Habit builder groups

Click HERE for details on our upcoming group

Are you hungry to learn and grow in the context of community? We have found that people learn best when practicing with others. Habit builder groups provide the opportunity to sharpen your relational skills while connecting with peers who are also eager to grow.

Practice any of our relational skills and grow your capacity (aka your ability to remain steady and act like your best self in the midst of life’s ups and downs). Real life transformation happens as you grow your relational skills and challenges feel easier as your capacity grows.

Why practice groups?

We interviewed previous Habit Builder Course purchasers and discovered that many found it challenging to progress through the material without someone to practice with. Our online skill practice groups offer community and weekly practice sessions with like-minded people.

“When I tried to go through the courses on my own I felt frustrated because every time “sharing” was suggested, I would not know with whom. It is a great difference to be able to do these exercises together! …I am grateful for joyful times of sharing and the experience of building meaningful connections.” – Birgit

FALL HABIT BUILDER GROUPS

Sept 17/18 to Nov 19/20

2 Skill Options

75 Mins for 10 weeks

Registration Deadline Sept 12th, 2025

Start your Fall strong - join a practice group!

We are excited to announce two different Habit Builder Groups this fall!

  • Our Thursday group will focus on Skill 2 – Simple Quiet.
  • Our Wednesday group will focus on Skill 11 – Return to Joy. This group will take you through a NEW course: Inviting Jesus into Our Emotions!

What's included?

In your group you’ll watch teaching videos from Chris Coursey and practice the material together for 75 mins each week, practicing alongside others as our facilitator guides you step-by-step through lessons from either the Skill 2 Habit Builder Course or our second Skill 11 Habit Builder Course.

1-year access to your Habit Builder Course.

10 weeks of 75-minute online group sessions led by a trained facilitator.

An opportunity to discuss what you are learning with peers going through the course at the same time as you.

PDF Course Workbook to help you navigate the course.

the details

Dates: September 17 – November 19 (Wednesdays for 10 weeks)

Start Time: 7pm EST / 4pm PST

Length: 75-mins

Cost: $167 (payment plan available at checkout).

To enquire about group or family rates, email onlinecourses@thrivetoday.org. Note: Only available for groups who view the classes together from 1 screen.

How to Register: Click the button below and enroll in the course – if you are new to THRIVEtoday courses, create an account in Thinkific to purchase your enrollment and access your course. Your facilitator will be in touch shortly after purchase.

Registration Deadline: September 12th. 2025

Dates: September 18 – November 20 (Thursdays for 10 weeks)

Start Time: 2pm EST / 11am PST

Length: 75-mins

Cost: $167 (payment plan available at checkout).

To enquire about group or family rates, email onlinecourses@thrivetoday.org. Note: Only available for groups who view the classes together from 1 screen.

How to Register: Click the button and enroll in the course – if you are new to THRIVEtoday courses, create an account in Thinkific to purchase your enrollment and access your course. Your facilitator will be in touch shortly after purchase.

Registration Deadline: September 12th, 2025

Recommended Preparation

Habit Builder courses are skill-focused, and will not include a lot of teaching. If you are new to relational skills or either of the featured skills, we recommend you review one of the recommended resources to familiarize yourself with what the skill is all about before your group begins. 

  • Head to the course page you’re interested in to see your pre-group resources.

What to expect

Each week you will sign on to our Zoom meeting through a provided link.

Your facilitator will lead you through exercise videos and steps from that week’s Habit Builder lesson. Discussion steps will occur in breakout rooms with other participants. 

Each meeting will conclude with a “Noticing Practice” you can do during the week to apply and develop what you are learning.

FAQs

What is Skill 2 - Simple Quiet?

But I have calmed and quieted myself, I am like a weaned child with its mother; like a weaned child I am content. – Psalm 131:2

– – –

Simple Quiet involves calming oneself after both joyful and upsetting emotions. 

Why do I need this skill?

  • Quieting (shalom) after both joyful and upsetting emotions is the strongest predictor of life-long mental health. 
  • Lowering my own energy level so I can rest as I need to makes me feel stable. 
  • Because our brains run best on alternating rhythms of joy and peace, this self-soothing capacity contributes to optimal brain function and also sets us up to build more joy in our lives.

 

LEARN MORE ABOUT SKILL 2

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. – 2 Cor. 1:3-4

– – –

The Return to Joy skill helps us learn to return to a place of joy, peace, and connection when we experience unpleasant emotions.

Why do I need this skill?

  • Practicing this skill will help you learn how to identify the unpleasant emotions we all feel and get back to a place of God’s joy and peace. The more we develop this, the less we will feel the need to avoid emotions, the less we will get stuck in them, and the quicker we will be able to recover when we do get stuck. 
  • Learning to return to joy helps us to take good care of our relationships, even when we are upset.  
  • This skill will help us to be more tender with ourselves and with others who are feeling difficult emotions like fear, anger, or sadness, leading to deeper relationships.

 

LEARN MORE ABOUT SKILL 11

  • If you need to miss one session that is okay. But to get the most out of the group it is best if you can attend most/all of them.
  • These sessions will not be recorded.
  • Yes! We never outgrow the need to practice relational skills, and each time we dive into our practice we typically will learn something new. Many people also report how much benefit they get from practicing and discussing with others. 
  • Yes, it could be! If you want your small group to join this weekly group with us we recommend you each purchase the group course individually, or if you’re gathering together in one room each week, please email us at onlinecourses@thrivetoday.org.
  • If you are curious how it would work for you to take your own group through this course another time, it would be great for you to join us and see it modeled!
  • While we have no way of knowing for sure, there are typically 12-20 participants in a group.
  • The groups are run similarly (Note the different times of day!). The big difference is that they focus on different skills – The Return to Joy groups focus on a more advanced skill, whereas the Simple Quiet group focuses on building capacity through a more foundational skill. 
  • Why has your pricing changed? 
    • We recently raised prices for our Habit Builder Groups to cover the costs of our facilitators. 
    • Our prices include the cost of one-year’s access to the course ($74), + less than $10/week to be led through the course. 
  • Are payment plans available? 
    • Yes! This is available at check out.
  • Do you offer any discounts or sliding scales?
    • Officially no, but we try to provide assistance when we can. You can email us at onlinecourses@thrivetoday.org to request the following. Please note that assistance in these cases is not guaranteed. 
      • Group rates if you are coming with a family member or group of friends. Note that discounts are typically only considered for groups viewing together from 1 screen. 
      • A discount if you are low income and can’t afford the full price of this resource.
  • Yes, definitely! The content in the Habit Builder Course is valuable no matter how many times you go through it. But this group is an especially great idea if:
    • You purchased the course but didn’t go through all of the content.
    • You went through the content but would like to be able to better understand this skill and continue your practice.
    • You want people to practice the exercises with.

BONUS OFFER

Register for the Practice Class on August 16 and receive 10% off this Habit Builder Group! 

What are others are saying?

Our friend James is one of many who have benefited from these groups. He shares:

If I had taken just the self-paced video course, I would have missed something important… I learned that we all needed practice at the things that were new, and we had someone to share the experience with.

The leaders are very humble and set the tone for the course. I was very encouraged to be open, and to have an attitude of learning and trying.

Marion

I get excited about the prospect of working on skills.  However, doing it solo significantly lessens the joy factor for me. Having a group with a leader like Dana has been useful for me in pursuing this habit of Godsight. There is an energy that comes in hearing other people’s stories, as well as sharing my own.”

Birgit

“When I tried to go through the courses on my own I felt frustrated because every time “sharing” was suggested, I would not know with whom. It is a great difference to be able to do these exercises together! …I am grateful for joyful times of sharing and the experience of building meaningful connections.”

Phil

“I’m SO glad I signed up for your facilitated THRIVEtoday  Appreciation Habit Builder Class this summer. I used an activity with a friend, from last weeks’ story exercise about gifts given and received that has given me great starting points for conversations with others in the community where I live.

Paula

“I just finished the habit builder skill 1 group. It’s like the best kind of accountability partner. It reminds me of what’s really important, and it gently invites me into simple steps toward becoming the person God is calling me to be. And then, if I want, I get to share about how those steps went – or didn’t!”

Anonymous

We are loving the course and are already seeing massive changes. We take time each evening to practice with each other. What I have noticed is how the layers of the day reshuffle around the Good.”

Wendy

“I mentioned in our group that I was new to these concepts. I recently read The Joy Switch and realized that in order to experience the power of appreciation fully, I needed a community. One of our group members replied that community completes the circle of appreciation, and I agree completely. Experiencing the habit of appreciation in community has truly deepened for me the power of this practice. Thank you for leading our sessions!”

Online courses