Group Dynamics in Therapy and Supervision: Reaching the Unconscious

About the Editor(s)

Pertti Muurinen is a psychologist, psychoanalytic individual psychotherapist (advanced special level), group psychoanalyst and training group psychoanalyst, psychotherapist trainer in individual psychotherapy, and supervisor. He has the highest grade both in psychology and also in social psychology (group work line). He has been working as a private practitioner since 2000. Previously, he was working mainly in psychiatric hospitals and psychiatric outpatient clinics. He has been the chair of the Finnish Group Psychotherapy Association since 2017 and is the chair of its trainer training committee. He held the leadership role in two one-year-long training programmes, “Challenges of immediate management in the work group” organised by the Finnish Group Psychotherapy Association. He has been director for group therapist trainer training organised by the Association in cooperation with the University of Helsinki. He has worked as a trainer in many psychotherapist programmes organised by Therapeia Foundation. He has written about projective identification, transference and developmental illusion in psychotherapy, countertransference, leadership, geriatric psychiatry, and book reviews for works by Salman Akhtar and Vamık Volkan.

Kaj J. Davidkin, MA (psychologist), is a training psychoanalyst in individual and group psychoanalysis and psychotherapy. He received his training at Therapeia Foundation’s training institute and the Finnish Group Psychotherapy Association. He has a private practice in Helsinki, where he has worked as an individual and group psychoanalyst for thirty-five years. Davidkin has also worked as a training supervisor in psychotherapist, psychoanalyst, group psychotherapist, and group psychoanalyst training programmes. He has been director of a five-year psychoanalyst training programme organised by Therapeia Foundation’s training institute in cooperation with the University of Helsinki. He has acted as a responsible trainer in the first four-year psychoanalytic couple psychotherapist training programme organised by Therapeia Foundation’s training institute in cooperation with the Helsinki Psychotherapy Association. Davidkin has served as chairman of the Therapeia Association and vice chairman of the Therapeia Foundation’s executive team. Currently, he is the responsible trainer in the four-year psychoanalyst-psychotherapist training organised by Therapeia Foundation in cooperation with the University of Helsinki. He is also the vice chair of the board of the Finnish Group Psychotherapy Association. He has published several articles on psychoanalysis, psychotherapy, and group dynamics. Davidkin is also a guest member of the British Psychoanalytical Society. He has written a chapter on psychoanalytic interpretation in the book, Alive Moments in Psychoanalysis and the Art of Interpretation, which was published by Therapeia Foundation in February 2025. He has also been organising several psychoanalytic and group psychoanalytic domestic and foreign seminars and webinars. He has presented several papers at conferences in Lithuania, Italy, and Israel.

Sinikka Vaara originally trained and worked as a nurse before studying art therapy at IATE, London, and visual arts at the Surrey Institute of Art & Design, University College, Farnham, which laid the foundation for her ongoing interest in art, creativity, phantasy, symbolisation, dreams, and the relationship between the unconscious and mental health, and interpersonal relationships. She continued studying fine art and art therapy at the University of Art and Design Helsinki, Finland, and completed training in psychoanalytic art therapy and became a licensed psychotherapist. She has maintained a private psychotherapy practice in Helsinki since 2007. Her long-term clinical supervision with experienced Finnish psychoanalysts and group analysts led her to delve deeper into group psychoanalysis. She is currently finalising advanced studies in group analysis. She also holds a BA degree in performing arts. Her background in both visual and performing arts is driven by an interdisciplinary interest in the human mind, unconscious processes, imagination, creativity, and the role of expressions and interactions in therapeutic and artistic group contexts.