Presence: Experiential Group for Counsellors and Psychotherapists 

An ongoing experiential group in Buckinghamshire

Presence is an experiential group for counsellors and psychotherapists near Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire. Meeting bi-monthly at Jordans Quaker Meeting House, the group offers a committed space for authentic meeting, embodied awareness and relational growth.

Rather than following a fixed programme, Presence is lightly structured and co-created. What emerges between us becomes part of the learning. Through sharing, reflection, experimentation and group process, each person has the opportunity to discover more about themselves, their patterns of contact and withdrawal, and how they are experienced by others.

This is not a formal training. It is a committed group space for personal and professional growth.

What this experiential group offers

The aim of the group is to offer a sense of contained spaciousness.

This means a space where each person has the possibility of being seen and heard, while also being invited into honest contact with others. There is room for warmth, silence, vulnerability, humour, uncertainty, disagreement, anger, tenderness and repair.

Participants are encouraged to speak from their own experience, notice their bodily responses, take responsibility for their boundaries and choices, and remain curious about what is happening within themselves and between members of the group.

Over time, this kind of shared process can support a deeper sense of belonging, integration and relational confidence.

Who the group is for

The group is open to counsellors and psychotherapists, including those registered with professional bodies such as BACP and UKCP  interested in personal and professional development through direct experience, honest contact and group process.

Presence is an experiential group for counsellors and psychotherapists who are interested in personal and professional development through direct experience, honest contact and group process. Including those registered with professional bodies such as BACP and UKCP

The group may be especially relevant if you want to:

Deepen your self-awareness
Explore how you are experienced by others
Develop greater confidence in relationship
Understand your patterns of contact and withdrawal
Practise giving and receiving feedback
Stay present with difference, conflict and uncertainty
Reconnect with your own embodied experience
Make space for reflection, integration and growth

This process asks for courage, commitment and a willingness to participate as fully as possible.

What happens in the Presence group

A typical day may include:

Initial check-in
Open group sharing and responses
Circle work
Experiential exercises
Mindfulness and guided imagery
Time alone, in pairs or small groups
Time inside or outside in nature
Simple symbolic actions or self-created ceremonies witnessed by the group
Closing check-out and reflection

The exact shape of each day is always subject to the unpredictability and richness of co-creation. The group works with what is alive in the room, while remaining held by clear boundaries, shared commitment and mutual respect.

A relational group for counsellors and psychotherapists

Presence depends on the commitment of those who join. The basic commitment asked of participants is to attend the agreed dates unless illness or genuine emergency prevents this.

Participants are also asked to be willing to:

Be as present and authentic as they can be
Practise awareness of their own process
Share thoughts, feelings and bodily sensations honestly
Take responsibility for their boundaries, choices and impact
Give and receive feedback in responsible ways
Explore difference, disagreement and conflict without blaming or withdrawing permanently
Notice projections and defences with compassion and honesty
Allow themselves and others to learn by risking getting things wrong

Our experience over many years is that this process takes courage. It can also lead to a deeper sense of belonging, a more authentic experience of connection, and greater awareness of ourselves in relationship.

Practical details for the Presence group

Venue: Jordans Quaker Meeting House, Jordans, Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire, HP9 2SN
Time: 9.30am to 4.00pm
Cost: £80 per day
Group size: Limited to 16 participants
Lunch: Shared lunch
Frequency: Bi-monthly

Jordans Quaker Meeting House offers a beautiful and deeply held setting for this work. For over 300 years, Jordans has been a place of reflection, conscience, transformation and community.

Dates for the experiential group in 2026

• Thursday 29th January
• Thursday 26th March
• Thursday 14th May
• Thursday 16th July
• Thursday 17th September
• Thursday 19th November

Participant reflections

“Presence has allowed me to continue deepening my understanding of myself and the impact other people have on me and I on them. I have learned so much about group dynamics that is invaluable in my counselling work and also how to stay true to myself.”

“The only group I’m in where there’s no pressure to be okay or perform, even to pretend I’m fine by the end of the day.”

“Continuity and deep connection I don’t have elsewhere.”

“A space to grow, develop; a chunk of time set aside for myself, a chance to listen and focus on what’s really going on in my life.”

“Whole-self development; growing in awareness and emotional and relational competence.”

How to enquire about Presence

To enquire about joining this experiential group for counsellors and psychotherapists, please contact me here