Informative | Academic | Exploratory | Narrative | Creative | Reflective
Purpose
Encounter Group Supervision offers counsellors and practitioners a unique, person‑centred approach to professional development in the UK. Meeting monthly, participants engage in group supervision within an encounter‑informed, reflective setting that values openness, curiosity, and shared learning. The focus is on what naturally emerges in the group — the relationships, the process, and the insights that arise when practitioners come together to explore their work collaboratively.
Because the group is member‑led, each session evolves from what feels most relevant or alive in the moment. This may include exploring aspects of client work, noticing relational dynamics, or reflecting on your own internal process as a practitioner. Common themes often include boundaries, presence, power, difference, emotional impact, and moments of uncertainty or resonance — but nothing is pre‑set or imposed.
Alongside the supervision process, we also attend to how the group itself develops. Your reflections on the experience, atmosphere, and interactions help shape and evaluate this pilot model. Every member contributes feedback, shares what supports them, and identifies areas for growth as the supervision approach continues to evolve.
Themes that might be explored
· How we impact one another
· Moments of connection, distance, or tension
· Power, voice, and presence in the group
· What it feels like to be seen, heard, or overlooked
· Core conditions in practice
· Congruence, presence, and relational depth
· How we offer empathy without losing ourselves
· The tension between non‑directive practice and real‑world complexity
· How person‑centred values show up in difficult moments
· When theory supports us — and when it feels limiting
· The difference between knowing and embodying
· How personal history shapes therapeutic presence
· Boundaries, power, and difference
· Working at your growing edge
· Moments of uncertainty, resonance, or rupture
· Staying grounded and resourced
· What we carry home
· How the work shapes us over timeButton Align
Facilitators
Benjamin Wright
Benjamin Wright is an accredited person‑centred counsellor and clinical supervisor with over 13 years of therapeutic counselling experience and 7 years of counselling supervision practice in the UK and India. Working under Wright Counselling and Supervision Service, Benjamin’s approach to supervision is grounded in the belief that effective supervisory work focuses on attending to the person, not policing practice. His supervision model supports counsellors in developing ethical awareness, reflective depth, and professional confidence.
At the heart of Benjamin’s work is the supervisory relationship — built on trust, openness, and authenticity. He creates a space where practitioners can show up as they truly are, without fear of judgement or pressure to perform. In his view, supervision should be a safe, collaborative environment where mistakes are recognised as valuable learning opportunities. Through genuine connection and person‑centred dialogue, Benjamin helps counsellors explore their work honestly, deepen their relational presence, and sustain their wellbeing in practice.
Steve Widdowson
Steve is a person-centred counsellor and the founder of Strive, an online counselling service focused on making therapy more accessible and affordable while maintaining a strong
relational focus. Alongside his clinical work, Steve is actively involved in developing
practitioners and widening access to mental health support through workshops, webinars, and collaborative projects.
He has delivered wellbeing-focused training within higher education and professional settings, including his Person-Centred Wellbeing workshop, and continues to facilitate reflective spaces that bridge counselling practice with real-world contexts. He has been invited to contribute to conversations around men’s mental health, including panel events, podcasts, and an upcoming Men in EDI session at Loughborough University. He also volunteers as a walk leader with MenWalkTalk and is currently in discussion with charitable organisations to provide counselling support for parent carers.Steve brings a grounded, relational presence to his work, shaped by both professional
experience and his lived experience as a husband, father, and carer. His approach is rooted
in authenticity, with a particular interest in how identity, masculinity, and lived experience
intersect within the therapeutic relationship.Button Align
