Quarterly Meeting for Members And Colleagues (QMMAC)
Friday 4th December 2026, 9.30am - 4.00pm
Quaker Meeting House, Victoria Terrace, Edinburgh
Cynthia Rogers worked as a Training Analyst, supervisor and teacher in Manchester and London. She was fortunate to be a member of the Group Analytic Practice, alongside many of the pioneers who had established Group Analysis. Known for her engaging and insightful style, Cynthia, has been a sought after, lecturer for 40 years. She brings a deep understanding of the group-analytic model, applied not only to groups but also to individual therapy, couples, supervision, reflective practice and organisational consultancy. Her seminal paper on projective processes remains a foundational text in the field and continues to influence therapeutic practice.
Cynthia’s early research into the personal challenges therapists face in their work, was published by Wiley as ‘Psychotherapy and Counselling, a Professional Business’ 2004. Her later research, stimulated by the need for psychotherapy institutes to innovate, addressed ‘Where is group analysis now and why is it the way it is?
Psychological defences can help clients survive overwhelming experiences. However, when they dominate, they can hinder therapeutic progress. Clients who engage in splitting and projection often leave therapists holding intense emotions - hopelessness, despair, or rage -that can evoke feelings of inadequacy or paralysis in the therapeutic work.
This workshop will explore how therapists can recognise and respond to these projections without becoming entangled in them, whilst remaining open to the underlying communication they carry. Through theoretical insights, clinical examples, and shared discussion, we will consider practical ways of working effectively with projective identification - what Bion describes as an attack on the capacity to make links, and thus on the therapeutic process itself. By approaching projective processes with curiosity and care, practitioners can deepen engagement in long-term work and facilitate meaningful shifts in short-term interventions.
QMMAC offers the exciting opportunity to meet colleagues and students from group analysis, psychoanalysis and related professional fields for shared experience of large group work and presentations relevant to working in psychotherapy.
This quarterly meeting provides an enjoyable and supportive space for thinking, dialogue and learning. The regular meetings aim to reduce feelings of professional isolation, stimulate creative discussion and develop a sense of community among those involved in psychodynamic work. Through shared learning and dialogue, we grow stronger and more confident about our work and its place in the psychotherapeutic milieu. Suitable for past and present trainees in group analysis (at any level), group analysts, individual analysts and colleagues in other fields with an interest in groups.
Fee: £40 (£25 for Students)
If you have any issues with the online booking, please call 020 7431 2693 or email
Programme
09.30 Registration
10.00 Large group
11.30 Break
11.50 Presentation
13.15 Notices
13.30 Lunch
14.30 Large Group
16.00 End
Future Dates:
26th February 2027
QMMAC offers the exciting opportunity to meet colleagues and students from group analysis, psychoanalysis and related professional fields for shared experience of large group work and presentations relevant to working in psychotherapy. This quarterly meeting provides an enjoyable and supportive space for thinking, dialogue and learning. The regular meetings aim to reduce feelings of professional isolation, stimulate creative discussion and develop a sense of community among those involved in psychodynamic work. Through shared learning and dialogue, we grow stronger and more confident about our work and its place in the psychotherapeutic milieu. Suitable for past and present trainees in group analysis (at any level), group analysts, individual analysts and colleagues in other fields with an interest in groups.
IGA SCOTLAND
Part of the Institute of Group Analysis