Story Workshop
Your story is waiting to be told in bold, beautiful, and life-changing ways.
We are best known—and our stories are best seen—in the company of others. The Story Workshop is a profound event that invites you deeply into the themes of your life by writing and sharing a story from your childhood in a supportive and facilitated small group. You’ll experience teaching, insight, and wisdom as you seek to understand, write, tell, and live your story in deeper and more transformative ways.
Registration is now open for the Story Workshop in Seattle!
August 20 – 23, 2026
Join us at the Allender Center at The Seattle School of Theology & Psychology at1130 Rainier Avenue South, Seattle, WA 98144. Limited spots are available for this in-person workshop.
Save your spot—and save $200 with Early Registration pricing—available now through June 1, 2026! Registration will remain open through July 1, 2026, or until all spots are filled.
A Weekend to Engage Your Story in Community
Have you ever felt the ache of unresolved pain—or the quiet nudge that there’s more to uncover in your story? Maybe you’ve journaled, read the books, talked with a therapist. You’ve taken courageous steps to understand your past. You’ve begun connecting the dots, making sense of what’s shaped you.
But still, something feels incomplete. You know there are places in your story that remain tender. Chapters you’ve hesitated to revisit. And you may be wondering: What’s the next step? What’s missing?
At the Allender Center, we believe that your story—every part—is sacred. And that healing deepens when your story is not only understood, but shared, witnessed, and engaged in the presence of others. That’s why we created the Story Workshop.
About the Story Workshop
The 3 ½ day Story Workshop is an immersive, in-person experience that combines live teaching from Dr. Dan Allender, Rachael Clinton Chen, Wendell Moss, and others with powerful small group sessions facilitated by our Narrative Focused Trauma Care® (NFTC) Facilitation team.
It’s a space where the work moves from your head to your heart—where what you’ve known intellectually begins to be felt, grieved, and integrated. In the sacred rhythm of this weekend, you’ll experience the transformational impact of:
- Being truly heard in your story
- Engaging your story alongside others who are doing the same
- Receiving wisdom and care from skilled Facilitators who are Certified in NFTC
- Learning how trauma shapes your life—and how healing begins
This isn’t just more content. It’s a new chapter. A weekend that gives you space to step into your story with courage, compassion, and community.
“The teaching was done in a way that stewarded trust and allowed me to have access to my feelings surrounding my own harm. The process was never hurried and that’s important to me. Definitely gave me a sense of how to continue the work. And already experiencing a better sense of self.” – Story Workshop Participant
“It was unbelievable to see the change in our group from day to day. You could see the darkness lift from one individual and they were glowing on the last day. It gave me chills when another group member realized they had experienced healing and their story didn’t have the same hold on them as it had. They literally experienced healing before our eyes… It brought richness and gifts that I didn’t anticipate.” – Story Workshop Participant
“This weekend brought me farther than a year of counseling. I came with open hands to go all in. I was given the space to do that. My heart feels joyful and softer. The impact has been beyond words and has opened up so much more to explore.” – Story Workshop Participant
How to Prepare for the Story Workshop
Prior to attending, you will be invited to identify several events from your childhood that you consider to have significantly shaped and impacted your life through the heartache, harm, or emotional struggle they have caused, and then select one of the events to write about in more detail through a 600-1000 word written narrative.
After you register, you’ll receive instructions and guidance to help you choose and write your story, and then you will bring this story with you to share and engage in a caring small group space led by one of our trained facilitators.
“I loved how you prepared us to engage with submitting a story and giving us guidelines. There was such a beautiful balance of structure and freedom that made me so safe.” – Story Workshop Participant
How to Select a Story: A Free Resource For You
We know that choosing a story can feel overwhelming, but you don’t have to do it alone. We’ve put together some helpful guidelines to follow as you consider which story you might like to bring. Sign up below to request this free resource!
“Best I’ve Experienced – It felt like real church, a place to just bare everything and allow others to speak into the brokenness without judgment but dignity and honor.” – Story Workshop Participant
“I’m undone. I am retired, 67 and not too old. It has affirmed that I long to continue in this work and invest with my time, energy and money.” – Story Workshop Participant
Planning for the Weekend
This is an in-person experience, and all teaching and small groups will be held on location at the Allender Center. A virtual option is not available for this Story Workshop. Prepare for your trip with the information below!
Costs & Payment Plans
The total cost for this 3½-day in-person workshop is $1,795. But when you register by June 1, 2026, with our Early Registration rate, you’ll pay just $1,595 and save $200.
We know the financial climate is challenging, and thanks to newly available funding, we’re able to offer this discount along with an option to set up a 3-Month Payment Plan.
Costs include all teaching sessions, small group facilitation, access to daily snacks and refreshments, and boxed lunches on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. You can pay the total workshop fee in full at the time of registration, or set up a 3 Month Payment Plan to pay over time through equal installments (Payment Plan option is available for registrations completed by July 1, 2026). Limited partial scholarships are also available; see below.
Continuing Education Units (CEUs) for 23 seat hours are also available for an additional fee. Contact us at programs@theseattleschool.edu for more information on cost and obtaining the CEUs.
Registration is open through July 1, 2026, or until all spots are filled.
Scholarships Are Available
We believe in the importance of this work and do our best to make this offering accessible. If the cost of the workshop is a barrier, we encourage you to invite your community to consider sponsoring you. We are also grateful for the capacity to offer a limited number of scholarships.
We offer partial scholarships in the amount of $300 off the total cost of the Story Workshop. Scholarships are reserved for participants facing current financial constraints and/or systemic barriers that limit access to wealth and opportunities.
To determine your eligibility for one of our need-based scholarships:
- Please refer to this Green Bottle Sliding Scale graphic designed by Alexis J. Cunningfolk.
- If you identify most with the “Quarter-Full Bottle” category of the scale: You are eligible for a $300 scholarship. Please select the Scholarship Registration amount. Register during the Early Bird period (by June 2) to save a combined total of $550 off the total workshop cost.
- If you identify most with the “Full Bottle” or “Half-Full Bottle” category on the scale, we ask that you not select a scholarship for the program. Please select the Standard Registration amount. Registering during the Early Bird period (by June 2) will still save you $250 off the total workshop cost.
Scholarships are available on a first-come, first-served basis until all scholarship funds are used. However, if a scholarship recipient registers but then later cancels their participation, additional scholarships may become available on a rolling basis, though this cannot be guaranteed. We do not retroactively apply newly available scholarships to those who have already registered.
We are able to offer these scholarships due to the generosity of our donor community. If you have been impacted by the work of the Allender Center, we would be honored to receive your gift. Visit our Giving page to learn more.
Disclaimer
Story Workshop is a unique psycho-educational experience that involves intensive exploration of your own story and the stories of others as it relates to narratives of heartache and trauma. The sessions are designed to encourage participants to engage their story in a holistic way by exploring psychological, spiritual, biological, and social aspects of the experience of various forms of trauma. Please note, this program is not therapy and does not act as a substitute for therapeutic engagement.
Still wondering if the Story Workshop is for you?
Read more about what our participants had to say:
“It has given me both renewed direction, renewed hope, and a renewed sense of value, which are all things I know I’ve desperately needed.” — Story Workshop participant
“This was the greatest small group experience I have ever had. I have done one other trauma-related small group week…. and I felt like I was drowning a bit. At the Allender Center, I felt like I could fully show up… I am also so deeply grateful to connect my faith to this work. I feel like I found so many missing links to my own healing process in a few short days.” — Story Workshop participant
“Life Changing! This workshop took me to places emotionally and spiritually that [other conferences I’ve attended] never even approached. I have a renewed desire to follow the dreams I have had since childhood but had shut down over years of lies.” — Story Workshop participant
“[The small group time] was one of the most powerful experiences I have ever had, and this is saying a lot because I have experienced many different small groups! I was blown away by my facilitator as well, especially how emotionally engaged she was with every person’s story in the group.” — Story Workshop participant
“It was exactly what I needed. I was so thankful for everyone who spoke and their vulnerability and wisdom. I liked that we were approached with an air of being in this together. There was no condescension, which I realized I had been afraid of. When it wasn’t there, I was able to breathe and relax and I felt so grateful.” — Story Workshop participant
“Even if you have a gentle nudge toward this program, follow it.” — Story Workshop participant
And hear directly from Dr. Dan Allender:
Why now? Why this workshop?
Whether you’re engaging with your story for the first time or returning to continue your journey, the Story Workshop is for you. This is where healing transcends personal reflection and unfolds within community, It’s where your story is heard, honored, and transformed by the witness of others.
This is your opportunity to slow down, engage deeply, and step into a more whole and integrated version of yourself. You’ll leave the weekend with new insights, fresh healing, and practical tools to continue your journey with greater clarity and compassion.
Join us in Seattle for the Story Workshop and begin a new chapter in your personal story.
