On Wednesday, August 13th, we celebrated Counselor’s Day in Argentina, and from the Enfoques Humanísticos Civil Association, we invited the community to a very special seminar: “Practice without fear. Practice, role-playing, and supervision.”

Our proposal was received with great warmth and openness: to create a reflective, experiential, and open space where counselors, students, and human development professionals could meet to practice, share experiences, and strengthen each other together.

“We know that growth is something that happens and is enhanced when we share it and build it side by side.”

A meeting to learn and strengthen ourselves

During the event, we immersed ourselves in activities of reflection, exchange, and trigger exercises for role-playing, accompanied by guidance for supervision and peer co-vision.

The experience, initially planned for 1.5 hours, extended to 2.5 hours thanks to the generosity of the facilitator and the sustained interest of the participants.

Nearly 100 people actively participated, turning the event into a true community gathering, marked by warmth, openness, and collective commitment.

A particularly significant moment was the role-playing demonstrated by Emerson Acevedo, a graduate counselor and member of our institution’s EDAS (Space for Accompaniment and Supervision). Emerson accompanied Ana, who took on the role of the client, in a brief scene that profoundly impacted everyone present.

In just a few minutes, it became evident how effective accompaniment can generate an immediate impact on the client’s consciousness and “self-awareness,” showing the power of empathic listening and genuine presence.

The voice of an international authority: George Vera

We were honored by the presence of  Dr.George Vera, an educator, clinical supervisor, and international authority in mental health and counselor training, with extensive experience in master and doctoral programs in the USA and Worldwide. Currently, Doctor Vera is the Director of The PhD in Coumseling, Miami Shores, and the MS in Counseling, The Bahamas, Barry University, USA.

His contribution was revealing. George emphasized that counseling exists because there is human encounter. That is its raison d’être, its essence, and what differentiates it from other human development disciplines: it focuses on the human bond as the engine of transformation.

“Counseling is a human experience. It is someone who dares to be with another human being from a place of presence, empathy, and respect, not to interpret or correct them, but to accompany them in their search for meaning.”

Furthermore, he presented his Integrative Reflective Supervision Model (2015), which conceives supervision as an ethical and collaborative process where theory, practice, and experience are articulated to support professional identity and foster autonomy. It is a model that focuses not just on correction, but on reviewing the counselor’s practice and experience across four dimensions: communicative, reflective, ethical, and cultural.

For George, supervision is not optional:

“Supervision is the vehicle for the evolution of the human helping professions.”

International Inter-institutional Collaboration

This meeting reaffirmed for us the importance of international inter-institutional collaboration as a path for professional and human growth. Building bridges with authorities and universities from other countries enhances training quality, broadens perspectives, and strengthens the community network beyond borders. George’s participation and the resulting exchange demonstrate the value of a profession that is also built in dialogue with the world.

Practicing Without Fear: Beyond Technique

The theme “practicing without fear” ran through every moment of the event. It was not only about daring to practice but about recognizing that fear can be reviewed, shared, and reframed within the community.

The space allowed us to discover that:

• Practicing and making mistakes is part of learning.
• Supervision is not just about reviewing techniques, but about strengthening professional identity and ethics.
• The counselor’s role is nurtured as much by individual experience as by the community network that supports it.

““The growth of our profession is born from the commitment to our own development as professionals and as people. When we train, supervise, and share, the entire profession advances with solid steps.”
— George Vera

A Counselor’s Day with Deep Meaning

Beyond a formal celebration, this meeting was a reminder that counseling is not practiced in isolation and that its true strength emerges from mutual support. It left us with a clear lesson: practicing without fear does not mean not feeling fear, but daring to move through it as a community, supported by supervision, reflective practice, and shared ethics.

Thus, Counselor’s Day became much more than a date: it was an act of reaffirming the profession, a call to collective construction, and a testament that when we meet from a place of humanity, growth is inevitable.

We especially thank George Vera for his generosity, his warm presence, and his academic and human contribution. And we thank every one who was present for their sustained interest, shared practices, and the quality of the exchange.

This meeting was made possible by the commitment of this great community!