Group Analytic Therapy and the Online Groups: Some Principles of the Group Analytic Approach to Online Group Therapy

This chapter describes a decade of experiences in online group analytic therapy, which presents unique challenges due to the nature of group analysis. When conducting group analysis online, the limitations of the online format become apparent, such as the difficulty in capturing nonverbal cues and transpersonal communication. Despite the challenges of the online format, group therapists are able to establish resonance, mirroring, and exchange through verbal communication. The chapter explores the implications of relying on verbal communication in online group analytic therapy. The fundamental principles of group analysis, which suggest that the group’s relations, rather than the therapist’s interpretations, can alleviate suffering and that the group’s “matrix” unconsciously promotes growth, are still applicable in the online setting. Additionally, the chapter describes a year-long application of the Sandwich Model, which combines large and small group sessions, and its success in supporting and preventing trauma in a group of around 100 Ukrainian participants.