The History

In 1990, a workshop on Group Analysis was held in Abarbanel Hospital. The initiatorsof the idea were Dr. Henry Schorr, from Abarbanel Hospital, Dr. Alex Aviv, Bracha Hadar, Shimon Kornitzer, Irit Raveh, and Brenda Fougel from the London Institute of Group Analysis. The aim of the workshop was to ascertain whether enough people would be interested in order to enable the opening of an introductory program that would be run by the London IGA. The success of the workshop led to the opening of an introductory course that ran through 1991-1992. Brenda Fougel directed the course. The three additional conductors were Robin Cooper, Levana Marshall and Marlene Spiro. Vivian Cohen,of the London IGA, who immigrated to Israel at that time, fulfilled the role of supervisor for the conductors on the staff.

Following the success of the course and the great interest it aroused, in 1995 the first diploma course of the IGA was opened in Israel for the training of group analytic therapists. Brenda Fougel headed the professional staff from London. In addition to Brenda Fougel, Earl Hopper, Robin Cooper and Sheila Ernst served as conductors.

Participants in this course were senior professionals in Israel, in the field of group and individual therapy - psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers and art therapists - some of whom had participated in the introductory course. The course took place in the framework of weekend blocks, every other month.

After one year, various difficulties led to the discontinuation of the course, by the London IGA. This was a bitter blow both for the staff and for the participants. On his independent initiative, Robin Cooper decided to continue conducting a therapy group that included 10 participants from the original diploma course in order to enable the participants to work through the difficult experience of its discontinuation. More than one year later, a second therapy group was opened. Brian Boswood, also of the IGA, was its conductor.

Recognition of the importance of the Group Analytic approach motivated participants of the original diploma course to establish the Israeli Institute of Group Analysis, which would be independent of external institutions.

This initiative was the product of the work of participants in Robin Cooper's group, especially that of Avi Berman.

Under the auspices of the Israeli Institute of Group Analysis, the diploma course was reopened in December 2000. The participants took responsibility for all aspects of the course, but were aided in completion of their training, by external teachers. Three of these were from the staff of the IGA: Brian Boswood served as convenor (head of the staff.) The other conductors on the staff were Levana Marshall, Robin Cooper and also Veronica Muntz-Herzog, who came from Switzerland.

Several months later, an additional course was opened for senior professionals, with a similar structure of blocks of studies - every other month. Dr. Robi Friedman was active in setting up this course, and administered it on behalf of the committee. The staff of the second course includes senior group conductors from England, Switzerland and Austria: Tom Hamrogue (convenor of the course), Beatrice Hook, Gabrielle Rifkind and Felix Mendelsohn.

To our great sorrow and distress, Robin Cooper was killed in a climbing accident in the Alps, close to the end of training of the first graduates. This was and continues to be a source of pain, not only due to his contribution and special personality, but also because he was the one conductor who accompanied the course from its beginnings. His perseverance in coming to us in Israel contributed immensely to the reopening of the course and the establishment of the Israeli institute of Group Analysis.

Sheila Ernst, who supervised and conducted during the original IGA course, rose to the occasion and returned to give supervision and therapy in his stead, and completed the work he had been doing with us.

After 12 blocks of studies, the first course completed its curriculum, in November 2002. 30 professionals participated in this course. The second course will be completed in January 2005.

Graduates of both courses meet the criteria and requirements of EGATIN for the training of Group Analysts.

In October 2004, an introductory course in Group Analysis was opened with teachers and conductors who are all accredited holders of the Israeli Diploma of Group Analysis.