From Practitioner to Pioneer: Building and Maintaining Therapeutic Organisations with Beverley Costa

Course Description

Are you a therapist, counsellor, or practitioner with a vision to extend your impact beyond the therapy room? Do you feel a pull towards social action but feel daunted by the practicalities of building a sustainable project or organisation? This comprehensive seven-hour course, compiled from a series of in-depth dialogues with seasoned psychotherapists and organisational leaders Beverley Costa and John Wilson, is your essential guide to transforming social justice ideals into tangible, resilient, and humane therapeutic organisations.

Drawing on decades of experience—from founding and running a multi-ethnic counselling charity to navigating the complexities of psychotherapy training organisations and community interest companies—this course moves beyond theory into the real-world challenges and triumphs of organisational life. Through candid stories, practical examples, and profound reflections, you will explore the often-unspoken tensions between our therapeutic values and the demands of leadership, social entrepreneurship, management, and finance.

Learn to navigate the fine line between compassionate support and maintaining robust organisational boundaries. Discover why being 'lovely' isn't enough and how embracing the art of being 'disappointing' can be a vital skill for effective group facilitation and leadership. This course tackles the tough topics head-on, from managing money and funders with integrity to developing an 'anti-fingers-crossed' approach to risk and planning. You will gain the confidence to build a culture of trust and accountability, welcome difficult conversations, and make the tough decisions necessary for your organisation not just to survive, but to thrive.

This is more than a 'how-to' guide; it is an invitation to develop the ethical maturity, courage, and humility required to lead with integrity and create a lasting, positive impact for the communities you serve.

Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of this course, you will be able to:

• Develop Strategic Clarity: Articulate a clear and sustainable mission for your project, identifying a niche where you can make a meaningful impact and avoiding the pitfall of 'mission drift'.
• Establish Robust Structures: Differentiate between various organisational structures (e.g., Charity, CIC, unincorporated organisation) and select the most appropriate model to ensure safety, accountability, and eligibility for funding.
• Understand Ethical Leadership: Navigate complex ethical dilemmas by developing 'ethical maturity', learning to balance compassion for staff with the primary needs of beneficiaries, and making courageous decisions you can stand behind.
• Build a Healthy Organisational Culture: Foster an environment of trust where difficult conversations are welcomed, small mistakes are seen as learning opportunities, and team members feel safe enough to be accountable.
• Navigate Financial Realities with Confidence: Understand the funding landscape, develop a diverse funding strategy to maintain autonomy, and confidently charge for your services, moving beyond the cultural taboo of discussing money in the therapeutic field.
• Embrace Effective Facilitation: Manage challenging group dynamics by learning how to hold boundaries firmly yet compassionately, bring a group back into its 'window of tolerance' and its core task, and understand the developmental value of being 'disappointing' as a facilitator.

Who is this Course For?

This course is designed for a wide range of professionals in the therapeutic, creative, and social action fields who are ready to take the next step in their professional journey. It is particularly appropriate for:

• Therapists, Counsellors, and Psychologists who feel called to address social justice issues and are considering setting up their own community project, social enterprise, or organisation.
• Founders and Leaders of Small Charities and Not-for-Profits who are navigating the challenges of growth, funding, and maintaining a healthy organisational culture.
• Trustees and Management Committee Members seeking to deepen their understanding of governance, ethical responsibility, and the unique dynamics of therapeutic organisations.
• Practitioners in Private Practice looking to expand their work into community-based initiatives or social action projects.
• Anyone in a Leadership or Facilitation Role within a therapeutic or community setting who wishes to enhance their skills in managing teams, navigating conflict, and leading with integrity and compassion.

Course Structure

• Module 1: The Beginning - Finding Your 'Why': Explores the motivation for moving from dyadic work to social action, the skills that transfer (and those that don't), and the importance of knowing your purpose as your 'North Star'.
• Module 2: Ethics and Boundaries in Organisational Life: How to create a culture of trust, the limits of 'being lovely', managing dual relationships, and having courageous conversations.
• Module 3: Group Facilitation - The Art of Being Disappointing: Focuses on group dynamics, managing conflict, holding boundaries, and transforming difficult moments into opportunities for growth and repair.
• Module 4: Choosing Your Path - Public Sector vs. Third Sector: An exploration of the pros and cons of working with statutory funders versus other models, and the risks of having your organisation's mission diluted.
• Module 5: The Nuts and Bolts - Management and Legal Structures: A practical look at different organisational models like charities and CICs, the importance of governance, and finding the right structure to keep everyone safe.
• Module 6: Humane Administration: Explores how to create administrative processes that support everyone in the organisation—clients, staff, and volunteers—and the importance of an 'anti-fingers-crossed' approach.
• Module 7: Money Matters - Funding with Integrity: Tackles the taboo of money, discusses how to build a diverse funding portfolio, and provides strategies for being assertive and clear about the value of your work.