Response to ‘Everybody needs a group: A qualitative study looking at therapists’ views of the role of psychotherapy groups in working with older people with dementia and complex needs’

Abstract

This article is an important contribution to group analysis. It highlights several issues worthy of further elaboration. First, it highlights the necessity of opening our therapeutic work for research. In addition, the article proves that a qualitative study can be integrated with a humanistic approach towards the participants in the group. It also exemplifies the positive outcome achieved from a research-driven approach, even when the subjects being studied do not actively share their individual insights and experiences. Second, a central question posed in the article is, 'What are the boundaries of a group-analytic group?' A pioneering work in adapting group-analytic principles to populations with complex needs is described and this raises a number of questions as follows: What parameters need to be complied with for a therapy process to remain within the boundaries of group-analytic work? Which 'rules' can be altered to create a facilitating environment for populations with complex needs? How much latitude do we have in adjusting the boundaries of group-analytic work in order to provide benefit for those populations and where should the line that delineates the border of a group-analytic psychotherapy be drawn? 758384G AQ0010.