Skip to main content
IIT United States Connecticut 2025

United States (CT) 2025

Becoming Empowered in a F***ed-Up World

In person Intensive Training by the Center for Nonviolent Communication
Begins: Friday, 07-Nov-2025
Ends: Sunday, 16-Nov-2025

Audience: Open to All Experience levels

English
Format: In person
229 E Litchfield Rd, Litchfield, CT 06759, United States
Venue website
The 'Becoming Empowered in a F***ed Up World' was chosen to meet people where they are—feeling overwhelmed, disoriented, and hungry for meaningful change. We wanted to reach those of you who may have dismissed NVC as too 'polite' or disconnected from today's urgency. Our intention was to acknowledge the world's complexity and pain without blame, and to invite empowerment that emerges from both mourning and clarity. The energy of the retreat will be rooted in presence, care, respect and our shared commitment to nonviolence, in all its dimensions. We're creating a path where the means align with the ends—where how we move toward change embodies the world we long to create. There will be space for honesty, yes, and also deep listening, tenderness, and safety. This approach resonates deeply with our intentions for this IIT.

Self-Connection for Collective Liberation

"(W)e have yet to grasp that emotional liberation entails more than simply asserting our own needs…Emotional liberation involves clearly stating what we need in a way that communicates we are equally concerned that the needs of others be fulfilled. NVC is designed to support us in relating at this level". ~Marshall Rosenberg, Ph.D. from Nonviolent Communication: A Language of Life

Are you feeling rocked by what’s happening in the world, unsure where to find solid ground? Do you long to break free from the daily cycle of hatred in the news and around you, and to build understanding with people who feel so far away? This nine-day immersion offers a chance to recognize what is happening within us and around us—to accompany and mourn the pain we often keep hidden, and to empower ourselves to meet life with courage, tenderness, and empathy. Join us for an experience of stepping out of blame and right/wrong thinking, and into the world of compassionate communication.

This residential retreat in Litchfield, Connecticut, USA (November 7–16, 2025) invites you to live in a community that fully welcomes all of who you are—a community that practices speaking and listening with empathy and honesty, creating authentic relationships and connection across differences. It’s a life-changing experience of universal belonging.

Can you imagine a world where all needs matter—yours and even the people you find difficult? At its core, NVC is a way of seeing a world where all beings act in service of their needs at each moment. The vision of NVC sees beneath our often defensive and harmful strategies to uncover the beauty of all life-serving needs and reconnect us with the power to choose actions and words that align with our integrity. This is the awareness that leads us closer to collective liberation.

In NVC, we gain insights into understanding our needs.  We explore and learn ways to step into difficult conversations while caring for the needs of ourselves and others. We develop the skill of empathy for ourselves and others and recognize we have a choice in how we respond, even to harsh and painful messages. NVC shows us how to uncover the shared innocence in all people, empowering us to create a world of compassionate change, understanding, and connection.

Please join us in co-creating this world.

Aware of long-standing systemic inequality and embedded societal restrictions, we encourage you to apply for scholarships to offer more equitability and inclusion. Preference is given to those with financial hardship and those who contribute to the collective by working for social change or sharing these trainings with a larger audience.

NVC Fundraiser for Accessibility and Inclusion in Connecticut IIT

This fundraiser provides financial assistance to those who would not otherwise be able to attend this event. Your contribution supports the needs of inclusion, welcome, accessibility and growing a beloved community where everyone can experience the transformative power of NVC. Learn more here.


9-day residential retreat in Nonviolent Communication

This 9-day immersion experience into Nonviolent Communication (NVC) will offer learning sessions, home groups, coaching and feedback from skilled trainers, and a community environment where you can learn and practice the key skills of NVC.

Our team of Certified Trainers will share both the core curriculum of NVC as developed by Dr. Marshall Rosenberg, as well as their own unique applications. We expect a group of approximately 70-100 participants (in addition to the trainers and organizers below) from different countries, cultural backgrounds, professions and walks of life.

People around the world are using Nonviolent Communication skills to transform conflict, create resilience in their relationships, and build a world where everyone's needs matter and are met collaboratively.

We will create a dynamic learning laboratory that will show you how to create a more compassionate and peaceful culture in your life at home, at work, and in your community by learning how to:

  1. Speak from the heart
  2. Practice deep, non-judgmental listening
  3. Build self-empowerment
  4. Find empathy during conflict
  5. Mediate internal and external conflicts
  6. Deepen self-empathy and empathy for others

The cost of this training includes two components: 1) Tuition; and 2) Room and Board. Click below for details.

FUN FACT

Litchfield has over 4,000 acres of public conservation land and 40 miles of free trails.

THE 3 MAIN GOALS OF THE PROGRAM

The purpose of this training is to give you the opportunity to live the process of Nonviolent Communication in community over an extended period of time, in order to develop the mindsets and practical tools to help you in three areas:

Personal and Professional Relationships

  • Increase connection and closeness with the people you love.
  • Speak in a way that inspires compassion and understanding.
  • Initiate difficult conversations with more ease and confidence.
  • Remain centered and peaceful when receiving difficult messages.
  • Express and receive anger fully, safely and respectfully... yet powerfully.
  • Resolve long-standing conflicts and heal painful relationships.
  • Parent children from the heart and move beyond power struggles into cooperation.
  • Translate criticism, judgments and blame into life-serving messages.

Inner Transformation

  • Shift patterns of thinking that lead to depression, guilt and shame and that perpetuate pain.
  • Transform anger into self-understanding, thereby increasing inner peace.
  • Enliven yourself by expressing and receiving gratitude.
  • Learn to embody unconditional love.

Contribution to others and Social Change

  • Share NVC in ways that transmit and model its power to transform and inspire others.
  • Create educational systems where students love learning and teachers love teaching.
  • Learn to engage in effective, lasting nonviolent social change in the tradition of Gandhi, Nelson Mandela, Desmond Tutu and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
  • Facilitate meetings and support group decision making in a power-sharing, collaborative, and consensus-based ways.
  • Support holistic and human-based workplaces.
  • Engage with others at work and in the community to foster openness, trust and authenticity.
  • Support mutual understanding and connection when working in colonized countries.
  • Foster restoration and harmony by mediating conflicts and helping to resolve differences among others.
While we will prioritize these three areas in the curriculum, there is also room for co-creation. There will be opportunities for you to request specific topics and applications to support you in living and sharing NVC at work, home, and in the community as well as internally in how you relate to yourself.

Training team for United States (CT) 2025

Introducing the Certified Trainers you will learn from and meet during the program. Each will share the core curriculum of NVC as developed by Dr. Marshall Rosenberg, as well as their own unique approach and passion for NVC. You'll also connect with many like-minded people from different countries, cultural backgrounds, professions and walks of life.

Organizing team for United States (CT) 2025

3 STEPS TO YOUR PROGRAM EXPERIENCE WITH CNVC:

Cancellation Policy

You wanted to attend this event, paid for it, and then something changed in your situation. That is when this Cancellation and Refund Policy becomes important!

We value flexibility and understand that “life happens” and sometimes people need to change their plans. At the same time, we want to acknowledge the financial commitments and other plans made by CNVC, the Organizer, and the venue.

Please note: For payments that are made directly to the Local Organizer, the payment transfer options outlined below (storing tuition payments with us as credit for a future program) are not available, due to legal and accounting restrictions.

We have established the below policy to take into account all of these needs.


A. If we cancel:

You receive a 100% refund of all tuition and/or room and board payments.

B. If you cancel:

Tuition

30 days or more before the start date, you have two options:

  1. Transfer 100% of your payment to a future CNVC intensive training within 2 years starting the date you canceled (see credit policy below); or
  2. Receive a refund on the tuition fee minus a 10% cancellation fee

Between 30 days and 4 days before the start date you have two options:

  1. Transfer 75% of your tuition payment to a future CNVC training within 2 years starting the date you canceled - we retain 25% (see credit policy below); or
  2. Receive a 50% refund of your tuition (we retain 50%).

From 3 days before the start date you have two options:

  1. Transfer 60% of your tuition payment to a future CNVC training within 2 years (starting the date you canceled) - we retain 40% (see credit policy below); or
  2. Receive a 30% refund of your tuition (we retain 70%).

From the start date:

  • No refunds or transfers for tuition and room and board will be provided, even if you do not attend or only attend part of the event.

You will notice that the closer to the start date, the lower your refund. This is to acknowledge the financial commitments that CNVC makes in the planning process (e.g., we are often required to pay the venue whether or not you show up). We also put considerable human resources into the organization of our immersive programs and some of these costs are not recoverable.

Since last minute cancellations are mostly because of an injury or a health issue, we recommend that participants take their own insurance to cover these cases.

Refunds will be issued within 10 business days after you cancel and confirm which option you choose.

Room and Board

Refunds for room and board depend on the unique contractual factors with the venue. Please check the Cancellation Policy for your event or contact the Local Organizer for details.

CREDIT POLICY

If you choose to transfer some or all of your tuition payment to a future CNVC training, the following conditions apply:

  • Credit is valid for two years from the date of cancellation.
  • To use your credit, contact us with the name of the training you would like to apply it to.
  • Credit can be applied to any CNVC training listed here that has space available.
  • Credits apply only to tuition, and not to travel or room and board costs.
  • Credit cannot be refunded for cash after it is issued.
  • Credit is non-transferable.
  • If the credit is not used within two years, it expires.
  • If you move your credit to another program and then cancel, the new program’s refund options will apply (and you cannot opt for the credit option again)
  • If you plan to attend an immersive program that is offered in a language other than English, we strongly recommend that you do not opt for the credit option, as CNVC cannot guarantee that another program in your preferred language will be offered within the next two years.

 

Discounts

Note: these discounts only apply to tuition payments (not to room & board or other expenses).

Note: only one of these discounts may apply; you may combine it with the Early Bird price.

10% if you participated in (and paid tuition for) a previous Foundation Training (FT) or International Intensive Training (IIT) with the Center for Nonviolent Communication

10% if you have been, or will have been, a Supporting Member of CNVC for 6 months or more before the first day of the program

15% if you are a Certification Candidate registered with CNVC. The discount applies only to people who are officially registered candidates

If you are not sure if you are officially registered as a Certification Candidate, email us at [email protected]. If you're not registered yet, ask your Assessor if it might be possible for you to become registered before the program.

If you are not registered as a candidate at the time of payment, you can pay the full price without this discount, and if you become a registered certification candidate by the start date of the program, we will refund you the difference (the 15% discount amount).

25% if you are an active Trainer certified with CNVC

The discount applies only to active Certified Trainers. "Active" means that in the last year, you have completed the renewal steps including filling out the Annual Trainer Survey, making an Annual Trainer Contribution, and signing the Trainer Agreement if applicable (if it has been updated).

Note, that there is also a limited number of tuition-free spaces available for Certified Trainers, granted by a committee. For more information, visit this page.

Financial Assistance

Financial Assistance for Immersive Trainings

We realize that life situations make it difficult for some people to raise enough funds to participate in one of our immersive trainings. If this is the case for you, we strongly encourage you to apply for financial assistance and we will do our best to support you to participate in this program.

Since money can be a loaded topic in our world, asking for financial support is challenging and uncomfortable for many people. If you are inspired to attend, we invite you to join us in a mutual process to explore possibilities.

HOW IT WORKS:

After applying the available discounts, if you are not able to afford the tuition, you can request financial assistance to further reduce your tuition fee. (Note: We do not offer assistance for Room and Board, which is a direct expense for your lodging and food). We have limited amount of finances available and we prioritize people who meet one or more of the following criteria:

  1. Foundational NVC knowledge: have at least read the NVC book and/or attended one NVC weekend course
  2. Certification Candidate
  3. Supporting Member
  4. Can increase their impact in the world by participating in this training, e.g., by leading or supporting a social change project, and/or being an active member of an NVC community
  5. Come from a disadvantaged group with less access to resources (examples: race, ethnicity, origin, religion, sex, gender identity, class, age)
  6. From the geographical region where the program is held or from a region where there are no programs offered
  7. Can pay some money toward tuition
  8. Willing to search for other sources of financial support, such as their workplace (professional development), family (personal development), organizations, or crowdfunding efforts
  9. No CNVC financial assistance received in the past

Instructions for how to request financial assistance will be provided after you submit the pre-registration form.

Agreements

We are happy that you will participate in Nonviolent Communication training – the Foundation Training (FT) or the International Intensive Training (IIT) sponsored by the Center for Nonviolent Communication (CNVC).

In order to create an environment that is supportive and that offers predictability -- and supports you in making choices for your wellbeing -- we ask you to make a series of agreements.

1. If I complete this training, I will receive a Certificate of Completion, which is different from being authorized or certified as an official trainer of the CNVC. If I share NVC, unless I am already a Certified CNVC trainer, I agree to present myself as a student, supporter, or candidate for certification (if I am a registered candidate for certification) rather than as a CNVC Certified Trainer. Also, I agree to follow the “Guidelines for Sharing NVC for Individuals who are not Certified Trainers.”

2. All materials that I will receive are the property of the Trainers who created them. I agree to use these materials only for my personal use -- and refrain from copying or sharing with others -- unless I receive explicit consent from the creators.

3. I understand that while this training might be healing and therapeutic in nature, it is not a substitute for mental health therapy or psychiatric care.

4. I am responsible for my own behavior the entire time I participate in this event. I understand that some activities could be mentally and emotionally challenging. My level of participation in the activities is entirely my choice, and I can modify or end my participation at any time.

5. I agree to follow any relevant public health regulations that may be imposed by the country or municipality where this program will take place. I will follow these regulations and not avoid any of them. At the same time, I understand that CNVC will not impose any additional regulations above and beyond what is required by the country or municipality. (Not applicable for online programs.)

6. If I contract an illness from a virus or other pathogen during this training, I am responsible for the costs of medical care and any other related costs such as changing travel arrangements. I will exercise consideration for others when it comes to contagious illnesses and reach out to the organizer to decide on any actions. (Not applicable for Online Programs)

7. Since the program is a closed event and only registered participants are allowed to participate in the sessions, I agree not to bring or invite to the sessions anyone who is not registered. If there are areas or spaces designated for participants of this event, like conference areas or dining areas, I agree not to bring or invite anyone who is not a registered participant to these spaces.

8. I agree to the Photo & Video Agreement which ensures me choice and gives the right to CNVC to gather photos and videos, celebrate, and for YOU to have memories.

Step 1 of 3

Related