NEW! Mentor/Mentee Matching Program
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Read More Below
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NEW! Mentor/Mentee Matching Program 〰️ Read More Below 〰️
GAB Online Instructor Training
Online GAB Instructor Training offers in-depth training for those who want to earn extra income by teaching Guided Autobiography courses. The distance-learning format through the Internet makes live instructor training available to individuals all over the world. Participants write and share their own two-page life stories on GAB themes throughout the 8-week program while learning how to develop, schedule, publicize and run GAB groups within their own communities.
What will be covered?
You’ll receive in-depth training on how to conduct your own Guided Autobiography courses. Each class session is 2 hours in length plus ten 1 hour recorded sessions, providing you with a total of 26 hours of advanced instruction and group experience.
Throughout the program, you will learn by doing. You’ll write a two-page life story on a given theme each week and you’ll read your story out loud to your classmates online.
Upon finishing the GAB Instructor Training Program, you’ll receive a certificate of completion.
Online Instruction
The program is provided entirely online, so you will be completing it in the comfort of your own home. Classes will be instructed live through a user-friendly, interactive Zoom or Cisco WebEx. You will simply click on the link at the appointed time, and you’ll instantly be in class. In the interactive program you’ll be able to ask questions while engaging with the instructor and other students. The class sizes are limited so be sure to sign up early.
New GAB Instructor Training Courses Forming
Can you envision teaching Guided Autobiography in your community or online? Perhaps you want to incorporate the GAB program into your personal practice or business.
Introducing the Mentor/Mentee Matching Program
Through the Mentor/Mentee Matching Program, newly certified instructors can be paired with experienced GAB instructors for support in delivering workshops and marketing their offerings; to learn more, email heidi@thebirrencenter.org.
GAB Instructor Training 2026!
We are pleased to announce the Guided Autobiography (GAB) Instructor Training sessions scheduled for 2026. Please check back for additional session dates.
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GAB Instructor Training Session (September-November)
Introduction Meeting: Tuesday, September 8, 3:00 PM to 4:00 PM, Pacific Time
Training Dates: Tuesdays, September 15 to November 3, 2026
Time: 3:00 PM to 5:30 PM, Pacific Time (Final session 3:00 PM to 6:00 PM)
Instructors: Steve Hoover and Heidi Thorsen
Contact: For registration information, please email Heidi Thorsen at heidi@thebirrencenter.org with subject line: Guided Autobiography Instructor Training
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GAB Instructor Training Session (October-December)
• Introduction Meeting: Wednesday, October 21, 10:00–11:00 AM (PT)
• Training Dates: Wednesdays, October 28 – December 16
• Time: 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM (PT)
• Instructors: Leigh Morrow and Lily Bengfort
• Contact: For registration information, please email leigh@thebirrencenter.org or lily@thebirrencenter.org
Your Instructors
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Cheryl Svensson is an experienced GAB instructor who worked directly with James Birren for many years. Cheryl has taught college courses in the Autobiographical Studies Program at the University of Southern California’s (USC) School of Gerontology. After the training, you’ll be well-qualified to teach the proven GAB method that is recognized throughout the world.
Contact her for more information: cheryl.svensson@gmail.com or 949.413.8704
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Sarah White is a Birren Center GAB Instructor Trainer who teaches the Birren workshops "Find Your Students, Fill Your Classes" and "Shaking the Family Tree." A personal historian, book coach, and freelance writer, Sarah helps individuals, families, and organizations preserve life stories in written form. She has taught Guided Autobiography workshops online and in person since 2004. Sarah also serves as Interim Executive Director of the Birren Center and has been active in curriculum development, communications, and community programming. To learn more about Sarah, visit her website at www.firstpersonprod.com.
You may contact her for more information at sarah@thebirrencenter.org or 608-347-7329.
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Heidi Thorsen is a Birren Center GAB Instructor Trainer who has a lifetime career in education. As an Educator, Heidi has taught elementary through adult education over the span of 40 years. She has worked extensively in curriculum development, administration, and classroom engagement. Heidi transitioned to teaching GAB classes in 2015 and has taught GAB classes in her home, online, 1-week workshops, and Internationally. To learn more about Heidi, visit her website at www.tyememoirs.com.
Contact her for more information: tyememoirwriting@gmail.com or 360.621.3542.
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Sheri Kohlmann formed her company, More Than Words, Inc. after being inspired by her own family’s legacy and by the clients she met while working at a Southern California estate planning law firm. She has served as a Director for an international nonprofit organization and strategized with churches in the area of generosity. Sheri became a GAB Facilitator in 2010 and has led hundreds through the process. To learn more about Sheri, visit her website at www.morethanwordsinc.com.
You may contact her for more information at sheri@morethanwordsinc.com or at 714.420.5092.
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Steve has been a teacher his entire adult life, having taught every grade level from 3rd through graduate students. Following his retirement as a university professor, Steve worked for the Central Minnesota Council on Aging as the Healthy Aging Coordinator. In this role he created the Central Minnesota Coalition to End Social Isolation and Loneliness. A central focus was his becoming a certified GAB teacher and leading classes through the Whitney Senior Center as well as the Central Minnesota Dementia Community Action Network. His modification of GAB for individuals living with early-stage dementia was shared at national and international conferences and published in The International Journal of Reminiscence and Life Review. In 2023, two of his former students compiled GAB stories from his class participants in Memories and Musing: An Anthology of by Vintage Minnesotans. Steve lives in central Minnesota with his wife and their two dogs.
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Leigh Morrow, a Birren Center GAB Instructor Trainer, has worked three decades in broadcast journalism reporting from her home in Canada and from around the globe. As an award-winning investigative journalist in both Television and Radio, she learned the art of telling people’s stories. Now as a GAB Instructor she is a natural guide to help students tell their own stories, and as a mentor for those wishing to become instructors. Leigh teaches Gab 1 and has created a curriculum for GAB 2 and GAB 3 for students who wish to continue writing their narratives. She also offers special workshops on The Art of the Micro- Memoir and Publishing Your Life Story.
You can find out more about Leigh at www.thestoryguides.com She can be reached at morrowreports@shaw.ca
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Lily Bengfort, a Birren Center GAB Instructor Trainer and instructor since 2019, blends a rich storytelling expertise and business leadership background in her teaching approach. Beginning her radio and newspaper reporting career, Lily mastered the art of connection through storytelling. Her journey then led her into technology entrepreneurship, where she earned recognition as an award-winning CEO.
With a passion for helping others narrate their life stories, Lily guides students through the reflective and expressive journey of Guided Autobiography (GAB). She ensures students find and articulate their unique voices, creating deeply personal and meaningful storytelling experiences. Holding both a BA in English and an MBA, Lily integrates her love for language with strategic insight, making the process of crafting life stories both creative and impactful.
In collaboration with Leigh Morrow, Lily offers students a comprehensive learning experience, from foundational GAB courses to specialized workshops, including "The Art of the Micro-Memoir."
For more information about upcoming courses and workshops, Lily can be reached at lily@mystoryguides.com. You can also find out more about Lily at https://thestoryguides.com
Other Certified Birren Center Courses
Check out our other Certified Instructor Courses
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Find Your Students, Fill Your Classes
Available to Certified GAB Instructors
This course is designed to support our instructors in expanding their teaching portfolios by building skills and confidence in marketing their Guided Autobiography workshops. Sarah White, GAB Trainer and Facilitator, will be leading this class.
About the Course:
This six-part online workshop is designed for GAB instructors who want to feel more confident and intentional in how they promote their Guided Autobiography offerings. Over six weeks, participants will be guided step-by-step to build a personalized six-month Marketing Action Plan using a provided template. With structured support and examples, you’ll develop an Elevator Pitch and create practical marketing materials you can immediately put to use. By the end of the course, you’ll have a clear roadmap so you no longer feel, “I just don’t know where to start” or “I just don’t know what to say.”
Want to know a bit more about what the class covers? Watch this video on YouTube.
https://youtu.be/9P8ONE-gBvY?si=fFNXdATw_wDYxipR
Course Details:
Title: Find Your Students, Fill Your Classes
Dates: Thursdays, July 9 — August 13 (6 weeks) • 8:00-10:00 AM Pacific Time
Format: Online workshop via Zoom
Fee: $300
Who is it for? GAB instructors who want to gain more confidence and clarity in marketing their Guided Autobiography workshops
Registration is limited to 10 participants.
Contact Sarah White at whitesarah.cnf@gmail.com to reserve your seat or to learn more.
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Shaking the Family Tree Certification
Available to Certified GAB Instructors
This course is designed to support our instructors in expanding their teaching portfolios with an offering for students interested in family stories, personal history, and genealogy. Heidi Thorsen and Sarah White, GAB Trainers, will be leading this class.
About the Course:
This six-session, 2.5-hour instructor-only course equips Guided Autobiography facilitators to teach family-history writing with depth and skill. Participants will explore how context—era, geography, and culture—shapes family stories, how roles and values move across generations, and how rituals and artifacts reveal identity. The course also provides essential craft tools to help writers bring relatives to life on the page, develop a strong narrative voice, and shape meaningful, resonant stories.
Completion prepares instructors to teach Shaking the Family Tree within their own programs and communities.
Course Details:
Title: Shaking the Family Tree Certification
Dates: Wednesdays, Oct 21 — November 25, 2026 (6 weeks) • 9:00 AM — 11:30 AM Pacific Time
Format: Online certification course
Fee: $450
Who is it for? GAB instructors wishing to teach or incorporate this curriculum into their class offerings
All student handouts and extra teaching resources are included.
A portion of the proceeds supports the Birren Center.
Contact Sarah White and Heidi Thorsen at sarah@thebirrencenter.org or heidi@thebirrencenter.org, to reserve your seat or to learn more.
Frequently Asked Questions About GAB Instructor Training
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In order for you to see and hear the instructors and other students, and for them to be able to see and hear you, you will need a few tools.
Internet Access: You’ll need a computer with Internet access.
Computer: With a built-in microphone.
Webcam: Finally, you’ll need a webcam, built-in or external.
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You’ll participate in a comprehensive program comprising 26 hours of instruction.
You’ll receive all of the teaching materials used during the 8 sessions of training to be used for teaching your own GAB courses.
In addition to the online class time, you’re free to email the instructor with any questions that may arise in between sessions.
After you complete your training, the Birren Center will continue to provide support as you launch your own GAB course. This is a valuable resource that is not usually available with most training courses.
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Our goal is to train instructors so that Guided Autobiography can be made available to as many people as possible. Through our growing network of highly trained GAB instructors, thousands worldwide have experienced the power of writing and sharing their life stories. The tuition for the 8-session Guided Autobiography Instructor Training Program has been set at $600.
Payments may be made safely with a credit or debit card through our secure payment methods including PayPal, one of the largest and most reliable online payment centers.
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Training classes are ongoing. Class dates and schedules will be posted to the website when offered. Please contact cheryl.svensson@gmail.com for more information.
Online GAB Instructor Training
GAB Workshops
In-person classes