View/Open - Scholarly Commons Home

Appendix Two – The Methodology in Action - Page A2-9
expressed by a significant number of people present, with there being some conflict
about the purpose of the meeting. It is as if there is a bid to make this a large group, and
a resistance to that bid (expressed overtly at one point). It is unclear, however, if the
objector actually wanted the process that had been offered (almost without response) by
the convenors and their associate, that of breaking into small groups to discuss topics
provided by the convenors, which were related to clinical supervision.
Dual relationships 3 are rife in this setting, and very likely add to the anxiety noted
above, in particular since meetings like this are relatively infrequent. This may be one
reason the wider group seems to have had difficulty keeping in mind the meaning and
purpose of such a meeting.
The meeting has echoes of an invasion. These may be variously intended, experienced,
or fantasized. Interestingly, these experiences take place with considerable symmetry
between the parties, so senior members feel as if junior members have come in their
absence and taken over their branch, and junior members experience the feeling of
having their branch taken over by some people that variously they either don’t know,
would rather not know, or know only too well.
The meeting has the air of a fight, which could be portrayed as the mass against the
convenors, in as much as the convenors have put forward a proposal (via another
colleague who has offered facilitation) to break into small groups, and the meeting
seems determined not to engage in the proposal.
3 Dual relationships refers to a situation where parties to an interaction have simultaneously more than
one relationship to each other. Often, it is used to refer to the impossibility of being a therapist or indeed
any clinician to someone who is also a friend or relationship partner. In this case, some people at the
meeting are both colleagues to one another but also therapist and patient, or supervisor and supervisee.
There are numerous other possibilities, for example, both the supervisor and therapist of a particular
member may be present and relate as colleagues, possibly even unaware of their mutual involvement with
their shared supervisee/patient.