ABSTRACT
This chapter shows that problematic clients disturb our view of a stable, predictable world as professional helpers. Lasch has shown that the presenting problems of narcissism and borderline disorders are no longer mere expressions of individualised pathology, but symbolise a cultural condition in western society. The group had found a common language by uniting against the wicked external manager and by discovering a shared appreciation of the conductor as the odd man in — the desired self-object of the group. The matrix experience in the staff support group affirms each professional’s sense of self worth and the “patrix” experience deals with the necessity that someone in the team needs to hold it all together and embody the authority to co-ordinate the task, the people, and the organisational politics. The support group facilitator needs to help the group to engage to develop a degree of contextual intelligence and foster the capacity for reality testing.
