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Chapter Seven – A Discussion – Page 215
Nancy expresses empathy for colleagues in these situations. Paula shares her struggle
with the issues, including her identification with patients. Bill and Tom talk about the
various difficulties of making use of countertransference. Somehow the group gets into
the issue of what patients know of what we know about them, Judi suggesting that they
know that you know about them. Clinical concerns about patients reading notes as well
as task issues in how to deal with situations where this is an issue are then discussed by
the group. 13
This part of the session concludes in a way that seems to suggest to the researcher that
members of the group are skilled, and can apply this skill in work with real cases.
The Break involves the staff discussing wider issues connected with the course
(including staff performance), in which they are involved as agency managers. A
consequence of this focus is that Judi and Bill become relatively neglectful of their more
immediate responsibility in other words, this learning group.
Changing voice briefly, as with incidents such as this elsewhere in the semester, I
wonder if this lapse represents (perhaps at an unconscious level) a welcome diversion
from a more difficult task that may actually feel impossible.
ANALYSIS
More general points
The start to the session seems challenging, with apparently strong feelings present. For
example, there is a reported impact of the previous week (Session Thirteen), when Kelly
had presented her work with a young boy whose future care arrangements were in some
13 This sequence too is explored below, as Example 7.2 on Page 221.