Love and Hate in Supervision Groups

Abstract

This paper deals with the supervision of group therapy of schizophrenic patients. Working for many years in various clinics, I was intrigued by the fact that in some supervision groups an open and trusting atmosphere prevailed, while in others learning could not take place because a mistrustful, rivalrous and `hateful' atmosphere prevailed. Members were reluctant to come, used defence mechanisms, even archaic ones such as splitting and projection, and felt supervision was useless.

I was the supervisor who came from the outside and was not involved in the hierarchy of the institution, its conflicts and intrigues among staff members. I discuss such difficult groups, and analyse why some groups developed as trusting and enabling, and others as `hating' groups that brought the discussions to a standstill.