INDEX
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Many important issues and interesting thoughts on the
subject of leadership emerge from the preceding personal narrative.
Nevertheless, it seems clear to me that Containment — as we
understand the concept from a psychodynamic perspective — represents an
overarching theme. Anxiety is often writ large in organisations, especially
those within ‘the helping professions’ and even more especially within
therapeutic communities where, as an integral part of treatment, feelings
have permission to exist and be expressed. Uncontained, anxiety can do much
to undermine, divert and sometimes pervert the Primary Task. At the Mulberry
Bush it was a regular presence throughout my time as leader. It was never a
case of ridding ourselves of it as a phenomenon, however much we may have
wished this could be so at times. Instead it was a daily task to try to
recognise anxiety wherever it was gaining a foothold and once recognised it
could be thought about — particularly with regard to its source — and then
worked on until ultimately contained. In this way anxiety becomes material
for our work rather than something persecutory to be repelled or a
distraction to be ignored, in effect denied. |
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