Working online with groups and in groups: teamwork in preparation for adoption and in post-adoption

Abstract

This experience report explores the use of the “group work” approach in preparation for adoption and in the post-adoption phase based on a university extension project that promotes the meeting between two groups: on one side, the coordinators (composed of psychologists and students of psychology from a public institution) and, on the other, the adopters or prospective parents through adoption. Due to the pandemic, after a few years of conducting these groups in person, the decision was made to continue them online, which posed challenges both in terms of participant engagement and in establishing a new setting that would facilitate reflective exchange. According to some authors of group psychoanalysis, transference phenomena, particularly the concept of intertransference, provided a field of exploration that enabled coordinators to understand, rethink and outline intervention strategies in their own roles. This emphasized spaces for intervision and supervision, as well as adjustments to the framework to mitigate technological interference and ensure the participation and commitment of all involved in the activities conducted.