Irene Bloomfield's Work on Intergenerational Communication within Families Affected by Nazi Persecution

Abstract

This paper has been written as a personal tribute to the life and work of Irene Bloomfield. It focuses on her pioneering contributions to the development and practice of psychotherapeutic work with families affected by Nazi persecution and on the use of groupanalytic methods, where appropriate. It places special emphasis on her experience in dealing with the intergenerational communication problems encountered within those predominantly Jewish families. Her innovative approaches are significant in that they have wider relevance, notably within other traumatized groups, which have been persecuted because of social, cultural, ethnic or religious differences.