Crafting Healing Circles for This Moment and Time

In moments of social division and upheaval, the restorative mindset is both most challenged, and most essential. When connection feels fragile or out of reach, how do we, as leaders, educators, and organizers, remain rooted in ourselves while showing up with care for our communities and our world?

This three-hour workshop invites participants into a healing restorative Circle designed through Balance in the Process (BITP), a four-corner framework drawn from ancient models of individual and collective health. Erin and Cathleen will facilitate the Circle with care and intention, weaving wisdom from their ancestral lineages to create a space grounded in the teachings of the past and oriented toward the possibilities of our shared future.

Meet the Co-Hosts

We’ve been friends and partners for almost a decade. In that time, we've come to grow in our friendship, facilitation partnership, and in our work as Circle practitioners. One of the values that we prioritize in our restorative justice work is the importance of relationships. As friends and partners we do this work together. We laugh, share, and wonder about all things related to social justice, racial justice, and the ways in which Circle practice welcomes us into a deeper relationship with ourselves and one another. https://www.restorativepracticenyc.com

Erin Dunlevy

Erin Dunlevy is an organizational health and equity consultant, restorative justice facilitator, and executive coach with more than twenty years of experience working across the United States and Latin America. She partners with corporations, nonprofit organizations, and learning institutions seeking to strengthen leadership, organizational culture, and collaborative decision-making.

Erin is co-founder of Restorative Practice NYC (RPNYC) and currently serves as Vice President at True North Center for Organizational Health. She is also an adjunct professor at Columbia University and a visiting professor at the United Nations-mandated University for Peace, while continuing to work nationally as an executive coach and consultant.

Cathleen Antoine-Abiala

Cathleen Antoine-Abiala is a restorative justice practitioner, educator, and consultant who works with schools, universities, and community organizations to integrate restorative frameworks into leadership and organizational culture. As co-founder of Restorative Practice NYC (RPNYC), she brings a collaborative and creative approach to facilitation, leadership development, and healing-centered learning environments.

Cathleen is the co-creator of Wisdom of the Circle, a reflection deck designed to support circle keepers and educators in building meaningful dialogue and restorative practice. She holds a master’s degree in Sociology of Education from Teachers College, Columbia University, and has worked with institutions including New York University, True North COH, and RE-Center.

Participants will not only experience a healing Circle, but will also learn how to design their own using the Balance in the Process framework, strengthening their restorative practice and orienting future work toward balance, resilience, and wholeness during times of fracture. All participants will receive a copy of Wisdom of the Circle: A Restorative Practitioner’s Deck, a tactile tool that supports circle design through Balance in the Process and extends the learning beyond the workshop itself.