Routledge The Portuguese School of Group Analysis: Towards a Unified and Integrated Approach to Theory Research and Clinical Work (The New International Library of Group Analysis)

At the time group analysis was emerging in the United Kingdom through the ideas of S. H. Foulkes, one of his followers, Eduardo Luís Cortesão, returned to Portugal and founded the Portuguese Society of Groupanalysis, with the first group-analytic Symposium taking place in Estoril, Portugal, in 1970. In this vital new book, an impressive collection of contributors demonstrate how group analysis in Portugal has always embraced the relational paradigm that has become central to contemporary psychoanalysis. The Portuguese school of groupanalysis, through several of its senior members, has contributed to many of the organizations responsible for the development of group analysis, such as EGATIN, IAGP and GASi. Nevertheless some of the concepts and variations of the Portuguese school of groupanalysis tend to be unknown to the English speaker. Their focus is on the "pattern", allowing transformation of each patient’s personal matrix, working through primitive relational failures and paving the way to new beginnings, always in a transgenerational group context. This book will be of tremendous importance to psychotherapists working in group analysis around the world. Review "The book examines the trajectory of the group-analysis from its original context to its contemporary evolution, making a special contribution to identify the psychoanalytic concepts that are relevant and necessary for the group-analytical practice. A highly recommended book for all those interested in the theoretical, technical and applied aspects of current group psychotherapy." Alejandro Avila Espada, PhD, Complutense University, Madrid, Spain "The book enabled me to understand the basic principles of the Portuguese Group Analysis Institute and of their effort to keep Group Analysis close to the paradigm of psychoanalysis. All in all, the book has solid theoretical and clinical bases, presented in clear writing." Angela Sordano, psychologist and psychotherapist, past president of a Psychodrama Italian Association (Apragipsicodramma) "For all those, with an interest in our field, this book provides a welcome and much-needed account, in English, of the ‘Portuguese model’. In articulating this distinctive approach, against the broader historical background of Group Analysis, the authors remind us of its vital international character." David Glyn, president, Group Analytic Society International "In a remarkable way, the book "The Portuguese School of Group Analysis" introduces the reader in the several contexts that were critical for the birth of the group approaches to the field of psychotherapies. In that sequence, the pioneer work of the founding father of groupanalysis in Portugal, Eduardo Cortesão, is highlighted specially in what respects to its original contributions. The authors produced a very interesting reflection about transference neurosis in the context of groupanalysis. Also the exploration of concepts like grupanalytic matrix and personal group matrix is done in a deep and useful way The authors offer us a reflection about topics like training, supervision, and unexpectedly the group analyst as a patient. After reading this important piece of literature on everything that respects to psychological clinical relationships and clinical reflections, there is just one thing that I would like to say to the authors: Thank you very much for being so useful for all of us." João Justo, Professor of Clinical Psychology at the Faculdade de Psicologia da Universidade de Lisboa "This most interesting book puts forward an in-depth discussion of the very nature of our discipline, what is and what is not group analysis, its concepts, research, techniques, practice, and training, and its relation with psychoanalysis. I therefore strongly recommend the reading of this veritable textbook, which has much to teach us and shall surely favour the development of controversial discussions within the analytic community on some very basic i