Functional Families: Functional Teams

Abstract

This article highlights the negative effects on professionals who regularly work with very abusive families and seeks to identify what protective factors in the work team and its management mitigate these effects. I compare the behavioural consequences of living in a dysfunctional family with the consequences of working in a dysfunctional team. My hope is to identify practical, realistic things that can be done, especially by team managers, to protect staff from the all too familiar emotional costs of such work.

Transitions to Systemic Practice for a Clinical Psychology Trainee

“…As I sought to provide a safe haven for clients facing threats to their own emotional and physical safety, the importance of the therapeutic environment was thrown into sharp relief. This seems particularly important in large teams and therapeutic environments, which are not immune to the dysfunctional systemic patterns that develop in families and broader systems (Boland, ). I note my hesitation in writing this down publicly, as if it is taboo, despite a long history of mental health professionals of all disciplines researching and writing on the dangers of controlling and/or punitive behaviours from professional caregivers (e.g.…”

“…I note my hesitation in writing this down publicly, as if it is taboo, despite a long history of mental health professionals of all disciplines researching and writing on the dangers of controlling and/or punitive behaviours from professional caregivers (e.g. Boland, ; Falender & Shafranske, ; Main, ). Here I would like to highlight some of the most valuable actions from colleagues, managers and supervisors which helped me carve out a safe place for myself and for my therapeutic work.…”

Unconscious sequences in child protection work: case studies of professionals' experiences of child removal

“…39, 131); social anxiety about the protection of children (Furlong, 1996, pp. 180-183;Munro, 1999b;Collings & Davis, 2008); and existing team dynamics and the quality of existing supervisory relationships within a team (Kadushin, 1976;Morrison, 2005;Boland, 2006;Busse, 2009). My discussion will link briefly to only some of these important conditions and only as the conditions relate to my chosen topic and case studies.…”