Intervision group, towards articulating what is possible

• To improve the competence of the professionals, to contextualise the project and, consequently, to improve the effectiveness of the process.

• To identify "facts" in a specific and clear way, so that professionals with different orientations can work together to build a common understanding of how the project works, based on a solid foundation. This understanding can then be complemented by considerations and hypotheses formulated on the basis of their individual experience and training.

• This makes it easier to identify the most appropriate interventions, as well as errors or shortcomings in project coordination.

In this process, the team is supported by a coordinator who identifies appropriate tools and trains the team in their use.

The primary aim is to encourage open dialogue and facilitate discussions that explore potential new perspectives. The creation of the intervision group is motivated by the desire to create a supportive network of professionals, fostering a renewed sense of belonging and advocating ecolaboration*.

What emerges is the recognition of a culture that values immediacy. In this context, professionals who work in isolation, without moments of meta-reflection on their practice, run the risk of compromising their approach and succumbing to the prevailing "marketing" trends of the digital landscape. There is a clear danger of falling into trivialisation or conforming to the demand for quick and easy solutions.

According to Kaës (2008), the group, as a shared psychic space, enables the emergence of metapsychic formations that influence the psychic life of its individual members. From this perspective, the intervision group establishes itself as an essential space for sharing insights into the dynamics of the respective work contexts. It offers support to individual professionals in the process of "taking care" of their projects and contexts. Furthermore, the overarching, long-term aim of the group is to identify emerging needs and develop appropriate responses over time, moving from contemplation to transformative creative action.

During the initial meetings, professionals are encouraged to engage in discussions about their professional backgrounds, working environments and practices, fostering a deeper understanding of each other. Through this exchange, valuable information is gathered and potential areas of collaboration are envisioned.

To facilitate ongoing networking and knowledge sharing, credentials and details of group members are systematically collected in a shared database. The group functions as a processing space, with regular monthly meetings structured according to the professional needs of the participants. Intervision is used as a technique to facilitate mutual acquaintance and group formation, addressing both project-specific cases and institutional issues.

Meetings are held online, with quarterly face-to-face meetings planned to encourage socialisation and the exchange of experiences, reminiscent of the historical practices of the pioneers of 'grupalismo'.

The structural approach of the working method includes

1. Drafting a summary report of the work carried out.

2. Establishing the history of the group and the continuity of shared cases through the minutes of the group meetings.

Pichon Rivier emphasises the importance of the group facing the epistemological obstacle in order to define its task precisely. This obstacle is described as "that which stands between the subject and the object of knowledge and acts as a massive defence system in the subject, whether individual or group" (Pichon Rivier, 1971).

The work of the group enables practitioners to apply the reflections that emerge to their own work, opening up new perspectives. Reflecting on the history of each context means considering past difficulties in relation to membership, acknowledging the oscillation between fatigue and aspiration - an ambivalence also reflected in the creation of the intervision group. 

The arrival of a new colleague becomes a pivotal factor, prompting a reconsideration of individual goals and highlighting the synergy between intervision and project design. This integration is exemplified, by a colleague's presentation of the 2023 Ecosocial Workshop Cycle - an educational community activation project aimed at introducing an eco-systemic culture into its institutional context.

The review of the emerging projects raises the question of how to translate requests without losing sight of one's own "culture" and how to reactivate thinking where it has been "interrupted". The participants in the group are not only seeking professional recognition, but also a common language that is legitimised in contexts that are perceived as distant and foreign. This aim reflects the group's need to deepen relationships, to promote understanding and to form a network.

Internally, the intervision group's first step is to recognise itself in specific threads and practices - a necessary condition for any task. Members have different languages and ways of thinking, which requires careful attention to coexistence with differences. The process of building mutual trust is evolutionary and requires constant attention and care.