Training Overview

making nonviolent communication a part of your life

At NYCNVC, we’re here to support you in clearly understanding and meaningfully integrating the principles of Nonviolent Communication (NVC) into everyday life. More than just a way of speaking, we see NVC as a powerful, creative framework for navigating relationships - with ourselves and others - grounded in an awareness of human needs, a doorway to our shared humanity.

Learning NVC often involves unlearning. We take a deep look at the habitual patterns - of language, thought, and behavior - that can create distance or conflict, and explore new ways of engaging that foster understanding, compassion, and choice.

Our programs are designed to offer a clear, comprehensive, and progressive path into the practice of NVC - one that supports integration at your own pace, with both structure and depth.

In addition to group offerings, we also provide one-on-one mentoring for those who want personalized guidance and support in bringing these tools into their lives.

Read below for:

Free Intros | Core Curriculum | Alumni Practice Opportunities | Mentoring

From Discovery to Integration:
The Learning Path

Developing needs awareness as a compass for navigating relationships is a lifelong path - one grounded in learning, practice, and community. For over 20 years, NYCNVC has been cultivating a progressive sequence of core programs that guide you from the initial discovery of Nonviolent Communication to a deeper integration of needs awareness - both in your relationship with yourself and in dialogue with others.

As you move through the learning journey, you'll gain access to ongoing practice opportunities and alumni spaces that support continued growth. These offerings are a vital part of staying connected to the tools, deepening your understanding, and becoming part of a vibrant, supportive community of practice.

introductory workshops (2-3 hours)

Offered at least once a month (see First Mondays), our introductory workshops provide a clear and engaging overview of the foundational concepts and skills of Nonviolent Communication. Whether online or in-person, these sessions are experiential, interactive, and often surprisingly fun - an ideal first step to get a taste of the work and our unique teaching style.

Core Curriculum overview

Our core offerings are structured into three levels: Foundation, Intermediate, and Advanced. You can craft your path based on your interest and availability, following the recommended sequence outlined below.

Once you complete each level, you’ll gain lifelong access to NYCNVC’s growing community of practice - ongoing group sessions, alumni events, and an internal directory to connect with empathy buddies and practice partners.

foundational trainings

• Discovery Trainings (Online & In-Person) (16-20h)

  • These immersive, experiential trainings lay a comprehensive foundation for Nonviolent Communication. You’ll explore the key principles of NVC, the role of needs in human interaction, and the shift from reactive patterns to conscious choice.

  • Through guided practices, you’ll begin to build a support system and learn how to apply NVC tools in everyday life - from navigating tension to deepening connection.

  • Offered several times per year, both online and in-person (NYC area and beyond).

Intermediate trainings

These two intensives can be taken in either order, depending on your preference, availability or interest. Minimum prerequisite: completion of a Discovery Training.

• Empathy Intensive Trainings (Online & In-person) (12-16h)

  • Deepen your ability to listen with presence, curiosity, and care. This training is intended to support participants in having a deeper integration of empathy and seeing our world empathically, with a focus on feelings and needs. 

  • You’ll strengthen both your capacity to give and receive empathy, and you’ll learn how to create and sustain fulfilling empathy buddy relationships that support ongoing growth and connection beyond the training itself.

• Self-Empathy Intensive Trainings (Online & In-person) (~20h)

  • Self-empathy is a core practice for building emotional intelligence, self-awareness, and inner resilience. In this training, you’ll learn to untangle thoughts, feelings, and needs to cultivate experiential clarity - the foundation for self-compassion and intentional action. 

  • Rather than resisting reactivity, we practice meeting it with understanding, restoring self-connection, and responding with grounded authenticity in both personal and professional contexts.

advanced trainings

Prerequisite: Completion of both Empathy and Self-Empathy Intensives

• Dialogue Intensive Trainings (Online & In-person) (~20h)

  • Once you’ve built a strong foundation in empathy and self-empathy, you're ready to step into dialogue. This training introduces the building blocks of needs-based dialogue - a powerful process for co-creating mutual understanding, navigating conflict, and speaking up in ways that preserve connection.

  • You'll gain structured tools and practice space for holding challenging conversations with more confidence, clarity, and care.

ongoing practice opportunities for NYCNVC alumni

The following practice opportunities are offered by NYCNVC trainers and facilitators on a regular basis. They are aimed to support the NYCNVC Alumni community to stay connected and practice with folks with comparable level of experience and training. Alumni receive monthly e-mail reminders with dates and links to register for each event. They are also invited to be part of an Empathy Buddy Directory where they can find empathy and practice partners.