The Heart-Centered Empowerment of Sitting in Circles

In this 2023 conversation with Justine Willis Toms, psychologist Lauren J. Oliver offers advice on how to start a circle of your own for honest, safe conversations and cooperation in a divisive world. She also provides examples of how to maintain integrity and mutual support in a circle: 'You don’t need to go somewhere or pay someone to start your circle. You can do it yourself.” 

Lauren J Oliver, Ph.D. received her baccalaureate degree from Harvard University and her doctorate in Clinical Psychology from UCLA. She currently provides coaching and organization development consultations for leaders, businesses, organizations, families, and individuals. She was co-founder with Dr. Robert Harrison Simmons of the California nonprofit Support Group Network. She is the author of: Circle Culture: Tools for Cooperative Work (Bonnie Burstein) (Circle Culture 2023)

Interview Date: 9/21/2023    Tags: Lauren J Oliver, special needs, Peer Counseling Program, circles, circling, circles, Social Change/Politics, Personal Transformation