The suboptimal group is the group we can find ourselves conducting when trying to establish an analytic small group in the Foulkesian mould. I propose external and internal determinants and discuss some of the dynamics of this particularly challenging area of our work as group psychotherapists. I describe the suboptimal contexts of three groups. I suggest that the suboptimal group is psychotherapy straddling a variety of forms, calling on the full range of our skills, and, when persisted with, can have therapeutic value for those involved.
