Maria Kontarini
One to One
Group Facilitation
Organisational Culture
Who I work together with?
I work with leaders, teams, and organisations guiding them to create cultures and practices that bring the values of peace and social justice to life. Together we identify what helps and what holds it back.
How I work?
At the heart of my practice is humanistic psychology, expressed through the Person-Centred Approach of Carl Rogers, strengthened by 26 years of experience across diplomacy, organisational development and leadership with integrity. All of this enables me to provide practical methods for bringing values to life in HR (Human Relations) policies and procedures and ways of working and being which cultivate a culture of trust, agency and collaboration.
What successful collaboration looks like?
Meaningful outcomes emerge when intention, collaboration and courage come together. My collaborations are guided by a shared commitment to communicate openly, listen deeply, learn from our differences, hold one another accountable and engage in the personal growth required to live and act in alignment with our values.
One to One: Cultivating Agency and Alignment
“Become the change you want to see in the world."
Even the most values-driven people, under certain circumstances, we can lose touch with our sense of agency, clarity and inner authority, affecting how we lead, make decisions and relate. Therefore the supportive presence of another human being is essential to stay grounded and aligned with our values.
In my one to one work, I support individuals through counselling, coaching and mentoring guided by the Person-Centred Approach. Across all three settings, I create the conditions for people to find their own solutions, by strengthening their inner core of creativity and self-knowledge and by nurturing their natural capacity for growth and actualisation. Even with highly-traumatised individuals, I witness the resilience and self-directed power that lies within every person.
Group Facilitation: Strengthening Connection
"When we listen to one another, 1+1=3."
In many teams and groups, cooperation falters not because people lack talent or commitment, but because communication is blocked and dynamics fall into “I’m right, you’re wrong” patterns. These cycles limit trust, creativity, and collective potential.
Through group facilitation grounded in the Person-Centred Approach, I help open the lines of communication — by listening deeply, reflecting and engaging respectfully — so the group can transform friction into collaboration and unlock its collective potential.
Organisational Culture: Values in action
“When values guide systems, culture becomes the catalyst for meaningful change.”
I join organisations as an empathetic, non-judgemental and critical partner — listening, reflecting, and thinking together with leaders and teams to find the right balance between a strong values-based culture and operational and financial sustainability. Our work begins from the organisation’s lived reality.
Policies for personnel are fundamental to attracting people who are both skilled and values-aligned. Retention depends on practices and ways of working that genuinely support wellbeing. Passion-driven work can generate extraordinary energy; yet without thoughtful structures and containment, it can also lead to stress, burnout thus high turnover.
A few tips of advice for all organisations who want to thrive:
Human-Centred Policies
Design policies that acknowledge real life - think of employment contracts, leave and working conditions that recognise care responsibilities, health and life transitions.
Growth and contribution
Create meaningful pathways for development by connecting individual growth with organisational needs. Provide clarity around roles and responsibilities and ensure people have a voice in the decisions that shape their work.
Relational Culture that Fosters Belonging
Through facilitated dialogue, conflict transformation, and shared reflection, cultivate a relational culture grounded in psychological safety and mutual respect. In such an environment, people feel valued and included, tensions are addressed constructively and differences become a source of learning rather than division — allowing teams to grow stronger together.
Leadership
When leaders model integrity rather than relying on control or hierarchy, they create the conditions for trust, accountability and shared responsibility to flourish across the organisation.
Responsible Use of Power - Shared Accountability
Allow for transparent and constructive feedback across all levels. This includes creating thoughtful mechanisms for upward feedback and evaluation, allowing employees to reflect on leadership practices in ways that support learning and continuous improvement.