Socio-Cultural Influence on Group Therapy Leadership Style

Abstract

The main author of this article had the opportunity to witness, to observe and to be trained in two different styles of group therapy leadership over the past few years: A more directive, prescriptive and active style that was developed in Egypt and is considered as the traditional Egyptian style of conducting dynamic therapy groups (Egyptian Inte grative Dynamic Model) and a less directive, more descriptive and passive style that was developed in the UK and is considered as the traditional style of leading dynamic therapy groups within the British National Health Service (British Group Analysis). The article tries to investigate the socio-cultural factors that favoured adopting the more directive, prescriptive and active format in the Egyptian model although it revolves around the same object-relations theoretical core as the British one. This might stimulate an interesting discussion on the relativity of psychotherapy concepts, processes and aims among different cultures.

The Social Unconscious in Action: Linking Theory to Group Work with Young Adults

“…It has been stated (Bledin, 2004; Nitsun, 2009) that Foulkes’ own experiences unconsciously shaped the development of group analysis, especially an ambivalent stance towards authority and leadership and an overly optimistic view of groups. Taha, Mahfouz and Arafa (2008), speaking from Egypt, have linked this to what they perceive to be a wider socially unconscious western phenomenon of a ‘fatherless society’. Whether they are right or not, this shows that group analysis as a discipline is infused with the social unconscious and that certain aspects of it may only be observable from a temporal or spatial distance.…”

Group Analysis as I do It: How I Work with the Social Unconscious

“…This series of articles by Taha et al (2008Taha et al ( , 2010 and Punter (2009) have discussed differences between the Egyptian Minia model of group therapy and group analytic psychotherapy with respect to the concept of the social unconscious, models of therapy and leadership style.…”

A social identity approach to facilitating therapy groups.

“…Although diversity can refer to factors such as age, gender, sexuality, and more, most of this literature has explored cultural diversity within therapy groups, and how this may affect therapeutic processes (e.g., Burnes & Ross, 2010; D’Andrea, 2014; Debiak, 2007; Macnair-Semands, 2007; Okech et al, 2015; D. W. Sue & Sue, 2013; Taha et al, 2008). Some of this research also explores facilitators’ own cultural backgrounds, in line with the argument that group therapists bring their personal and cultural experiences to their role, and that this can affect their interactions with clients (Corey et al, 2015; Goh, 2005; Yalom & Leszcz, 2020).…”