Join us for an insightful and candid dialogue between Beverley Costa from the Pásalo Project and John Wilson of Onlinevents as they explore the provocative idea of embracing disappointment in group facilitation.
This conversation will delve into the complexities of managing expectations in group settings and the inevitability of sometimes disappointing group members. Beverley and John will examine how the fear of disappointment can shape a facilitator’s approach, and how moments of unmet expectations, when embraced, can lead to richer group dynamics and personal growth for all involved.
Key themes in this dialogue include:
- The emotional and relational challenges of being a “disappointing” facilitator.
- The role of authenticity, transparency, and boundaries in managing group expectations.
- How disappointment can open the door to deeper connection, learning, and resilience within the group.
Beverley and John will also share reflections on their experiences as group participants and how their ideas about disappointment manifest in their own practices as facilitators. They’ll consider how the willingness to disappoint others, in service of the group’s process, can foster genuine engagement and meaningful transformation.
Whether you are new to group facilitation or a seasoned practitioner, this event invites you to rethink the value of imperfection and the powerful opportunities that arise when facilitators and group members alike learn to sit with disappointment.
Course Content
Presenter
After qualifying as a psychotherapist, Beverley Costa set up Mothertongue multi-ethnic counselling service (2000-2018) for multilingual clients. In 2009 she created a pool of mental health interpreters, in 2010 she established the national Bilingual Therapist and Mental Health Interpreter Forum and founded The Pásalo Project in 2017 www.pasaloproject.org to disseminate learning from Mothertongue.
She has trained over 5,000 therapists for NHS services and NGOs, in working therapeutically across languages and with interpreters since 2013. She is a Senior Practitioner Fellow at Birkbeck, University of London and a Senior Visiting Research Fellow at the University of Reading.
In 2020, Pásalo created an e-learning resource for the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy: The Social Response Cycle – about effective therapeutically framed social action.
https://www.bacp.co.uk/cpd/social-response-cycle-member-resource/
In the same year (2020), The Paul Hamlyn Foundation awarded The Pásalo Project funding through its Ideas and Pioneers programme to create a free e-learning resource on mental health and multilingualism https://www.pasaloproject.org/multilingualism-mental-health-and-psychological-therapy—course-content.html .
She has run Reflective Practice Support groups for interpreters, psychological therapists and counsellors, nurses, teachers, lawyers, and psychosocial workers. She has developed an introductory course in facilitator skills for running Reflective Practice Groups which has been delivered online to organisations in England, Scotland, Wales and Belgium. She is the author of Other Tongues -psychological therapies in a multilingual world https://tinyurl.com/Other-Tongues
I am a co-founder and Director at Onlinevents, dedicated to democratising learning in the helping professions. We host the world’s first and largest video learning library akin to “Netflix” for these professions.
Additionally, I serve as a Director at Temenos Education and lead the Counselling & Psychotherapy Programme. Our focus is on nurturing students to become their most potent selves, both personally and professionally.
With over 20 years of experience, I currently manage a private practice as a Psychotherapist and Supervisor, offering services through video, text chat, and virtual environments.
I also facilitate groups and am involved in the Going Global and La Jolla programmes, rooted in Carl Rogers’ Encounter Group movement.
I am a past Chair and now an Honorary Fellow at the Association for Counselling & Therapy Online (ACTO). I have served on the board of the World Association for Person Centered & Experiential Psychotherapy & Counselling for 6 years.
