Co leadership, systemic group psychotherapy and the relation that matters: Α diary study through the lens of Self Determination Theory

We aimed to investigate the relation between basic needs satisfaction of group leader dyads in systemic group psychotherapy and outcomes like innovativeness, meaning, impact and personal engagement. Based on self-determination theory (SDT), all individuals have three fundamental psychological needs (Deci & Ryan, 2000). SDT defines the need for competence as the desire to control the environment, the need for autonomy represents individuals’ demand to have a sense of ownership of their behavior and, the need for relatedness refers to the desire for developing an intimate relationship with others -feeling cared for by others. In this study fifteen senior trainees of  The Athenian Institute of Anthropos reported on a weekly basis in terms of their experience in the group process. 158 diaries were filled over a period of three months and results provided evidence on how needs satisfaction between trainee and supervisor predicted aforementioned outcomes. Theoretical contributions and practical implications are discussed.