Life Development Groups

Life Development Groups are a revolutionary breakthrough in method, in which coach and participants shift from a ‘Me’ lens to a ‘We’ lens. In the process clients discover more of who they are and want to become. That paradox—the holding of both ‘We’ and ‘Me’—turbocharges growth and builds community and belonging. Different from typical groups which assemble like-minded individuals, Life Development Groups bring together diverse people with varied challenges to foster collective growth.

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“I cannot say enough about the immediate sense of community and belonging I feel in my group. It’s transformative.”

— Maria S.

Client Benefits

  • Turbocharged Growth: Accelerate personal and emotional development through group interactions.

  • Immediate Sense of Community: Build meaningful connections with a diverse group of participants.

  • Weekly Emotional Workout: Create and embrace a safe space for emotional exploration and growth.

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Experience a Life Development Group for Practitioners

The next 6-week group starts January 28, 2026.

Prerequisite: Previous training in social therapeutic coaching. Limited to 8 participants.

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Why Groups?

We are a social species; pretty much everybody agrees on that.

We live in groups, though we often do not see or experience our group-ness. Our culture prioritizes the individual and their interior experience. This focus can limit our growth and our ability to relate to others, contributing significantly to loneliness, social anxiety, imposter syndrome and addiction.

The commonly proposed solutions—for emotional pain, feeling stuck and achieving life goals—often focus on the individual changing themselves and their behavior using a made-for-an-individual approach, creating a methodological mismatch.

Thought leaders like David Brooks and Adam Grant, couples therapists like Terry Real, and even neuroscientists are now advocating that the unit of development and growth is the group, the team, the couple, the family, and the community. 

That’s where social therapeutics comes in. It was engineered as a group-based method from the start, aligning with how people actually live: in groups. 

Social therapeutic groups are diverse demographically and by the issues participants work on. Without the presumption of sameness, the focus shifts to the activity of building the group, building with all the different experiences, pain and issues that participants bring to it. 

Group members (or family members, partners, teams) learn to give emotionally in the moment. They develop the capacity to express how they are being impacted on by others. These activities function differently than giving advice, comparing, competing or withholding judgement. Groups are messy, like life is messy. And when people discover they can create with the mess and uncertainty, they discover their power to create their lives and relationships.

Learn More About Group Work

Life Development Groups are a unique solution to combat the epidemic of loneliness in America, providing a niche coaching practice with financial sustainability. Order the book to read more.

ICF Core Competencies

  • Coaching Mindset

  • Trust and Safety

  • Radical Presence

  • Client Awareness and Growth

ICF Team Competencies

  • Coaching Team as a Single Entity

NBHWC Group Competencies

  • Managing Group Dynamics and Challenges

Enhance your practice with Life Development Group Training Programs

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What Participants Say

  • “Now I see group as a place to practice taking emotional risks with others. The sense of trust and intimacy has had huge impact on me. My relationships outside of group have become more fulfilling and honest.”

  • “We never really had hard conversations in our marriage. Now we are and we are discovering that the relationship can handle it. This has allowed us to feel closer and enjoy each other much more.”

  • “Our family has come to accept the different ways we are each grieving the loss of our son. We have stopped judging and competing with each other. We are relating in completely new ways.”

  • “I cannot say enough about the immediate sense of community and belonging I feel in my group. It’s transformative.”