General Workshops
Intensive Journal Workshops - California Region
Winter-Summer, 2026
San Francisco - East Bay (Danville): 3-Part Series on June 6-11, 2026
- In-Person - costs may be adjusted
| Workshop (12 hours) |
Schedule | Commuter# | Resident* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life Context | 06/06: (2-5:30 pm; 7-9 pm) 06/07: (9 am-12 pm; 2-5:30 pm) |
$395 | $445 |
| Depth Contact | 06/08: (9 am-12 pm; 2-5 pm) 06/09: (9 am-12 pm; 2-5 pm) |
$395 | $445 |
| Life Integration | 06/10: (9 am-12 pm; 2-5 pm) 06/11: (9 am-12 pm; 1:30-4:30 pm) |
$ 395 | $445 |
| Life Context & Depth Contact | $755 | $995** | |
| Depth Contact & Life Integration | $755 | $995** | |
| All three workshops | $1095 | $1495** |
Life Context workshop includes Intensive Journal workbook.
# Commuter
rate includes tuition and 1 meal per day.
* Resident rate includes tuition, single bedroom (with
private bath) and 3 meals per day.
** Cost is more than the individual workshops.
Includes cost of room and meals in between workshops.
| Location | This series is held in-person at the San Damiano Retreat Center, located in Danville in the East Bay of the San Francisco-Oakland area. The center has beautiful gardens and is located in the hills of the San Ramon Valley. Bedrooms have private bath. The center is convenient to the greater San Francisco-East Bay community and airports (San Francisco and Oakland). San Damiano Retreat Center link If you have questions, please call Dialogue House, not the center. |
|---|---|
| Leader | Joanne Hackett Ching began leading Intensive Journal workshops in 1980 while she was working at Dialogue House in NYC. For 25 years she was an English as a Second Language (ESL) teacher in Fresno, CA. She has a MA in Creation Spirituality from Naropa University, is a Certified Life Cycle Celebrant™ (creating celebrations for significant life events) and is an ordained minister with the Universal Life Church. |
| Registration | Call 330-998-6000 or 800-221-5844 or write to Dialogue House , 2245 E Enterprise Pkwy - #B1, Twinsburg, OH 44087. Email: info@intensivejournal.org Credit cards accepted. Make checks payable to Dialogue House. Minimum non-refundable deposit: $200. Full payment required at least two weeks in advance of the workshop. |
Los Angeles - Encino: 3-Part Series on July 12-17, 2026 -
In-Person
Costs may be adjusted upward a bit-not finalized.
| Workshop (12 hours) |
Schedule | Commuter# | Resident* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life Context | 07/12: (1:30-4:30 pm; 6-9 pm) 07/13: (9 am-12 pm; 2-5 pm) |
$385 | $425 |
| Depth Contact | 07/14: (9 am-12 pm; 2-5 pm) 07/15: (9 am-12 pm; 2-5 pm) |
$385 | $425 |
| Life Integration | 07/16: (9 am-12 pm; 2-5 pm) 07/17: (9 am-12 pm; 1:30-4:30 pm) |
$ 385 | $425 |
| Life Context & Depth Contact | $755 | $955** | |
| Depth Contact & Life Integration | $755 | $955** | |
| All three workshops | $1045 | $1475** |
Life Context workshop includes Intensive Journal workbook.
# Commuter
rate includes tuition and 1 meal per day.
* Resident rate includes tuition, single bedroom (with
private bath) and 3 meals per day.
** Cost is more than the individual workshops.
Includes cost of room and meals in between workshops.
| Location | This series is held in-person at Holy Spirit Retreat Center in Encino, a prime suburb of Los Angeles, just west of the intersection of highways 405 and 101. The center has beautiful gardens and a pond in the center of the property. Bedrooms have private bath. Holy Spirit Retreat Center link. If you have questions, please call Dialogue House, not the center. |
|---|---|
| Leader | Joanne Hackett Ching began leading Intensive Journal workshops in 1980 while she was working at Dialogue House in NYC. For 25 years she was an English as a Second Language (ESL) teacher in Fresno, CA. She has a MA in Creation Spirituality from Naropa University, is a Certified Life Cycle Celebrant™ (creating celebrations for significant life events) and is an ordained minister with the Universal Life Church. |
| Registration | Call 330-998-6000 or 800-221-5844 or write to Dialogue House , 2245 E Enterprise Pkwy - #B1, Twinsburg, OH 44087. Email: info@intensivejournal.org Credit cards accepted. Make checks payable to Dialogue House. Minimum non-refundable deposit: $200. Full payment required at least two weeks in advance of the workshop. |
San Francisco - Los Angeles: 3-Part Series Starts on January 31, 2026 -
online
| Workshop (12 hrs) | Schedule | Tuition* |
|---|---|---|
| Life Context | 01/31: (9 am-12:30 pm; 2-5 pm PST) 02/01: (9 am-12 pm; 1:30-4:30 pm PST) |
$245 |
| Depth Contact | 02/03: (9 am-12:30 pm; 2-5 pm PST) 02/04: (9 am-12 pm; 1:30-4:30 pm PST) |
$225 |
| Life Integration | 02/06: (9 am-12:30 pm; 2-5 pm PST) 02/07: (9 am-12 pm; 1:30-4:30 pm PST) |
$225 |
| All three workshops | $645 |
* Tuition only. Life Context workshop includes Intensive Journal workbook. There are no
meetings on February 2 and 5.
| Location | Workshops held online through Zoom. |
|---|---|
| Leader | Joanne Hackett Ching began leading Intensive Journal workshops in 1980 while she was working at Dialogue House in NYC. For 25 years she was an English as a Second Language (ESL) teacher in Fresno, CA. She has a MA in Creation Spirituality from Naropa University, is a Certified Life Cycle Celebrant™ (creating celebrations for significant life events) and is an ordained minister with the Universal Life Church. |
| Registration | Call 330-998-6000 or 800-221-5844 or write to Dialogue House , 2245 E Enterprise Pkwy - #B1, Twinsburg, OH 44087. Email: info@intensivejournal.org Credit cards accepted. Make checks payable to Dialogue House. Minimum non-refundable deposit: $100. Full payment required at least two weeks in advance of the workshop. |
San Francisco -Sacramento: Life-Study (Advanced) Module - Advanced Preparation Required - To be announced
| Workshop (12 hrs) | Schedule | Tuition* |
|---|---|---|
| Life Study+ | TBA: (9 am-12:30 pm; 2-5 pm) TBA: (9 am-12 pm; 1:30-4:30 pm) |
$ 245 |
*Includes Intensive Journal workbook.
+ Life-Study module is distinct from the first three modules. In the first three modules, you are learning how to use the Intensive Journal method in your own life. In Life-study, you are first studying the life of a person whose life has meaning for you and whose life is complete - they are deceased. Life-Study requires advance preparation - reading books, seeing films, etc. so that you have a basis from which to keep the Journal on behalf the person you are studying. You should not have an emotional attachment or bias about this person.
You are experiencing their life from an inner perspective as opposed to from an intellectual perspective. Through this experience, you can experience the challenges and processes that your subject experienced in developing their lives so that you can learn lessons for your own life.
| Location | Workshop held online through Zoom. |
|---|---|
| Leader | Joanne Hackett Ching began leading Intensive Journal workshops in 1980 while she was working at Dialogue House in NYC. For 25 years she was an English as a Second Language (ESL) teacher in Fresno, CA. She has a MA in Creation Spirituality from Naropa University, is a Certified Life Cycle Celebrant™ (creating celebrations for significant life events) and is an ordained minister with the Universal Life Church. |
| Registration | Call 330-998-6000 or 800-221-5844 or write to Dialogue House , 2245 E Enterprise Pkwy - #B1, Twinsburg, OH 44087. Email: info@intensivejournal.org Credit cards accepted. Make checks payable to Dialogue House. Minimum non-refundable deposit: $100. Full payment required at least two weeks in advance of the workshop. |