Boundaries and Containment in Clinical Training and Supervision

Like a bowl cracked but repaired with care, psychologists and psychotherapists understand that containment (whether in training, clinical work, or supervision) is not about perfection. It is about holding complexity, offering resilience, and creating space for growth amid systemic strain.

In a clinical landscape characterised by resource scarcity, institutional pressures, and shifting demands, the roles of supervisors, trainers, and team leaders have become increasingly complex. This workshop explores how boundaries function not only within therapeutic encounters but also within the structures that shape training, supervision, and staff support.

We will consider how containment is offered or withheld in work environments, how ethical boundaries are negotiated under pressure, and how leaders can hold space for development without being overwhelmed by systemic dysfunction.

Whether you are guiding trainees through emotionally demanding caseloads, managing team dynamics, or navigating the blurred lines between care and compliance, this workshop offers a reflective space to ask:

• What does it mean to offer containment when the system itself feels uncontained?
• How do we maintain relational integrity in supervision amid burnout and bureaucratic overload?
• What boundaries protect not only our clients, but also clinicians, trainees, and teams?

Drawing on group analytic principles, clinical vignettes, and shared dialogue, we will explore how boundaries can foster resilience, clarity, and ethical leadership in the face of growing complexity.

Who Should Attend

Open to clinical and counselling psychologists, psychotherapists, and professionals involved in supervision, training, or service delivery within mental health settings.

Tickets

Fee: £80 Includes a resource pack with slides, a curated reading list, and reflective prompts. CPD certificates available upon request.

Join Dr Libby Nugent

This reflective and interactive session combines theory, clinical vignettes, and group dialogue. Together, we will explore how boundaries help sustain care, foster trust, and support ethical leadership in the complex realities of training and team support.

Suggested Reading

Peleg, Ido (2019) – Some Additional Thoughts on Hope, Boundaries and Containment. Published by the Group Analytic Society International, this paper explores how permeability and firmness in group boundaries evoke emotional processes, trauma, and transformation. Especially in institutional settings. Read via the Group Analytic Society

Hecht, J.B. (2011) - Becoming Who We Are in Groups: One Jungian’s Approach to Group Psychotherapy. Offers six Jungian contributions to group therapy, including archetypes, individuation, and the ego-Self axis. Includes clinical vignettes and reflections on containment and transference.Available on APA PsycNet

Schlapobersky, John R. (2016) – From the Couch to the Circle: Group-Analytic Psychotherapy in Practice. While this is a book review, the article summarizes key group analytic concepts, including containment, transference, and the group matrix. Published in The British Journal of Psychiatry