ABSTRACT
The use of the term ‘leader’ often sits uncomfortably with those who work in the human services. To some it seems to be a term suggestive of an authoritarian or coercive approach which disempowers group participants. The term leader should be reserved for those who act in the best interests of a group with the consent of that group. Leadership is a form of power, but power with people rather than over people.’ The forces that bring leaders and group members together in the first place are interesting to explore. From a psychoanalytic perspective, Bion asserted that group members come together in order to find a leader, someone who will meet their needs for dependency and security. As well as theoretical knowledge, group leaders derive knowledge from range of sources, including education, training, supervision and wide reading. However one source of particular value for knowing about leading a group is experience—especially that derived from being a participant in a group.
