On this page you will find information about your opportunities to practice Nonviolent Communication with us in this region.
Scroll below if you’d like to learn more about what happens in a practice group.

Polk country vineyard
Local Practice Groups
- ‘Closed’ Practice Group by WVNVC on the 2nd and 4th Tuesdays of the month
- ‘Open’ Practice Group by WVNVC on the 1st and 3rd Thursday of the month
Details on these events are given below.
Note: A ‘closed’ group means that participants make a reasonable commitment to attend for a 6-month term, to foster deeper trust and practice among the members. The group is opened up to new members every 6 months.
An ‘open’ group means that people can drop in and participate regularly or not, no commitment required. Each session will anticipate new comers.
Tuesday (Closed) Practice Group
Time: 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
Facilitation: By WVNVC
Note: this group will be accepting new member commitments in January.
Next Meetings in 2025:
- Tuesday, October 14
- Tuesday, October 28
- Tuesday, November 11
- Tuesday, November 25
- Tuesday, December 9
- Tuesday, December 23
Location: Broadway Commons at 1300 Broadway St NE, Salem on the 2nd Floor in one of the small meeting rooms (#201 or #202).
Inquiries: contact@willamettevalleynvc.org
Thursday (Open) Practice Group
Time: 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
Facilitation: By WVNVC
Next Meetings in 2025:
- Thursday, October 2
- Thursday, October 16
- Thursday, November 6
- Thursday, November 20
- Thursday, December 4
- Thursday, December 18
Location: St. Thomas Church at 546 High St NE, Salem.
Inquiries: contact@willamettevalleynvc.org
What are Practice Groups?
Purpose
Practice groups meet once or twice a month. These times together are where review the fundamental principles and skills of Nonviolent Communication and practice applying them to our personal lives over the course of a few months.
Look above for the dates and times of our current practice groups.
Participants
These groups are intended for those who have participated in an NVC introductory workshop and have a copy of the Nonviolent Commuication book (3rd Edition) for reference. It is preferred to have a variety of people in these groups, from experienced to novice, different ages and backgrounds, so we may continually learn from perspectives different than our own.
Duration
Practice groups tend to be 1.5 to 2 hours long.
Agenda
A typical practice group pattern might look like this:
- A group debrief after the activity
- A few minutes of quiet, personal reflection and grounding
- A brief personal check-in with a partner
- Requests for situations or topics to work on together
- An introduction to a topic of practice
- The main practice activity
Note
Some groups may be designated as drop-in, or ‘open’ groups, meaning they are set up with a regular, stand-alone practice activities, welcoming people who can participate regularly or not. No commitment level is expected.
Others may be designated as ‘closed’ groups, meaning they are intended to include a group of reasonably committed participants for a period of time (about 6 months), so that members have consistent opportunities to build deeper connection and work on more challenging topics and skills. Periodically, these groups will open up as some step out and new participants join.
Interested in a Practice Group?
Please fill out this form to let us know you are interested in joining a practice group. Let us know where you live in the Willamette Valley. Upon receiving this, one of our team members will reach out to you.