ABSTRACT
In this chapter, the authors introduce functional subgrouping into our long-term psychodynamic psychotherapy groups. They explore a boundarying intervention before establishing the norm of functional subgrouping, again against what is recommended in Systems-Centered Therapy (SCT) practice. A subgroup is formed when a person finds inside something that resonates with what the person speaking has just said and builds on that with his experience. The SCT goal for beginning a group in this way with the distraction exercise is to set the boundary between “out-there-then” and “in-here-now” and to help people cross that turbulent boundary in order to have their energy fully available to work in the group. One aspect of the SCT model that had not been apparent or anticipated by the application of SCT techniques was the degree to which people struggled to cope with their everyday lives. The group was beginning to embrace the SCT concept of claiming one’s own authority.
