Evaluating the Impact: How to Measure Healing Without Losing the Magic

Abstract
Healing Circles often create deep, personal, and systemic transformation—but capturing that impact in measurable terms can be challenging. This article explores how to evaluate the effectiveness of the SWEET Healing Circle in ways that honor both scientific rigor and human nuance. Drawing from implementation science, qualitative evaluation, and trauma-informed metrics, we offer a balanced approach to assessing impact across individual, team, and organizational levels—without reducing healing to a checkbox.

Keywords
Program evaluation, SWEET Healing Circle, SWEET Institute, impact measurement, trauma-informed metrics, reflective outcomes, implementation science, psychological safety, qualitative data, team growth, measurement strategy

1. Introduction
Healing is real, its effects are visible, but how do we measure what’s changing?

This article provides facilitators and organizational leaders with a set of evidence-based, values-aligned evaluation strategies for measuring healing—without flattening it for if we want Healing Circles to scale and sustain, we are to speak the language of outcomes—without losing the soul of the work.

2. Theoretical Framework: What We Measure Shapes What We Value
2.1 Implementation Science
Fixsen et al. (2005) highlight that successful implementation is measured by:

• Fidelity (Are we doing what we intended?)

• Acceptability (Do participants find it useful and relevant?)

• Outcomes (What changes—internally and externally?)

Evaluation is to be layered, just like the model itself. 

2.2 Trauma-Informed Metrics
Traditional measures (e.g., productivity, efficiency) often miss the emotional, relational, and cultural shifts that define healing. Instead, we are to ask:

• Do people feel safer?

• Are we pausing more, reacting less?

• Are ruptures followed by repair? 

3. Application: What and How to Measure
3.1 Individual-Level Metrics
Before/After Self-Reflection Surveys

• “I am more aware of my own emotional patterns.”

• “I feel more able to name what I need at work.”

 Schema Awareness Journals

• Reflections on changes in thought patterns, conflict response, or emotional resilience

Participation Logs

• Who attends, how often, and how they engage (qualitative tone counts) 

3.2 Team-Level Metrics
Psychological Safety Surveys

Use tools like Edmondson’s Team Learning Climate Inventory:

• “If I make a mistake on this team, it is not held against me.”

• “Members of this team value and respect each other’s input.” 

Conflict Recovery Timelines

Track how long it takes teams to repair ruptures pre- and post-Circle adoption 

Meeting Rhythm and Rituals

• % of teams using breathwork, check-ins, or shared Circle language weekly

3.3 Organizational-Level Metrics
Retention Data

• Compare staff turnover rates pre/post Circle integration

 Burnout and Compassion Satisfaction Scales

• Use the ProQOL (Professional Quality of Life Scale) quarterly

 Qualitative Story Harvests

• Gather narratives of change, quotes, and team reflections in Circle journals or retreats

4. Balancing Data with Dignity
Remember:

• Not all change is visible immediately

• Numbers need stories to give them life

• Stories need structure to be heard at scale

Healing isn’t about scoring, it’s about seeing what’s shifting—and naming it with care.

5. Conclusion
You don’t need a control group to know the room feels different, but you do need reflection, tracking, and shared language to bring others with you—leaders, funders, and future facilitators. Healing is not soft, it’s just hard to quantify, and when we measure from presence—not pressure—we discover that what gets counted is not always what counts.

References

• Fixsen, Dean L., et al. Implementation Research: A Synthesis of the Literature. University of South Florida, 2005.

• Edmondson, Amy C. “Psychological Safety and Learning Behavior in Work Teams.” Administrative Science Quarterly, vol. 44, no. 2, 1999, pp. 350–383.

• Stamm, Beth Hudnall. The Concise ProQOL Manual. Pocatello, 2010.

• Brown, Brené. Dare to Lead. Random House, 2018.

• Siegel, Daniel J. Mindsight: The New Science of Personal Transformation. Bantam, 2010.

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