Exploring Perspectives in Group Analytic Psychotherapy in Europe

Anna Zajenkowska is an Associate Professor at VIZJA University in Warsaw, Poland. She is a trained group analyst, head of the Center for Personality Disorders at an outpatient clinic, and a supervisor applicant. She has served as a Board Member and as Head of the Group Section of the European Federation for Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy (EFPP), and is currently Head of the Polish Psychological Association.Hanne-Sofie Johnsen Dahl is a psychologist, psychoanalyst, and training group analyst at IGA-Norway. She combines clinical practice within the public health sector with psychotherapy research and teaching at the University of Oslo. She is also co-chairing a psychoanalytic training program for therapists in China and has served as a board member of the Group Section of EFPP.

“By bringing together accounts of how group analysis has developed, & how research is viewed, in various European contexts, the editors address an aspect of practice that is rarely acknowledged. Our theory holds that human interaction is shaped - mostly unconsciously - by the groups & communities of which we are part, while at the same time those interactions shape the group. This must also be true of our own practice, and here is a book that takes this issue seriously and, importantly, asks, ‘What can we learn from each other?’”Dr Linde Wotton, IGA London faculty, EGATIN committee, Int consulting board of the Croatian Journal of Psychotherapy, previously GASi scientific chair, editorial board of Group Analysis“This timely and scholarly volume offers a rigorous examination of Group analytic psychotherapy as it is practiced, researched, and reformulated across diverse European contexts. It addresses critical questions concerning cultural embeddedness, clinical adaptation, and the integration of evidence-based principles within contemporary mental health systems. By situating current developments in dialogue with the foundational contributions of S. H. Foulkes, the editors successfully bridge historical depth and conceptual innovation. An important and substantive contribution to the literature for mental health professionals and anyone interested in the healing potential of “we”.”Konstantinos Liolios, MD. Psychiatrist, Group Analyst, IAGP (International Association for Group Psychotherapy and Group Processes) Secretary“Generous contributions from colleagues across different countries offer a rich and varied picture of how group analytic psychotherapy is developing in Europe. They reveal how training and practice shape Foulkesian group analysis within diverse historical, cultural and institutional contexts. As group analysis continues to expand, this book provides valuable guidance for training programs, trainers, trainees, and clinicians. It brings together unique experiences, challenges and modern applications, while highlighting research as a “challenge that touches professional identity, training, and values”.”Egle Pauziene, Clinical Psychologist, Psychotherapist, Group Analyst, Chair of EGATIN

• 1. Introduction: Examining the Contemporary Context of Group Analytic Psychotherapy: Factors Impacting Practice and Patient CareAnna Zajenkowska and Hanne-Sofie Johnsen Dahl2. Ukraine - Group analysis in Ukraine: Development and Practice in a Time of WarTaras Levin and Iryna Frankova3. UK - Why Are Group Analytic Psychotherapies Not More Prominent in Britain? A DiscussionSusanne Vesmer4. Slovakia - Becoming a Group: The Slovak Path Toward Group AnalysisDaniela Březnová5. Sweden - Group Analytic Psychotherapy in SwedenPia Litzell Berg, Paul Benér and Christer Sandahl6. Russia - Group-analytic Psychotherapy in Russia: Assessment of the Current Situation and Prospects for DevelopmentDarina Ilyanina, Nadezhda Valeryevna, Mitryashkina, Andrey Anatolyevich Sklizkov, Galina Stepanova, Maria Valeryevna Tvorogova, Anna Igorevna Tsapenko and Zoya Aleksandrovna Shargalina7. Poland - Group Analytic Psychotherapy in Poland: Between Tradition, Cultural Tensions and Contemporary ResearchAgnieszka Chrzczonowicz-Stępień, Katarzyna Czajkowska-Łukasiewicz, Rafał Styła, Tomasz Wyrzykowski and Anna Zajenkowska8. Portugal - The Portuguese School of Groupanalysis: History, Development and Current ChallengesMargarida França and Isaura Manso Neto9. Norway - Group Analytic Psychotherapy in Norway: Cultural Adaptation, Clinical Innovation and Practice, Research and National IntegrationThor Kristian Island, Ingalill Pagliettini Johnsen and Hanne-Sofie Johnsen Dahl10. Lithuania - Group Analysis in Lithuania: Historical Roots and Contemporary PracticeIlona Laurinaitytė, Eugenijus Laurinaitis and Rūta Klimašauskienė11. Greece - The State of Group Analysis in Greece TodayApostolis Angelopoulos, Eirini Ioannovich and Margarita Kritikou12. Germany - Group psychotherapy in Germany: An overview that includes historical and cultural aspectsKarina Nahr and Ulrich Schultz-Venrath13. France - French perspectives: Psychoanalysis extended to groups, families and institutionsÉdith Lecourt, Almudena Sanahuja, Lila Mitsopoulou-Sonta, Aurélie Maurin Souvignet and Clarisse Vollon14. Former Yugoslavia - What Happened to Group Analysis in the Successor States of the Former Yugoslavia After Its DissolutionTanja Frančišković, Esmina Avdibegović, Dolores Britvić, Elvir Bećirović, Maja Brkić, Tija Despotović, Ivanka Dunjić, Milijana Niskanović, Vladislava Stamos and Ljiljana Moro15. Finland - Group Analysis in FinlandTaru Kaivola16. Social Applications of Group Analysis – Reflective Citizens MethodMarina Mojović17. Modern Group AnalysisSigmund Karterud18. Integrative Approach to Research in Group Analytic Psychotherapy: A Narrative SurveySteinar Lorentzen