A psychodynamic approach
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The discipline is Group Analysis, a well-established, internationally reputed method for working with groups and individuals. It was founded by SH Foulkes in the UK and has been used as the basis for group therapeutic training throughout the UK, Europe and many parts of the world. "The method and theory of group analysis is concerned with a dynamic understanding of the inner working of the human mind as a social, multi-personal phenomenon” (Foulkes 1975) and as such can be applied to groups, individuals, couples, families and applied groups. |
Group Analysis first developed as a therapy of individuals via group interaction. It focuses on the relationship between the individual and the group, emphasizing the essentially social nature of human experience, and aiming at a healthier integration of the individual in her/his network of relationships. It is a democratic and interactive discipline and has many applications in psychotherapy, training, professional development and organizational consultation. Group analysis is a science enabling meaningful engagement with others, different from us, with different experiences and holding different views: a crucial discipline in navigating current challenges. Group Analytic theory has developed over the last sixty years from a foundation blending psychoanalytic insights with gestalt, systemic and other social-scientific perspectives on healthy personal functioning and interpersonal relating. The development of group theory is still a live, dynamic process in the international group analytic community, reflected in the journal Group Analysis. For more information, visit the Institute of Group Analysis website at www.groupanalysis.org |
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“In contrast [to behavioral therapy], dynamic psychotherapy, which facilitates a patient’s rewriting of his life narrative, his picture of himself, his past, present, and future, seems uniquely positioned to address the depth of a individual’s experience.” – Richard F. Summers FURTHER READING ON PSYCHODYNAMIC PSYCHOTHERAPY HERE |