Group Sessions & Peer Support

Some Things Can Only Be Healed in Company

There are parts of this work that are hard to explain to the people closest to you.

The colleague who did not come back. The mission that changed something you cannot quite name. The quiet resentment toward a system you are still inside. The guilt that never matches the logic. The fatigue that does not lift. The loneliness of being surrounded by people who love you but cannot fully see what you have seen.

Individual therapy is a powerful space. But there is something different that happens in a room — physical or virtual — full of people who do not need it explained.

The research consistently shows the same thing: among humanitarian and high-exposure professionals, social support from those who share the context is one of the strongest protective factors for mental health. Peer connection is not a soft add-on to therapy. For many people in this sector, it is the work.

Who This Is For

Group counselling and peer support with me is designed for people who share some version of the same professional landscape:

You do not need to be in crisis. You do not need to know exactly what you are bringing. You simply need to recognise that you have been carrying something, and you would like company in making sense of it.

Two Ways to Join a Group

There are two distinct pathways into group work with me — one for individuals, one for organisations.

For Individuals — Open Peer Support Groups

Small, facilitated groups that bring together professionals from across the sector who are navigating similar terrain. You apply individually, and the group is composed by me to ensure safety, fit, and diversity of experience.

Typical format:

Groups are announced when a cohort is ready to form. To be notified when the next group opens, send a message with a short note about your context.

For Teams & Organisations — Commissioned Group Support

Confidential, facilitated group spaces designed for a specific team, unit, or cohort within your organisation. Commonly requested by NGOs, UN agencies, humanitarian organisations, and international employers as part of staff wellbeing, post-deployment, or duty-of-care programmes.

Typical use cases:

Every commissioned group is designed around the specific realities of your team. Get in touch to discuss what would serve your staff.

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What to Expect in a Session

Group sessions are structured, but not rigid. The goal is neither training nor teaching — it is facilitated peer presence, where real conversation can happen safely.

A Typical Session Includes

  • Grounding & arrival

    We begin by arriving properly — not diving straight in. A short settling practice helps everyone land in the room, in their bodies, and with each other.

  • Check-in

    Each participant has protected space to share where they are that day, without interruption, advice, or problem-solving.

  • Themed reflection

    Depending on the group and cycle, we may work with a specific theme — moral injury, identity shifts, boundaries, grief, leaving the sector, returning after leave. The theme is an offering, not a demand.

  • Peer dialogue

    Facilitated conversation among participants, anchored in what has come up. The role of the facilitator is to hold the space safely, not to perform therapy on anyone in front of the others.

  • Closing

    A grounded close. What you take with you, what you leave in the room, and what you carry back into your life.

Ground Rules

Every group operates under clear agreements:

Group Work vs. Individual Therapy — What's the Difference?

The two work beautifully together, but they are not the same thing. Many clients combine both — using individual therapy for their most private work, and group space for the professional isolation that individual therapy alone cannot resolve.

Individual Counselling
Group Counselling & Peer Support
Focus
Your personal story, in depth
Shared experience across participants
Pace
Fully yours to set
Shared rhythm of the group
Depth of processing
Very deep, very specific
Collective, resonant, often surprising
What you gain
Personal insight, tools, integration
Connection, mirroring, reduced isolation
Best for
Deep personal work, trauma, specific patterns
Sector-wide themes, identity, meaning, loneliness

For Organisations Commissioning Group Support

If you are responsible for staff care, wellbeing, HR, or programme management and are considering commissioning group support for your team, the process typically unfolds in four stages:

Discovery Call

A 30-minute conversation to understand your team, the specific pressures they are navigating, and what you hope group work might offer. No commitment at this stage.

Tailored Proposal

Based on the call, I develop a written proposal — covering format, frequency, group size, duration, objectives, confidentiality framework, and investment. You review and refine until the fit is right.

Participant Onboarding

Once the engagement is agreed, I hold brief individual onboarding conversations with participants before the first session. This builds trust, clarifies expectations, and ensures the group starts from a strong foundation.

Delivery & Review

Sessions are delivered on the agreed rhythm, with a mid-point and closing review so you can assess impact and decide on continuation.

Confidentiality & Reporting

Organisations receive anonymised, aggregated reporting on themes, engagement, and indicative impact — never individual disclosures. The trust of participants is non-negotiable; it is also what makes the work effective.

For Individual Participants

Fees for open peer support groups are announced with each cohort, and are typically set at a lower per-session rate than individual therapy to keep group work accessible. Sliding-scale places are reserved in every cohort for participants whose circumstances require it — please mention this when you enquire.

For Organisations

Commissioned group work is quoted per engagement, based on group size, format, frequency, and duration. Typical engagements range from a single facilitated post-deployment debrief to multi-month reflective cycles built into a wider staff care strategy.

Getting Started

If You Are an Individual

Send a short message explaining your context — your role, sector, and what draws you to group support. You will be added to the list for the next suitable cohort, and I will be in touch when a group is forming.

Express Interest in a Group

If You Are an Organisation

Book a 30-minute discovery call to discuss what your team needs and whether group work is the right fit. No cost, no obligation.

Book a Discovery Call

Frequently Asked Questions

Yes — many clients do, and the two often reinforce each other. Group work can surface themes worth exploring in individual sessions, and individual work can help you show up more fully in the group.

Every group operates under explicit confidentiality agreements signed by all participants. No system is perfect, but the culture of confidentiality in humanitarian and UN peer groups is strong because participants share the stakes. For commissioned organisational groups, the boundaries between the group and the employer are set out clearly in writing at the outset.

Both are possible. Single facilitated sessions are commonly used for post-deployment debriefs or after critical incidents. Series are used for ongoing wellbeing, leadership reflection, or sustained peer support. The right format depends on what your team actually needs — which we figure out together in the discovery call.

Yes — cohorts are opened based on demand. If you are interested in a French- or Dutch-speaking group, please mention this when you enquire and you will be added to the list for the next matching cohort.

Not quite. Open support groups are often self-led and centre around a shared identity or experience. Facilitated group counselling — what I offer — is held by a trained counsellor with clear therapeutic structure, agreements, and purpose. Both can be valuable; they serve different needs.

No. You are never required to share more than you are ready to. Many participants spend their first session mostly listening, and that is completely welcome. Presence matters more than performance.

For open peer support cohorts, I ask during intake whether there are specific colleagues you would prefer not to be in a group with, and compose groups accordingly. For commissioned organisational groups, this is discussed as part of the design phase — whether participants already know each other is often a strength, not a barrier, when handled well.

Reach Out

Whether you are looking for your own peer group or responsible for commissioning support for others — the starting point is the same: a short conversation.

Send a Message

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A safe space for reflection, healing, and growth. Offering personalised therapy and counselling in Geneva and online to help you navigate stress, trauma, and life’s challenges with clarity and care.

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