ABSTRACT
‘Thinking group’ means focusing on the group as a whole—considering everything that happens in terms of the group context (also the wider context in which it is embedded—social, economic, political, organisational) because this is where meaning is manifest. By ‘thinking group’ rather than ‘thinking individuals’, the group worker positions him/herself to see and enhance these elements for the well-being of the whole. This capacity to ‘think group’ is of central importance across the range of different kinds of groups—psychotherapy, psychoeducational, mutual aid, social action. In ‘thinking group’, the group worker will be attuned to the emergence of warm, friendly, open, mistrustful and aggressive behaviours amongst participants. Other ‘evidence’ for group worker starting out from a ‘thinking group’ frame is found in the physical arrangements most often provided for the group meetings. While the theoretical knowledge underpins the group worker’s viewpoint, in ‘thinking group’ they are also on the alert to identify the images contained in the interactions of group participants.
