Certificate in Teaching Craft for Wellbeing
A new professional training for makers who want to run craft for wellbeing workshops - in mental health, social prescribing and community settings. Live online across the UK, or in person at MAKE Southwest in Devon.
Delivered by Woodcrafters CIC in partnership with MAKE Southwest, with funding from the Goldsmiths’ Foundation.
Get certified to teach craft for wellbeing!
Overview.
Live online & in person | CPD certification | 7 modules | UK-wide
£35 instead of £395* | £45 instead of £750*
Many makers are new to running workshops with a focus on wellbeing, and meanwhile social prescribing is growing fast and the demand for community-focussed workshops is growing. Some makers have been running wellbeing workshops for years without training built for them - working out safeguarding on the fly, taking on more than they should, unable to show a commissioner what changed and how valuable craft sessions can be.
What's been missing is a recognised standard and professional certification to provide craftspeople with the confidence and competence to run craft for wellbeing workshops with real impact. We especially welcome skilled craftspeople who are supporting underserved communities.
COHORT 1
Starts 7 January 2027
Enrolment closes 5 January 2027
COHORT 2
Starts 22 February 2027
Enrolment closes 18 February 2027
*With generous funding from Goldsmith’s Foundation, we are able to launch this course with two funded cohorts, so you can secure a place at a heavily discounted rate!
Who’s it for?
This course is for you if:
You're a skilled maker in any material and you want your work to reach people who need it.
You already run workshops and want to work more confidently with vulnerable groups.
You're a social prescriber, occupational therapist, SEND educator or support worker who already uses craft and wants formal training in how to enhance the wellbeing aspects of your workshops
You want craft to be a bigger part of your professional practice, not just a hobby or a passion project
You’ve been running craft workshops and are keen to incorporate the wellbeing aspects of craft into your sessions.
It's probably not for you if you're looking for a therapy or counselling qualification, or if you want to learn a craft rather than learn to teach one with a wellbeing focus.
Spaces for cohorts 1 and 2 are limited!
Registering is not a commitment and doesn’t guarantee you a place, however it puts you first in line for the application process.
Deadline for registration of interest Sunday 1 November 11pm
Course content.
1 Workshop design and delivery
How to successfully design and deliver craft workshops for a range of groups and abilities.
2 The research and evidence which informs craft for wellbeing
Explain why making helps, in plain English. Understand the growing body of research underpinning your practice.
3 Trauma-informed facilitation
Hold a session safely with an awareness of the varying mental health of participants. How to respond and provide professional support in line with your role.
4 Measuring outcomes
Record data and demonstrate the wellbeing impact of your sessions. Produce evidence a commissioner will fund.
5 Social prescribing
Understanding the broader context of social prescribing, how to get referrals and run a successful programme.
6 Building a sustainable practice
How to price and contract the work, how to secure grant funding to support your practice.
7 Ongoing professional development
Further training and learning opportunities within the arts and health sector.
The course is highly practical throughout - it provides you with templates and tools you can adapt and use in your own settings, it provides you with the confidence to hold a wellbeing workshop with professional boundaries in a supportive way. It will also provide inspiration on how to enhance the wellbeing aspects and the wonderful flow state and sense of absorption which can come when practising craft together.
Why it works.
You cannot learn the nuances of facilitation by simply watching a video about it.
+ Watch — experienced facilitators model it first, awkward parts included.
+ Do — live practice with your fellow learners, in a low-stakes positive learning environment.
+ Feedback — specific, from tutor and peers, on what works.
+ Reflect — group supervision on real situations from your own work.
Every cohort opens with a welcome session before teaching starts, so you meet the group and know how it runs before you're asked to do anything. Recorded modules, facilitator field guides and worksheets are yours to keep.
Choose your route.
The funded places are available for cohorts 1 and 2 only, provided by Goldsmiths' Foundation funding. Cohort 3 onwards the fee will be full price.
Dates.
Cohort 1 - starts 7 January 2027
Enrolment closes Tuesday 5 January 2027, 5pm
Cohort 2 - starts 22 February 2027
Enrolment closes Thursday 18 February 2027, 5pm
The proof.
More confident in themselves
More confident in leading sessions for people with mental health needs
Better on professional boundaries
Woodcrafters facilitator training evaluation, 2026.
“I feel so content and confident. I will walk into my sessions with a head held high now. I've learned to value what I do.”
RF, facilitator training March 2026
The tutor
Award-winning wood carver, published author, NHS-commissioned practitioner. Alex has delivered Woodcraft for Wellbeing across the UK since 2022 with the NHS Devon Recovery Learning Community, and has 8 years' experience in mental health recovery colleges. Alex is the lead trainer, bringing a warm and engaging approach to teaching craft for wellbeing, with inspiration from his own Woodcraft for Wellbeing Sessions and a wealth of experience working with diverse groups.
The certificate
The certificate is CPD certified by The CPD Certification Service. Every participant who finishes the course will hold a CPD certificate that doesn't currently exist for craft-for-wellbeing facilitation.
What happens next?
1. Register your interest. Tells us about your practice and puts you on the list - it only takes two minutes. Deadline: Sunday 1 November, 11pm.
2. We send you the application form & booking link (and discount code) once enrolment opens. Apply for your route: live in person, live online or self guided*. Enrolment closes Tuesday 5 January 2027, 5pm for cohort 1, and Thursday 18 February 2027, 5pm for cohort 2.
3. Book Your Place. Places are limited - 15 people per cohort for in person sessions and 40 per cohort for the live online only sessions. Funded places are only available for the first 2 cohorts - places will be full price from cohort 3 onwards.
4. Join the welcome session. Meet your cohort & get started!
*the self-guided option is not CPD certified and won’t be available until March 2027.
Before you apply.
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None! The Goldsmiths' Foundation has funded the development of the programme and the first two cohorts in 2027. In return we ask you to complete the course, fill in two short evaluations, and tell us honestly what worked and what didn't. From cohort 3 the fee will be full price. This is a fantastic opportunity to receive professional training at a reduced price.
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No — and it teaches you why that matters. This is non-clinical facilitation training. You'll learn to run sessions that support wellbeing, recognise when someone needs more than you can offer, and refer on properly. Knowing that edge is a core skill and we’ll give you the confidence and professional competency to understand the limits of your role and when and where to access further support.
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Seven evening sessions of 1 hour 45 minutes, plus a welcome session, plus recorded module content and a reflective task between sessions. Budget around four hours a week for eight weeks. In-person participants add two full days at MAKE Southwest in Devon.
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Live sessions are recorded so you can catch up, and your tutor will check in. Certification requires completing a handbook with reflections on each of the seven modules.
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No. It assumes you can make, and assumes nothing about teaching. Most people arrive unsure whether they're allowed to call themselves a facilitator. We provide you with the tools, templates and resources to confidently start running craft for wellbeing sessions.
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No. The skills transfer across textiles, clay, print, metal, paper and wood. Bring the craft you already know.
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Talk to us before you rule yourself out.
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Whatever you need. Contact info@woodcrafters.uk before you commit and we'll do our best to ensure the course is accessible and engaging.
Register your interest.
Per cohort:
15 places in person.
40 live online.
First cohort starts Thursday 7 January 2027
Enrolment closes Tuesday 5 January 2027, 5pm
Second cohort starts Monday 22 February 2027
Enrolment closes Thursday 18 February 2027, 5pm
Deadline: Sunday 1 November, 11pm
Registering is not a commitment and doesn’t guarantee you a place, however it puts you first in line for the application process.
Enquiries: hello@makesouthwest.org.uk | 01626 832223 | makesouthwest.org.uk
MAKE Southwest, Riverside Mill, Fore Street, Bovey Tracey, Devon TQ13 9AF, registered charity no. 296568. Course designed and delivered by Woodcrafters CIC, no. 15837445. | This programme provides non-clinical craft facilitation training. It is not a therapy, counselling or occupational therapy qualification. | Places booked at the funded rate are non-refundable. | The funded places are available for cohorts 1 and 2 only, provided by Goldsmiths' Foundation funding. Cohort 3 onwards the fee will be full price.