The Contribution of the Greek Model
of Supervision in Psychological
Assessment
Panayota Theodorou Christina Mastrandrea,
Hara Haritaki, Evdokia Lagakou, Ioannis K.
Tsegos
11th European Conference in
Psychological Assessment at Riga, Latvia
Thursday,
01/09/2011
Contents
The Open Psychotherapy Center
The Greek Model of Supervision
Application of the Greek Model in Psychological
Assessment: a Case Study analysis
The Open Psychotherapy
Center
The Open Psychotherapy
Center
Therapy
Department
• Adults’ Therapy
Unit
• Child and Family
Therapy Unit
Training and
Research
Department
Publications/
Administrative
Department
• Seminars and
Training Activities
Unit (Athens and
provinces)
• Institutes and PostGraduate studies
• Group Analysis
• Diagnostic
Psychology
• PsychodramaSocio-therapy
• Family Therapy
• Research Activities
• Set of books
“Contemporary
Psychotherapy”
• Articles (in journals,
books)
• Newsletters
• Organizing open
lectures and
conferences
Therapy Department
Individual Psychotherapy
Holistic Assessment
(psychiatric,
psychological,
family,
pharmacotherapy)
Psychotherapeutic
Community
Family Therapy
• Daily Community
• Fortnight Community
• Summer Community
• Group-Analytic couples
• Psychodrama for children and
adolescents
• Parents’ Groups
• Group of individuals with mental
retardation
The Group-Analytic Supervision
and the Greek Model
The “Greek Model of Supervision”
The «Greek Model of Supervision», an innovative variation of the groupanalytic supervision, was introduced by I.K.Tsegos and is applied since
1983 at the four (4) institutes and post- graduates studies at the Open
Psychotherapy Center.
Characteristics of the “Greek Model”
The supervisory group express their feelings and their phantasies
instead of their comments.
The role of the supervisory group is dual: therapeutic and tutorial.
Contributes to the development, maturation and differentiation of the
trainee by reinforces the self-esteem, the creativity and the strength
of the Ego of the trainee (Tsegos, 1993a).
“Supervision is a therapeutic art which is characterized by a personto-person, mutual communication and has a clear and structured
process through which portraits with accuracy the role and the
contribution of the psychotherapist as well as the whole
psychotherapeutic procedure” (Tsegos, 1993b).
The Supervisory Process
Application of the Greek
Model of Supervision:
Case Studies’ Analysis
The survey: case studies’ analysis
Purpose
to investigate the degree in which the supervisory group can
function as a diagnostic instrument.
Method
The supervision protocols of 4 Psychological Assessments
(two adults and two adolescents).
Comparison between the reactions of the supervisory group as those were expressed through the emotions and the
phantasies- and the results from the quantitative and
qualitative analysis of the tests’ protocols (Rotter,
Rorschach,Thematic Apperception Test - T.A.T.).
The Case Study of a 17 year-old
girl
Background Information
A 17 -year -old girl, High
School student
Family Background
High achievements at school Various extra curriculum
activities mainly artistic
(painting, music, singing)
Parents Divorced; Lives with her mother and her
younger sister
Father: High position at a University and independent
business consultant; married again and has a child
from his 2nd marriage
o good man but firm and rigid, distant and rather
ego-centric (more focus on career rather than
family matters)
Difficulty in peer relationships
Symptomatology of
depression, suicide thoughts,
self- destructive attitude,
frequent sexual relationships
and abuse of cannabis
Mother: Higher Education- Professional
o dynamic, sensitive, strongly opinionated,
determined and worrying too much about her
children and their well- being
Younger sister: 2 years younger- good sibling
relations
Comparing Emotions
Comparing Emotions
Tests
Supervisory Group
Depressive and dysphoric
Depressive Feelings (grief,
Feelings (disappointment,
sorrow, grief, desperation,
withdrawal and boredom,
sorrow, desperation,
disappointment, tiredness,
boredom, feeling pressure,
fatigue)
loneliness, tiredness, feeling
pressure, stifling)
Feelings of Fear (fear of attack,
Feelings of Fear (agony,
anxiety)
threat, feeling guilty, being in
doubt, turmoil)
Aggressive Feelings (hate, envy)
Comments about the emotions
In both situations the focus is on feelings of discomfort
(“negative”) rather than on positive feelings. More specifically:
o Emotions of guilt, stress, agony, pressure, fear and doubt
o Emotions of depression such as sorrow, grief, frustration,
fatigue, pain
The results from the tests reflects feelings of aggression such
as envy and hate, which were not expressed by the
supervisory group
The results from the group reflects strong feelings of
depression, desperation and disappointment in a more clear
way than the tests
Comparing Phantasies
Using the Rorschach factors to
code phantasies: Similarities
Quantitative
Analysis
Qualitative
Analysis
Sufficient expression and
utilization of the inner potential
(M)
Rorschach
Phantasies
M=4
M=7
S(Y)=3,5
S(Y)=3
MOR=2
MOR=3
H%=29%
H%=60%
Strong interest for others (H)
Hx=3
Hx=3
Anx%=33%
Anx%=20%
Satisfactory ability to build close
relationships and empathy (Hx)
Strong feelings of depression
(SY and MOR)
High stress and feelings of
anxiousness (Anx)
Using the Rorschach factors to
code phantasies: Differences
Quantitative
Analysis
Rorschach
Phantasies
M=4
M=7
FM=10
FM=1
m=0
m=2
M:FM+m=4:10 M:FM+m=7:3
S(C)=5,5
Qualitative
Analysis
The higher number of M responses in the
supervisory group, may reflect a strong need for
inner organization and structure due to high anxiety.
Although the data from the supervisory group seem
to reflect an ability of inner control of impulses, better
structure and tolerance to disappointment/frustration
(FM=1), the Rorschach responses indicate a strong
need for immediate satisfaction of the primitive
needs/desires (FM=10).
The supervisory group identified the threat of the
disorganization of the Ego and the feelings of anxiety
and tension (m) but without feeling of diluteness, in
contrast with the Rorschach responses.
The supervisory group seem to identify efficient
control over impulses and emotional needs in
contrast with the Rorschach responses which reflect
impulsiveness (SC and FM).
S(C )=2,5
M:S(C )=4:5,5 M: S (C )=7: 2,5
Using the Rorschach factors to
code phantasies: Differences
Quantitative
Analysis
Rorschach
Phantasies
m=0
m=2
Hd=4
Hd=2
A%=63%
A%=20%
Qualitative
Analysis
The supervisory group indicates that the
feelings of anxiety are expressed through inner
tension (m) rather than in the relationships with
others(Hd) as in the Rorschach responses.
The high number of Hd in the Rorschach seem
to reflect difficulties in building mature
relationships and having autonomy, needs for
dependence and emotionally immatureness.
The supervisory group did not indicate high
number of A, while in the Rorschach responses
the high number of A reflects compliance with
rules and social acceptable ways,
submissiveness, resistance as well as
dependency needs.
Indicative Phantasies
Rorschach Answers
Supervisory Group
“ A monster with black wings and two
hands that are trying to grasp you
and eat you. Really scary “
“An old, empty cage of a bird”:
the cage is made of steel,
reckon, rusty and its door is
closed. I see it from a distance
hanging over a veranta”
“ A woman’s face and blood. It has
the mouth open and it screams and
blood is coming from the chin and
the eyes are closed and are
bleeding”
“Two waiters serving someone”
“The red in the middle is a butterfly”
These hanging on the side are like
embryon of a human being or ape
hanging from the umbilical cord”
“A whirlpool which sucks a man
who screams in mute: the water
is dark”
A maze in which a young girl is
running and trying to go out:
The maze is a black wall like
those in the crossword puzzles
“A dress in a dummy, without a
head in an isolated room”
Comments about the phantasies
The supervisory group:
expressed the “negative feelings” (depression and
anxiousness) in a more clear way
recognized the stress and tension but without the fear of
breaking into pieces.
indicated that the Ego is vulnerable, but it did not reflect
the inner conflict, the impulsiveness and the
compliance the girl expressed through the Rorschach
responses.
highlighted the healthy elements of the personality (m
low=inner potential and M high) because of the ability of
the group to control the anxiety and the impulses.
Comparing the Themes
Comparison of the Themes
Tests
Difficulty in relationship with others
(parents, peers, opposite sex)
Underlying needs for approval and
dependency
Strong feelings of loneliness (mainly in the
T.A.T)
Supervisory Group
Relationship with others
(parents, peers, opposite
sex) (3)
Stories of
abandonment/desertion
Loneliness
Fear of abandonment, feelings of
desperation and anxiety
Themes of despair (2)
Strong impulsive, and aggressive behavior
Fear and concern for the
future (2)
Issues of Ego identity
Concern for the future
Difficulty in concentration, feeling of
pressure
Emotionally distant
Stories about death (2)
Lack of concentration
Low responsibility and low
aspiration and achievement
goals
Comments about the Themes
The themes that the supervisory group have indicated are similar to
the themes derived from the qualitative analysis of the tests.
However, the supervisory group focus more on :
Issues about relationships with parents, peers and the opposite
sex
Loneliness
Needs for support and dependency, fear for abandonment
and aggressive impulsiveness
Need for achievement and fear of failure
Overall Findings of the case study
High agreement between the reflections of the supervisory group and
the qualitative and quantitative analysis of the tests
Dominance of unpleasant feelings- and lack of positive ones- in
both situations which have mainly an isolated and depressive content
(i.e. Feelings of depression, dependency needs and fear of
abandonment)
Common Themes/Topics in both situations: mainly familial,
interpersonal and sexual relationships and themes of self - identity and
differentiation.
The Supervisory group gives rich data about the difficulty of
differentiation, the feeling of loneliness and the inner void through
vivid and descriptive phantasies.
Overall Conclusion
The supervisory group:
casts light in the emotional and social state of the patient/client in a
more descriptive, rich and vivid way
brings to surface issues that are sometimes underestimated or
hidden in the tests
confirms symptomatology and also gives rich data about the ego
strength, contact with reality and personality traits and structure.
The trainee/psychologist learns:
to organize, understand and record an integrated picture of the
patient/client.
to verbalise without fear and censorship by realizing his/her own
feelings, phantasies and abstract thoughts (integrated mental
procedure).
Thank you for listening!
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