Everyone has a story -- this is mine

Paul Cooper, CPF

For almost 30 years, I have helped people and organizations improve collaboration and communication. Here’s my story…

Certified Professional Facilitator: Certified by the International Association of Facilitators 

Winner: Facilitation Impact Award 2022 Platinum Level, International Association of Facilitators (highest award)

Winner: Facilitation Impact Award 2021 Platinum Level, International Association of Facilitators (highest award)

Certified in the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) 

Certified in focus groups & market research 

International Gestalt Organization & Leadership Development (iGold) Program 

Certified in charrette management and facilitation 

 Trained as an Executive Coach

Author:

• IMPACT: The Indescribable Experience of Gestalt (2022)

• Change Agent Nation: Create change in your neighborhood…or across the world (2019)

I was first drawn to facilitation as a volunteer in the early 1990s…

It was the peak of the AIDS crisis; I was petrified of contracting and dying from a painful and debilitating illness, and I was afraid to reach out to those in need. I remained paralyzed on the sidelines for a long time.

When I finally found the courage to act, I threw myself into the middle, volunteering as support group co-facilitator for Whitman-Walker Clinic, an AIDS service organization in Washington, DC. For seven years, I helped hold a space every week for eight to ten gay men with HIV to connect, support, and care for one other.

There were many bleak moments. Group members became too sick to return. We attended funerals for friends, young men too young and vital to die. And at time when a cure for HIV seemed unimaginable, we debated whether a sane person with AIDS should even hope for the future.

Looking back, I don’t remember being sad. I remember feeling empowered, and seeing others empowered too. I remember so many acts of love, compassion, and tenderness. We cried at times, but we laughed even more, finding joy and camaraderie together.

Twenty-five years later, many people from that group are dead. But many more are still alive and healthy.

I gained so much from my experience. When I realized I was better at my volunteer job than I was at my profession, I switched the two and began facilitating as a career.  And I carry so many lessons that continue to inform the way I work. I now know that everyone has the power to make a difference. Listening is a gift. Intimacy binds people together.  Joy and sadness can coexist.

And most importantly: It’s always wise to remain hopeful.