller breakout conversations or reflective activities.
The learning is also experiential and emergent. At times, the group’s work may adapt in response to what is happening and what participants need.
This creates opportunities to consider not only what works, but why an approach may be appropriate in one situation and less useful in another.
Your learning experience includes:
Weekly independent learning: Engage with recorded lessons, research, frameworks, reflective exercises and learning resources at a pace that allows you to consider their relevance to your own work.
Live faculty-led development: Participate in online sessions facilitated by experienced practitioners, exploring ideas, approaches and the realities of working with people and groups. Live sessions generally last up to 60 minutes, allowing space for reflection rather than concentrating large amounts of information into a single session.
Peer-to-peer learning: Learn alongside experienced professionals from different backgrounds, examine assumptions, exchange perspectives and explore the challenges emerging in your practice.
Reflective and experiential learning: Notice your responses, explore how you use your professional authority, examine your assumptions and consider how your way of participating influences others.
An applied project: Bring the framework into your own professional context and use it to examine, plan, implement or develop an intervention connected to real work.
Continuing development: Access the facilitator manual, learning resources, research updates and continuing professional community, with further opportunities available through licensing and supervision.
Expect to be challenged: This programme is designed for experienced practitioners who want more than confirmation of what they already know. You'll be invited to think critically, examine familiar assumptions, encounter different perspectives and reflect on how your own knowledge, values and responses influence the work. The aim is to create meaningful opportunities for professional challenge, reflection and development, rather than discomfort for its own sake.
Ready to join? Book your place directly, or request the programme brochure to explore the learning experience, dates and participation requirements before deciding.
November 2026 to February 2027
The programme combines twelve weeks of structured learning with live faculty sessions, independent study, peer development and an applied project.
1 November: Learning materials begin: Access to weekly programme materials begins.
10 November: First live faculty session: Meet the cohort and explore the programme and Include-Performance Framework®.
16 November: Second live faculty development session
30 November: Third live faculty development session
1 December: Live faculty development session
December: Peer learning, applied project development and faculty learning
4 January: Live faculty development session
January: Further peer learning and final faculty session
1 February: Applied project submission and reflection
Designed for an international cohort
On faculty session dates, participants can choose between scheduled session times at 08:00, 13:00 or 17:00 GMT. Cohorts typically comprise approximately 4–16 participants. The programme is designed to balance structure with flexibility, allowing participants to engage with independent learning while taking part in live and collaborative development.
Certification and licensing depend on meeting the programme requirements.
Apply the IPF to your own work
An applied project that connects learning with practice
The applied project gives you an opportunity to apply your learning in a real situation within your organisation, consultancy, community, or professional context. Rather than completing an exercise disconnected from your work, you'll examine how the framework informs decisions and interventions in practice.
Your project creates opportunities to:
Apply the Include-Performance Framework® to a real situation.
Gather and interpret relevant information.
Explore the influence of relationships, power, context and competing needs.
Reflect on your own role and professional judgement.
Make and adapt decisions as new information emerges.
Consider what changed, what remains uncertain and what evidence is available about the contribution of your work.
The project helps you develop the judgement, reflexivity, and agency needed to work responsibly with complexity.
Meet the faculty
Learn with experienced practitioners who bring different perspectives to the work
Dr Síle Walsh: Founder, ELIS Advantage
Síle is a psychodynamic-systemic practitioner who works with leaders, organisations, and communities. She developed the Include-Performance Framework® to support practitioners and organisations working with the relationships between inclusion, performance, people and organisational context. Her work brings together research, psychological insight, organisational development and professional practice.
Sara Slattery: IPF Facilitator and Senior Practitioner
Sara is an Include-Performance Framework® Facilitator, trainer, career coach and EMCC-accredited Senior Practitioner. She brings experience of the relationship between individual experience, organisational culture and wider systems of power. Sara also facilitates a dedicated space to explore power, perfectionism, uncertainty, and agency in professional learning and the applied project.
Thomas McCormack: IPF Facilitator and Coach
Thomas is a coach and facilitator who supports people in exploring unspoken challenges and developing new ways of thinking and working. His practice includes coaching, group facilitation, reflective development, and applying the Include-Performance Framework®.
The faculty bring different approaches and perspectives, providing opportunities to learn through both the content of the programme and the experience of working together.
Ready to join? Book your place directly, or request the programme brochure to explore the learning experience, dates and participation requirements before deciding.
What previous participants experienced
Previous participants have described changes in how they understand, trust and apply their professional judgement.
Their feedback includes greater clarity about why they choose particular interventions, deeper awareness of power and group dynamics, a more integrated approach to existing knowledge, and greater self-trust when working with uncertainty.
Some also described unexpected personal and professional developments, including a stronger sense of their own facilitation style, greater acceptance of their differences and less pressure to perform a particular version of professionalism.
Participant reflections:
“I wanted language and structure I could stand over professionally, especially in organisational settings.” - 2026 participant
“The balance between evidence-based frameworks and relational practice stood out.” - 2026 participant
“I genuinely found this programme very challenging but equally as rewarding.” - 2026 participant
“I came into this programme desiring to be more confident in my ability to facilitate groups and work with groups. By the end of it I was challenged and stretched in ways I just did not expect. I am less restricted within myself as a person and as a facilitator as a result of this programme, I'm more at peace that I will forever be a work in progress and I've learned skills that make me less rigid around "who I work with". I am clearer on my personal style of facilitation and finally have a better sense of when my style is working, when it isn't and being more attuned to what the work/group needs as opposed to what might be more comfortable for me” - 2026 Participants
Certification, facilitator licence and continuing development
Professional recognition alongside continuing responsibility
Participants who complete the programme requirements can receive certification and a one-year Include-Performance® Facilitator Licence.
The licence includes:
Recognition as a licensed Include-Performance® Facilitator.
Permission to use the facilitator title and digital badge.
Listing in the facilitator directory.
Access to the facilitator manual and resource library.
Continuing research and resource updates.
Access to an international Community of Practice.
Invitations to peer learning, shared case studies and professional seminars.
Licensing is connected to continuing ethical practice, professional development and supervision.
Professional responsibilities
Licensed facilitators are expected to practise within the legal, ethical and professional requirements relevant to their own field and location, maintain appropriate insurance where required, and engage with supervision and ongoing development. The current licence renewal fee is €250 for two years. Supervision is an additional part of continuing quality assurance, with individual and group options available. Full licensing conditions and supervision arrangements should be reviewed before enrolment.
Ready to join? Book your place directly, or request the programme brochure to explore the learning experience, dates and participation requirements before deciding.
Programme investment
Pay in full €875.
One payment covering the full 12-week programme, faculty-led learning, independent materials, peer development and included resources.
Flexible payment plan four payments of €236
Spread the investment over four instalments, totalling €944. Both payment options provide access to the same programme and learning experience.
Funding through your organisation: If your employer supports your professional development, we can provide professional invoices. The programme includes an applied project, allowing participants to connect their learning directly to real workplace or professional challenges.
“This programme gave me something I had been looking for for a long time: a framework that honours both the relational and evidence-based aspects of facilitation. It deepened my understanding of power, positionality, and the role of self-awareness in practice. More than anything, it helped me trust process, trust myself, and understand that effective facilitation is less about being right and more about being present, responsive, and grounded. Sile and the team at ELIS Advantage provide a challenging, inclusive and highly worthwhile learning experience that has improved so many aspects of my practice.” - 2026 Participant
For organisations investing in their people
Build internal capability for complex people and organisational work
The Include-Performance Framework® can also support organisations seeking to deepen the capability of employees who facilitate development, organisational change, leadership, inclusion or collaborative processes. It provides an opportunity to develop a more coherent, research-informed approach across professional functions while allowing for differences in roles, context and responsibilities.
Organisations may use the programme to support:
More consistent and evidence-informed professional practice.
Greater capacity to work with complex group and organisational dynamics.
More thoughtful engagement with power, culture and competing needs.
Stronger professional judgement when facilitating difficult conversations or change.
Learning that is applied directly to organisational priorities through an applied project.
Continuing development through supervision, research resources and the facilitator community.
For multiple places or an organisational cohort, contact hello@elis-advantage.eu.
What about the Include-Performance Framework® for my organisation?
Several organisations have booked Include-Performance Framework® facilitator training for their internal teams.
To find out more about booking this for your team, contact Hello@elis-advantage.eu.
This is about creating real, scalable change performance powered by inclusion.
Ready to deepen your practice?
You already bring knowledge, experience and a commitment to doing meaningful work. The next stage of your professional development may not be about learning more techniques, but understanding more of what's happening and developing greater judgement about how to respond.
The Include-Performance Framework® Facilitator Programme offers an opportunity to integrate what you already know, work more effectively with complexity and difference, and develop a practice that is distinctly your own while remaining grounded in evidence, ethics and professional responsibility.
You'll be challenged to think differently, examine your assumptions and apply your learning to real work, supported by experienced faculty and peers.
November 2026 | 12-week blended programme | From €875
If you have questions about whether the programme is right for your experience or professional context, contact hello@elis-advantage.eu.
What’s included in the Include-Performance Framework® Facilitator Training?
Community of Practice
Join a global network for peer learning, case studies, supervision, and collaboration.
Practical tools and resources
Worksheets, frameworks, whitepapers, and articles to tailor and strengthen your practice.
Facilitator licence and resources for one year
A listing in the directory of facilitators
A facilitator manual and resource library access
Ongoing research updates and new tools
Peer-to-peer and lead facilitator mentoring
Structured support to deepen your learning
and development.
Online self-led learning
Materials are available on the LMS in between live work.
A Digital Badge
For email, social media, and professional profiles upon meeting all TtF criteria
Certification of completion
Certification is awarded on successful completion of the programme requirements.
Five facilitated development sessions: Interactive online or in-person sessions where participants apply what they learn through practice.
An individual project
Apply the framework directly within your organisation.
By completing the programme, you will:
Have a shared approach within your organisation to implementing and supporting development and change.
Gain international recognition as a licensed Include-Performance® Facilitator.
Be part of a global community of practice, sharing collective insight across sectors and regions.
Enhance your credibility with certification, a licence, and a digital badge.
Integrate evidence-based approaches, psychological insight, and group dynamics into your facilitation.
Build confidence in navigating complexity, power, and culture.
Demonstrate real-world impact through an applied project.
Access exclusive tools and research to keep your work at the cutting edge.
Receive ongoing reflective supervision for quality assurance and professional growth.
I genuinely found this programme very challenging but equally as rewarding. It is a programme that I feel you could do every year and you'd always be learning and growing - it's very unique and impactful.- 2026 participant
Ready to join? Book your place directly, or request the programme brochure to explore the learning experience, dates and participation requirements before deciding.
Frequently asked questions
I'm already an experienced facilitator, coach or inclusion professional. Will I gain anything new?
The programme is designed specifically for people who already have an established professional practice.
It goes beyond introductory facilitation and inclusion techniques to explore psychological and systemic dynamics, the conscious use of power, positionality, transference and countertransference, trauma-informed and anti-oppressive practice, and the integration of professional knowledge and judgement.
Previous cohorts have included experienced DEI professionals, organisational practitioners and independent consultants.
The value lies in deepening how you understand, integrate and apply the expertise you already have.
Is this an inclusion or DEI course?
Inclusion and anti-oppressive practice are integral to the IPF, but the programme is broader than traditional inclusion training.
It examines how human, psychological, relational and systemic dynamics influence professional practice and outcomes, including when people hold competing needs, perspectives or priorities.
How big are the cohorts?
Cohorts typically comprise approximately 4–16 participants, supporting opportunities for discussion, reflection and learning alongside other experienced professionals.
How long are the live sessions?
Live faculty development sessions generally last up to 60 minutes.
Some use breakout rooms, while others involve wider group discussions or reflective activities. The intention is to allow participants time to engage with ideas and digest their learning rather than overload sessions with information.
What are the live sessions like?
Different faculty members use different approaches and styles, providing examples of how practitioners might work in their own settings.
Sessions are experiential and reflective, and the structure may sometimes adapt in response to emerging needs.
The programme aims to demonstrate the framework through how learning takes place, not only through the topics discussed.
What if I can't attend every live session?
Five live faculty development sessions are offered, with different scheduled times to support international participation. You do not need to attend all five to meet the certification requirements.
Attendance at three of the five sessions is required, alongside the peer learning, independent learning, applied project and ethical practice requirements.
What if I don't have a current facilitation project?
The applied project is intended to connect with your actual professional context. You are welcome to enquire before enrolling to discuss how the project requirement might relate to your work.
Will I be expected to share personal experiences?
Reflective practice is an important part of the learning process. The programme invites participants to consider their professional identity, assumptions, values and responses.
Reflection should take place within appropriate personal and professional boundaries. The intention is to support learning and ethical practice, not require unnecessary personal disclosure.
Is another cohort planned for 2027?
There is currently no further open cohort scheduled for 2027.
Can my organisation pay for my place?
Yes. Professional invoices are available, and organisations can enquire about funding individual participants or booking multiple places.
What happens after I complete the programme?
Participants who meet the programme requirements can receive certification and a one-year facilitator licence, with access to relevant resources, professional community opportunities and continuing development.
Ongoing licensing is subject to renewal, supervision and the applicable professional standards.
Ready to join? Book your place directly, or request the programme brochure to explore the learning experience, dates and participation requirements before deciding.
