Closing date for 2026 Programme is Friday 21st November 2025

INTRODUCTORY PROGRAMME – COURSE CONTENT 2026

Experiential group: 

Participants will join an experiential group for the duration of the programme. This experiential group will meet on a weekly basis for 1.5 hours during school terms.  An in-person group will be conducted by Dr Monica Spiro on Wednesday mornings from 8h45 to 10h15. The online group will be conducted by Dr Hayley Berman on Monday evenings from 17h00 to 18h30.

Seminars/Webinars: 

There will be a series of theoretical seminars/webinars held online facilitated by Prof Pat Mayers. The group will meet once a month for a seminar on a Thursday evening from 17h30 – 19h00 (typically the second Thursday of the month, unless this falls on a public, religious, or school holiday). Graded readings will be provided electronically for each webinar and these readings will form the preparation. This webinar/seminar component of the programme aims to create a safe learning space where ideas can be freely and creatively explored, debated, and integrated. 

Overview of the course content covered by the webinars:

• • • Introduction and overview of group analytic principles and processes

• • • • • To introduce participants to the purpose of groups, overall structure and processes of groups and group analysis.
        • To promote engagement with and understanding of the principles and practice of group work with a focus on the group analytic approach.

• • • Core group analytic concepts and their application

• • • • • To introduce participants to the characteristics of group analysis and how the processes in analytic groups differ from other group therapeutic approaches.
        • Specific group analytic concepts will be explored: attachment theory and the concept of the matrix.

• • • From small groups to the social unconscious/ Median and Large Groups

• • • • • To explore the concept of the matrix and social unconscious in group analysis.
        • To explore the processes in the median and large groups.
    • Role and task of the conductor /termination processes

• • • • • To explore the tools and techniques which the group conductor may use in the conducting of a group.
        • To explore the termination process, how group members may respond to termination and the role of the conductor.

Additional special interest lectures form part of each Quarterly Meeting.

The programme will be concluded with a 3-hour workshop that will provide an opportunity to reflect on the lived experience in the experiential group and the knowledge gained from the theoretical webinars and lectures.  The aim of this workshop will be to offer some synthesis to these two components of the programme.

Quarterly Meetings:

During the course, a special interest lecture will be offered once a term on a Saturday morning. These special interest lectures will be presented by various individuals, and lectures will cover a broad range of topics, often attempting to integrate group analytic theory with the South African context.

The Quarterly Meetings will start with a Median Group from 09h00 – 10h30 and will be followed by the webinar from 11h00 – 12h30. The Median Group is an important learning experience on all the courses as different dynamics (the “social” context) get activated when groups have larger numbers.

Ethics Workshop:

An annual ethics workshop is held on a Saturday morning, usually in the third term, from 09h00 – 12h30 at no additional cost.

COST: The course will cost R18 000.00 for the year, or R4 500.00 per term. Participants can choose to pay annually in advance, receiving a R1000.00 discount or can pay quarterly. Fees include weekly experiential groups, monthly seminars, quarterly median groups and lectures and a once-off workshop.

Participants will either receive an account annually or quarterly, as elected. Annual accounts will be issued at the start of term in January and payment will be due at the end of January. Quarterly accounts will be issued at the beginning of each term, and payment will be due within the first 2 weeks of term, unless a prior arrangement has been made. Payment can be made by cash or EFT. Medical aid statements will be provided at the end of each term as the full costs of the experiential therapy groups can be claimed from medical aid for those based in South Africa. R 260.00 a group (approximately R 10 400.00 in the first year) can be claimed.

A non-refundable registration fee of R700.00 is requested on application. Once participants accept a place on the programme, they will be committing to the training and to the full cost of the programme for the year.