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Pat MacDonald ran smoking cessation groups for nine years and became really interested in group dynamics so, having completed introductory courses, returned to wpf to complete group analytic training.
“I had done some one-to-one work with clients who wanted to stop smoking but with little success. People often feel inadequate for failing to quit and very much on their own but on joining a group soon discover they are not unique in their suffering. Installation of hope develops as individuals begin to work together on the shared problem and cessation rates are considerably better than in individual work. The group can have a really positive effect and for many people it is as, or more effective than individual work whether the problem is one of addiction, depression or any issue that can arise in individual therapy. But the idea of running a group can be terrifying – often because people imagine group therapy is one-to-one work with 12 different people at the same time. It is completely different. The group conductor is a facilitator, encouraging group members to consider what is happening in the moment and to examine shared territory as well as the rivalries and tensions that inevitably arise. The group becomes a hall of mirrors and people are then able to see themselves as others see them. Group members often make radical changes in the way they relate to others beyond the group.”
Pat’s fascination with group dynamics continues. She has written four papers for Group Analysis and writes regularly for a health journal about mental health and other issues. She has taught on wpf’s introduction to group skills course, as well as the Access course. Currently Pat is a group conductor on both introductory and diploma courses at wpf and facilitates a self-reflective group for students training as couples therapists at the Tavistock Centre.
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