MEET YOUR INSTRUCTORS
Dave Bingham
Founder & Senior Trainer
Dave is the founder and managing director of True Circles Training Ltd. A Trainer, Mentor, and Facilitator in the Way of Council, recognised by the Topa Institute of California and the European Council Network.
Dave has been facilitating Council groups in a wide range of settings since 2009, including men’s circles, charities, prisons, social enterprises, reconciliation programmes, and regular online and in-person groups open to all.
Dave has been training and mentoring others to facilitate Council circles since 2017.
Dave’s first career was in the Tech sector where he was a respected contributor to international best practice and led many large projects in the UK and abroad.
As part of his transition to more meaningful work Dave studied Psychotherapy at the University of Edinburgh and Eco-psychotherapy with the Animas Valley Institute of Colorado, before completing a multi-year apprenticeship with the Topa Institute & the ECN to become one of a small number of Recognised Council Trainers outside the USA.
Dave on Council: “I believe Council is a kind of wisdom tradition, fostering human wholeness, connection, and community. I think it’s the antidote to ‘othering’.”
Dominic Dring
Associate
Dominic has worked as a Prison Chaplain at HMP Lewes and HMP Ford. Prior to working with the MOJ he was a chaplain to comprehensive schools, a qualified Social Worker, and the founder and manager of a homeless charity.
Dominic has worked extensively in the fields of community development and personal transformation including substance misuse and recovery, mental health, family work, and youth justice.
Since completing Council I & Council II training as a facilitator of Council with True Circles, Dominic has delivered Circles within various aspects of the work of chaplaincy and bereavement support.
Dominic has written a Masters dissertation on the role of Council in seeding the cultural change necessary to realise the objectives of the prison system.
In his own words: “In more than 30 years of practice in community and individual healing and transformation, I have experienced no intervention or process more effective than Council in enabling and reinforcing authentic and sustainable change and growth.”
Tim Clapton
Associate
Tim Clapton is an Anglican priest and has worked as a Chaplain at HMP Wandsworth.
Before ordination 25 years ago he specialised in building cross community relations between young people in County Armagh as well as setting up and managing two 'third sector' organisations.
More recently Tim administered a £1.5m Department of Communities and Local Government fund supporting inter-religious projects in London.
He has a Masters degree in theology from Oxford university (Psychology and Religion).
After completing Council I and Council II training with True Circles, Tim developed the Council-based Inner Journey Programme in HMP Wandsworth. This programme has run now for four years.
Tim was the editor and co-author of “Letting The Circle Speak” documenting Way of Council based programmes to date in UK prisons.