The first book of Sheila Thompson (1) , written conjointly with J. H. Kahn, starts with a preamble in the following terms: “In view of the fast growing complexity and scope of modern knowledge no one profession dealing with a range of human needs can make exclusive claims in relation to the others. Each has its essential function as well as its necessary overlap with others. This overlap is indee required for intelligent co-operation and team-work. It should also enable a holistic approach to be made to the multiple needs of man.” (Report of the Working Party on Social Workers in the Local Authority Health and Welfare Services, H.M.S.O. 1959.) “This passage is reproduced here in the hope that the message will not be lost in the reorganisation and redistribution of the medical, social work, and educational services. Our book is intended to deal with some of the areas of work which involve all of these services. (S.M.T., J.H.K., the authors).
A multidisciplinary approach and a global conception of human problems are two of the objectives which link the projects of Grup d’Anàlisi Barcelona with Sheila Thompson’s work. The investigation in both instances makes use of the group method of analysis.
There exists also a historical-professional link between Juan Campos and Sheila Thompson. Sheila and Juan, both knew S. H. Foulkes at the end of the fifties of last century when they trained and collaborated with him. Both defended the Group Analytic Society, founded in 1952, as an association of peers of groupanalysts, based on the model of communication created by S. H. Foulkes himself, this is to say GAIPAC (Group Analysis International Panel and Correspondence), to which Juan Campos adds arguments of the foundational internationality of this Society. In 1982 this international network of communication between peers of GAIPAC split up, and, on one hand, gives rise to a formal, classical journal (Group Analysis, The Journal of Group Analytic Psychotherapy) and, on the other hand, a Bulletin of informal professional communication. The process of this change is described in a dossier which Juan Campos constructed between 1982 and 2004 (J. Campos and H. Campos, “Milestones in the History of Group Analysis. The European Group Analytic Movement and the Question of Internationality of Group Analysis). The Bulletin was first edited by Elizabeth Foulkes and other colleagues, till 1993 when with the new name of CONTEXT (later CONTEXTS) Anne Harrow and Sheila Thompson take charge of its edition. Juan and Sheila maintained an intense correspondence through CONTEXTS. Afterwards, due to problems of health of both, Internet was the channel of their communication. The last contributions of Juan in CONTEXTS include his very heartfelt obituary for Sheila in number 21 (2002) and his paper in number 22 (2003) entitled “Are we ready for the times ahead? Or, riding the waves along with GAS”.
Sheila Thompson’s clinical work and investigation centred on psychiatric social work with children and families, of education, training and of middle and large groups. She also collaborated for many years with Pat de Maré and co-authored with him and Robin Piper the book on Koinonia.
Sheila Thompson investigates and clarifies group work not from a theoretical differentiated construction but as a method and frame of reference which serves for conceiving human problems “in context”. Her latest book of 1999, The Group Context (2), after a whole decade, represents still the most important advance in the investigation of group work beyond the therapeutic ambit, principal objective of Grup d’Anàlisi Barcelona. Sheila makes an enormous investigative effort to clarify the relationship of group dynamics coming from the therapeutic field with group work in multidisciplinary teaching and training in different professions, specifying the similarities and differences between these diverse types of groups. The author promotes the idea of “group context” as a frame of reference which, on one hand, permits us to think a particular group as a whole and, on the other hand, to identify the dynamic “processes” which occur in this context and to analyze and articulate the different levels and aspects which the objectives of every group bring into play: individual, group and social; teaching, learning and training: intra, inter and multidisciplinary and, not least of all, conscious and unconscious. Two aspects determine the characteristics, possibilities and limits of a group: the objectives and the conductor, his profession of origin, perception of the group and his personal style. In the words of Sheila Thompson: “Every group worker needs to preserve and develop his original professional frame of reference, and also he needs to acquire a disciplined approach in relation to any group work he undertakes. His knowledge of group work facilitates the cooperation with members of other professions who also work in this field. This implies three levels of respect: respect for his own professional identity, respect for the group proceedings he undertakes, and respect for his colleagues in other professions and the ones he attends.” Summing up, these are some of the ideas in which the members of Grup d’Anàlisi Barcelona coincide with the proposals of Sheila Thompson.
Don’t lose the opportunity of reading her works.
Information and where to buy her books here
(1) Sheila Thompson and J. H. Kahn, The Group Process as a Helping Technique 1970: Oxford, Pergamon Press.
(2) Sheila Thompson, The Group Context 1999: London, Jessica Kingsley Publishers
A multidisciplinary approach and a global conception of human problems are two of the objectives which link the projects of Grup d’Anàlisi Barcelona with Sheila Thompson’s. The investigation in both instances makes use of the group method of analysis. There exists also a historical-professional link between Juan Campos and Sheila Thompson[i].
Sheila Thompson investigates and clarifies group work not from a theoretical differentiated construction but as a method and frame of reference which serves for conceiving human problems “in context”. Her latest book of 1999, The Group Context[ii], alter a whole decade represents still the most important advance in the investigation of group work beyond the therapeutic ambit, principal objective of Grup d’Anàlisi Barcelona. Sheila makes an enormous investigative effort to clarify the relationship of group dynamics coming from the therapeutic field with group work in multidisciplinary teaching and the training in different professions, as well as to specify the similarities and differences between these diverse types of groups. The author promotes the idea of “group context” as a frame of reference which, on one hand, permits us to think a particular group as a whole and, on the other hand, the dynamic “processes” which occur in this context and permit us to analyze and articulate the different levels and aspects which the objectives of every group brings into play: individual, group and social; teaching, learning and training: intra, inter and multidisciplinary and, not least of all, conscious and unconscious. Two aspects determine the characteristics, possibilities and limits of a group: the objectives and the conductor, his profession of origin, perception of the group and his personal style. In the words of Sheila Thompson: “Every group worker needs to preserve and development his original professional frame of reference, and also he needs to acquire a disciplined approach in relation to any group work he undertakes. His knowledge of group work facilitates the cooperation with members of other professions who also work in this field. This implies three levels of respect: respect for his own professional identity, respect for the group proceedings he undertakes, and respect for his colleagues in other professions and the ones he attends.” Summing up, these are some of the ideas in which the members of Grup d’Anàlisi Barcelona coincide with the proposals of Sheila Thompson. Don’t lose the opportunity of reading her works.