A Place to Think, Question, and Belong - Our tPCA Student Group

One of the quiet strengths of the Person-Centred Association is the way students continue to find each other beyond the classroom. Over the past few months, the tPCA student group has grown into a thoughtful, relational space where learning is not just delivered, but lived.

We now have around 25 student members, with six to eight new people joining each month. What brings people back is not a fixed agenda or a right way to be person-centred, but the chance to sit with others who are genuinely curious, questioning, and reflective about their training and practice.

January’s Conversation: Learning, Systems, and Lived Experience

In January, we were fortunate to be joined by Jan Hawkins, who generously spent the evening with us discussing her article published in the Winter 2025 edition of PCQ (Page 5). This can be found within your membership area along with all past issues of The Person Centred Quartrley. 

Jan spoke openly about why she wrote the article, drawing on what she has noticed in her supervisory work with trainees who are experiencing challenges that feel disproportionate to what person-centred training promises. Jan also shared parts of her own learning journey, including the tensions of teaching within systems while still holding a person-centred ethos.

What emerged was not a sense of conflict, but curiosity. Many of us recognised ourselves in the conversation. Others found reassurance in hearing that their experiences were neither isolated nor a sign of “getting it wrong”.

What We Took Away

Rather than rushing to solutions, the group stayed with a more spacious question: what do we do with shared student experiences, if anything?

For many, the answer was simple and profound. Being in a room, virtual or otherwise, with people who understand the nuance and complexity of person-centred training is valuable in itself. Validation, mutual recognition, and the freedom to think out loud mattered just as much as theory.

The session wandered, as good conversations often do, into wider reading, research, and reflections on what person-centred practice actually means beyond silence or technique. References were shared, perspectives stretched, and assumptions gently challenged.

A Supportive, Student-Led Space 

This group is informal, student-led, and intentionally human. Some meetings are focused around an article or theme, others unfold more organically. The intention is never to overwhelm, but to offer connection and acceptance for those who want it. Many members also appreciate that these conversations naturally contribute to ongoing learning and CPD.

Join Us Next Month

Our next meeting takes place on Tuesday 24 February at 6.30pm, and new students are always welcome. You do not need to prepare, perform, or arrive with the right words. You need to be a member of tPCA to join. All levels of students are welcome and as a pre qualifying student, membership is free of charge. 

If you are a person-centred student looking for a space that feels thoughtful, relational, and grounded in real experience rather than ideals, we would love to have you with us.

Please check our students page for more details.