Join us for a compelling dialogue between Beverley Costa from the Pásalo Project and John Wilson of Onlinevents as they delve into the art and practice of working with groups in counselling and psychotherapy and related practices.
This event will explore the critical tensions between leading, facilitating, and adopting a non-directive approach. Beverley and John will engage in a thought-provoking discussion about the core dilemma: is non-directivity an absolute principle that can and should be upheld at all times? They will question whether true non-directivity is even possible in practice and examine the implications of this for group facilitation.
In addition to exploring these theoretical questions, the conversation will also examine how our beliefs and assumptions about non-directivity manifest in our practical work as group facilitators. Beverley and John will reflect on their own practices and their experiences as group participants and share insights into the challenges and opportunities they’ve encountered.
Key topics will include:
- The challenges of balancing structure and freedom in group settings.
- The role of the facilitator as both a guide and a participant in the group’s process.
- What happens when non-directivity intersects with the need for leadership or intervention?
- Can non-directivity ever be oppressive?
This dialogue will invite attendees to reflect deeply on their approach to leading and participating in groups and consider how their own ideas and values about non-directivity influence their practice. Whether you are new to group facilitation or an experienced practitioner, this event promises inspiration, practical strategies, and rich insights.
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.
