In this second special issue on facilitating encounter, we focus particularly on encounter groups as part of training, teaching and what it means to facilitate encounter groups in this context. Encounter groups are sometimes used as part of person-centered counseling and psychotherapy training, as well as in related teaching contexts. There are conflicts and dilemmas involved for trainers who also facilitate encounters for their students, such as the shifts in roles required from facilitating to assessing. Dee Ray discusses the place of encounter groups in counseling training and clarifies their difference from therapy groups. In addition, facilitating encounter with students in training also provides emotional requirements for the trainers to take this role. Margaret Rock puts the case for becoming a better facilitator by experiencing being a participant in encounter groups. Such an experiential way of learning can also be a challenge within institutional contexts that prioritize measuring outcomes as discussed by Manu Bazzano. He emphasizes the notion of encounter groups as experience or experiment, open to results and therefore to provoking institutional changes. He also challenges the tendency to defuse the power of encounter as a person-centered faith ritual, which leads or should lead to overcome conflicts, instead of recognizing conflicts as a condition for encountering.
Encounter groups can also be used in teaching contexts outside counseling and psychotherapy training as discussed by Renate Motschnig, who broadens the scope to include the field of education and teacher training. She discusses the challenges of facilitating encounter in this field and shows how prospective teachers can benefit from their experiences in encounter.
The following papers focus on other aspects of facilitating encounter in general (within and outside training contexts): Karin Macke and Gabriele Hasler concentrate in their contribution on gender bias and the importance for facilitators to be aware of cultural norms that promote heteronormative and binary sex/gender notions and argue for the necessity of facilitators being able to reflect on these in and with groups. Will Stillwell concludes this issue, informed by his decades of experience facilitating encounter with a narrative piece about telling stories, metaphor and identity.
Additional information
Notes on contributors
Gillian Proctor
Dr. Gillian Proctor is the programme leader for the MA in counselling and psychotherapy at the University of Leeds and an independent clinical psychologist. She has a particular interest in ethics, power, politics and practice and published on these subjects.
Renata Fuchs
Renata Fuchs is managing director of zb-zentrum für beratung, training & entwicklung, Lower Austria and she is teaching Psychotherapy at APG-IPS, Institute for Person-Centred Studies, Sigmund Freud Private University Vienna and Bertha von Suttner University Sankt Pölten.
Aglaja Przyborski
Aglaja Przyborski, Ph.D. is full Professor of Psychotherapy at the Bertha von Suttner Privat University, St. Pölten, Austria. She is also teaching Psychotherapy at APG-IPS, Institute for Person-Centred Studies, is an active researcher in the field psychotherapy, counseling, communication, and media, has contributed to the development of Qualitative Methods and published a number of respective books and papers.