The apprenticeship runs in two seasonal cohorts each year—one starting in the fall and one in the winter/spring. Each cohort spans two semesters: your first semester as a Junior Apprentice, and your second semester as a Senior Apprentice. The curriculum blends online learning, in-person immersions, peer practice, 1:1 mentorship, and self-paced assignments. Some elements have firm deadlines within the semester, especially for those pursuing certification, while others can be completed anytime within 12 months.

We kick off each semester with a 4-day immersion that includes 2 apprentice-only days with leading an actual 2-day immersion together. During the 12 months of the apprenticeship, you have free admission to attend any Circling Canada immersion.

In Semester 1, you’ll participate in:

• 10 weekly group calls on Zoom (Tuesdays 6–8:30pm PST)

• 10 Buddy Circles (peer-to-peer sessions)

• 3 individual coaching/Compassionate Inquiry sessions with Garrett

• A 4 day immersion on Salt Spring Island

• Weekly writing prompts and group discussion posts

• Required readings and written reflections

• Facilitation practice at optional additional immersions

• Submission of 2 facilitation case studies by semester’s end

In Semester 2, you’ll attend another 4-day immersion on salt spring island, revisit the same curriculum (from a more experienced perspective), continue weekly calls and buddy circles, provide peer mentorship to new Junior Apprentices, take on more responsibilities when support facilitating immersions, and work toward the remainder of your certification requirements—including leading local events, final case studies, the integrity protocol, and your evaluation Circle.

If you’re not pursuing certification, you’re welcome to engage with the content in whatever way supports your growth. Certification seekers must complete all required activities within one year, but otherwise, the structure allows spaciousness, choice, and deep integration.

The time commitment varies depending on your level of participation, but here’s a rough breakdown. The first semester involves approximately 150 hours, which includes about 50 hours of live online activities and 100 hours of in-person immersion. That averages out to just over 5 hours per week of online activities during the 10-week semester. The second semester ranges from 70 to 150 hours, depending on how much you choose to attend. In addition, there are approximately 70 hours of self-paced assignments and activities spread over the full 12 months. Altogether, the apprenticeship requires roughly 290 to 370 hours over the course of a year.

In short, certification is optional, but the training is powerful either way—and respected across Canada as a rigorous, experience-based path to becoming a confident and skillful facilitator.

The main reason people join this apprenticeship is to become more powerful, attuned, and skillful in human connection. The tools and depth of practice you’ll gain here are transformative, whether or not you ever go on to lead AR & Circling more formally. That said, we do offer a certification for those who want it.

Our certification is designed to support participants who seek formal recognition of their training, especially those planning to facilitate, teach, or integrate Authentic Relating and Circling into their professional work. We take this process seriously. Graduates complete over 300 hours of training, including in-person immersions, coaching, real facilitation hours, and personalized feedback. The program is comparable in depth and rigor to facilitator pathways internationally.

Circling Canada is currently the most active and experienced Authentic Relating and Circling training organization in the country. We run more live events and immersions across Canada than any other training body in this space. Our facilitators have studied with respected leaders including Sara Ness, Peter Benjamin, Jason Digges, Decker Cunov, and Jordan Myska Allen. We integrate diverse influences from the original Bay Area Circling roots, the Integral Circling lineage, Relateful, and Transformational Connection.

This field is still evolving globally. Circling and Authentic Relating are relatively young disciplines, and there is no single centralized certifying body. While the Circling Institute has pursued trademarking and federation efforts to formalize its authority, their trademark application was rejected in Canada. Our use of the term “Circling” remains fully legal and grounded in community. Still, we want to be transparent: graduates may encounter occasional resistance in international settings where certification is measured against U.S.-based institutions. However, our training is increasingly respected both within Canada and abroad, and our reputation continues to grow.

We’re in a time of emergence and decentralization. This is not a path of gatekeeping, but of stewardship. And like many other respected schools, we may one day move away from the term “Circling” as the practice continues to evolve. For now, we stand behind the depth, integrity, and transformative power of what we offer.

Circling Canada offers a unique, community-rooted pathway for facilitator development. We’re a younger school, and we own that with humility. While some international programs are led by facilitators with 10–15+ years of experience, our founder, Garrett Rokosh, has been leading for over 5 years. Our curriculum is still evolving, and our surrounding community is smaller than what you might find with larger global schools.

At the same time, this brings real advantages. You’ll train with local leaders and peers, building lasting relationships in your region. You’ll be part of a growing team, with space to contribute creatively and grow alongside the work itself. Our approach draws from a wide range of influences—including Compassionate Inquiry (Gabor Maté), somatic coaching, and multiple Circling and Authentic Relating lineages. And unlike many larger programs, you’ll have real opportunities to facilitate in live immersions, with close mentorship and feedback. This is hands-on, deep-end learning in a connection-rich environment.

The curriculum was intentionally designed to be comparable in depth and structure to other well-established facilitator trainings. It includes a balanced blend of 1:1 coaching, live immersion hours, weekly curriculum calls, buddy circles, and self-paced integration work. While still in development, the training meets the standards of top-tier programs—many of which are priced between $6,000 and $10,000 USD. We’re proud to offer a similarly rigorous and meaningful experience at a more accessible price point, especially for those based in Canada.

Accommodations and food are not included in the apprenticeship tuition.

Affordable accommodations are available at the venue. Reach out to Kale (robertson.kale47@gmail.com) for inquires. There might also be an affordable meal plan available, but that is TBD.

1. Show up with honesty and realness. And assume others will too.
All apprentices are committed to pushing your edge when it comes to honesty, self-revealing, and courageous self-disclosure.

2. Be a good host to others’ feedback, so they want to return with more.
Perhaps the most valuable (and challenging) part of this apprenticeship is receiving a lot of honest feedback from peers, mentors, and participants. You are expected to maintain an attitude of openness, curiosity, and inner-seeking. Receive and integrate feedback from others with humility and dignity.

3. Stay in relationship, even when it’s hard.
This work will stir things up. Conflict and triggers are inevitable. You may want to leave. It’s welcome to set boundaries and take space when needed, but the expectation for this practice is returning to connection.

4. Take ownership of your growth.
You are responsible for engaging in personal development and healing work outside of the apprenticeship, in whatever form is most supportive for you.

4. Bring awareness to projections and authority dynamics.
You’re encouraged to notice and name how old patterns—especially those related to parents or authority figures—may surface in relationship with mentors. You’re also welcome to call me out when you’re triggered by something I say or do. That’s part of the work, too.

5. Maintain clear boundaries with participants.
You agree not to initiate or pursue sexual or romantic dynamics with participants or students in any Circling or AR event you help lead—for at least three months after the event. If something does emerge after that, you’re expected to check in with a member of the leadership team for reflection and feedback before proceeding.

6. Take responsibility for your apprenticeship deadlines.
There are a lot of dates, homework, and tasks that you need to keep track of. For example, do not wait until the last week to book multiple 1:1 mentor calls with Garrett and anticipate weeks that will be busy so that you can get ahead.

1. I will give my best to support your growth.
I’m committed to doing everything in my power to develop your skillfulness and integrity as a leader and facilitator of Authentic Relating and Circling. I will lean into my edge to support, challenge, and love you.

2. I will stay anchored in mentorship.
I will continue to circle with and learn from international Circling leaders to ensure that I’m growing and refining my own leadership, and to keep this apprenticeship updated with this fast evolving practice.

3. I will model vulnerability, honesty, and self disclosure.
I will lead by example when it comes to self-disclosure, revealing withholds, and staying real in relationship with you. You can expect me to be consistently radically honest with you, even when it hurts.

4. I will take your feedback seriously.
I will receive your honest, critical feedback with humility and be accountable for my own personal/professional growth. One of the ways we’ll practice this is through structured shadow feedback and leader accountability sessions.

5. I will be an imperfect human that doesn’t have it all figured out.
Relationships are complex, and I’ll dance with you as co-imperfect-humans figuring it out.

The apprentices moving into their senior semester are Mathilde, Kali, and Anastasiya. Paula, Jonathan, Zoe, and possibly Lacey will be orbiting in support roles. 

1. Free access to all Level 1 and Level 2 immersions for one full year (as a participant or apprentice facilitator)

2. Free access to all online offerings, including future online Level 1 trainings and weekly alumni community calls (launching soon)

3. Full access to the online classroom, with growing content and resources for continued development

4. Invitations to internal Circling Canada team meetings, offering behind-the-scenes experience and insight into how we organize, reflect, and lead together

The Integrity Protocol is a self-paced, inner work process inspired by Steps 4, 5, 8, and 9 of the classic 12-Step Recovery Program. It’s a powerful part of the apprenticeship because we want our graduates to not only facilitate authentic human connection—but to embody it in their real lives. This is about becoming someone who walks the talk of Authentic Relating and Circling.

The goal isn’t to create shame or moral judgment. The goal is to cultivate leaders who are grounded, magnetic, self-aware, and in deep alignment with their values. Leaders who live in integrity are able to hold space with more presence, see others more clearly, and build trust with the people they serve. Integrity is freedom—and this protocol is about reclaiming that.

Apprentices will complete the following steps:

1. Take an honest moral inventory
You’ll reflect deeply on moments in your life where you’ve been out of integrity—especially in relationships. This includes exploring patterns of dishonesty, harm, fear, codependence, avoidance, ego-driven behaviour, boundary violations, secrecy, and spiritual misalignment. This is not a performance; it’s a courageous act of personal truth-telling.

2. Share your inventory
You’ll share your reflections with at least one trusted person in your life or the apprenticeship. You’ll also be invited (but not required) to share key insights or "headlines" with the team as a gesture of leadership and transparency.

3. Create an amends list
You’ll create a list of past or present relationships where you feel called to take ownership, clean up misalignment, or initiate resolution. This step requires discernment and honesty about where harm may have occurred—whether through action, inaction, or unconscious patterning.

4. Initiate repair (timing varies)
Where appropriate, you’ll initiate conversations to make amends or take responsibility. These conversations are only encouraged when doing so is unlikely to cause further harm—to the other person or to yourself. You’ll have the support of the mentorship team in navigating this step with care.

This protocol is not about perfection—it’s about alignment. It’s about becoming someone who radiates honesty, humility, and inner coherence. Someone others trust, because you trust yourself.

Item If you need more time to complete your certification requirements, you can apply to extend into an additional semester for a sliding scale fee of $500–$1000. This extension allows you to stay connected with the team, receive mentorship, and finish your remaining commitments. This protocol may evolve over time, but the intention is to support you in completing the process with integrity and accountability.

We also recognize that life happens. If you miss one or two deadlines, there may be some flexibility, especially if you’re actively engaging with the work. However, if significant portions of the criteria remain incomplete, you simply won’t receive certification. That said, you’re still welcome to stay involved with the learning, community, and practice—you just won’t be listed as a certified facilitator until all requirements are met.

There will be 4-6 Junior Apprentices and 4-6 Senior Apprentices each semester. You become a “Senior Apprentice” in your second semester.

Garrett is not available during breaks between semesters. Therefore group calls and 1:1 support must happen during semester time.

You are welcome to use the breaks to coordinate buddy circles or other practice circles with the apprenticeship team. You can also use this time for self-paced activities.

Generally, yes — though it’s not automatic. Certification through the apprenticeship is a strong step toward being invited to lead immersions and events with Circling Canada. That said, leadership roles are limited and depend on timing, fit, and the evolving needs of the organization. Our vision is to have certified graduates stepping into leadership roles for Level 1 and 2 immersions, potentially as early as spring 2026.

If you’re flying here, it’s best to fly to Victoria airport. Then take a ~$30 taxi to Swartz Bay ferry. Then take a $12 35-minute ferry to Fulford Harbour on Salt Spring Island. If you’re on foot, reach out to the apprentice team and someone will be able to pick you up from the ferry to bring you to the venue.

Accommodations:

The most affordable option is $50/night for sleeping on the floor and you'd need to bring your own mattress/bedding/towel. The house is quite large and has many different little nooks to sleep in.

If you want a private bed/room, that includes bedding and towels, the option is:
 - Upstairs ‘Maiden’ room with 1 single bed (double if pulled out) and a floor mattress $150/night (2 people max in the room)
- Downstairs ‘Queen Suite’ with queen bed and gorgeous 3-piece bathroom $225 per night (2 people max in the room)
- ⁠⁠Downstairs ‘Goddess Suite’ (with king bed and luxurious 4-piece ensuite) with a gorgeous view $295/night (max 2 people in the room).

Food:

There is a kitchen and fridge available at the venue. Most people do a mix of buying groceries to cook their own food and going into town at lunch or dinner to the restaurants. There are usually 2-3 cars going into town and coming back.