About Kendal Encounter
A weekend of honest meeting, held with care.
Friday 25 – Sunday 27 June 2027 · The Castle Centre, Kendal · £110
Why we started Kendal Encounter
Many counsellors first meet the person-centred approach in a classroom. They learn about the core conditions, read Rogers and practise in triads. Yet the experience that brought the approach to life for Rogers himself was the encounter group: real people meeting each other without a script.
Kendal Encounter exists to keep that experience within reach. In-person encounter groups have become harder to find in the UK, and especially in the North of England. We wanted to offer one that is affordable, easy to travel to and held in a setting where people can breathe.
Around 2006, Will Stillwell and Ian Fallows came up with the idea of running a facilitated person-centred encounter group in Kendal, Ian's hometown. They ran the group annually until 2026. After the 2026 group, Ian stepped back and handed the organisation to Dave Rutlidge, who had considerable experience running encounter groups and similar person-centred events.
Meet your facilitators
Will Stillwell
Facilitator
“I am a person concerned with optimal qualities of living. With other people, I focus on our relationships in our worlds as we work and play together, and on finding each individual’s clarity on what they want and how they might achieve and flourish”
Will has maintained a consulting practice for fifty years with people in organisations: as coach to individuals, facilitator to groups, and mediator in conflict situations. He is a partner in the Center’s Enterprise for Creative Leadership.
For thirty-five years, Will has been a staff member of The Center’s The La Jolla Program. In this capacity, he facilitates encounter groups of few and many members in the format Carl Rogers originally pioneered. As co-director, he has taken this work to several foreign lands.
Dave Rutlidge
Organiser and Facilitator
My passion for person-centred encounter groups and person-centred approaches in general led me to form Encounter Events in 2015. Encounter Events organises unfacilitated encounter groups, primarily online. When Ian invited me to organise the Kendal group, I jumped at the opportunity as I've got so much from the group over the years.
I have been a person-centred practitioner since around 2007, as a hospital chaplain, counsellor, supervisor and event organiser. Since retiring from clinical practice, I have focused on event organisation, art, and web design. I'm currently organising an international conference for July 2028.
How we facilitate
We don't lead the group in the usual sense. There's no programme to follow and no exercises to complete. Our role is to help create a climate where people feel safe enough to be themselves.
In practice, that means listening closely and responding honestly. We take part as people, not experts. And we trust the group to find its own direction, as Carl Rogers did.
We agree a few simple ground rules together on the first evening, including confidentiality. If anything feels too much, you can take a break at any time.
The venue
Kendal Encounter takes place at the Castle Centre on Castle Street, a short walk from the town centre and Kendal railway station.
• Free Parking on-site is available
• Tea, coffee and refreshments are provided
• Lunch isn't included; there are plenty of cafes nearby
If you have access needs, please tell us when you book or contact Dave. We'll do our best to make things work for you.
CPD Certificates
Everyone who attends the whole weekend receives a certificate of attendance for 15 hours of CPD.
Counsellors and psychotherapists can use it as evidence of continuing professional development for their professional body.
Students may be able to count it towards personal development hours; please check with your course.
Ready to join us?
We have limited capacity (about 30 people total), so we encourage early booking.
The cost is £110 for the whole weekend.