From Bion To NASA: Group Dynamics & Group Psychotherapy
Live Webinar: 21st Feb 2026
About This Webinar
The study of group dynamics has its roots in the social and political unrest of the late 19th century, when early theorists such as Gustave Le Bon, Wilfred Trotter, and William McDougall began analysing crowd behaviour and its potential for chaos. Their work laid the foundation for a rich interdisciplinary field that now spans psychology, sociology, organisational studies, and psychotherapy.
During World War I, Wilfred Bion documented his military experiences, which later crystallised into his groundbreaking theory of group behaviour. Freud, influenced by Le Bon, extended psychoanalytic thinking into the realm of small-group processes. Across the Atlantic, Jacob L. Moreno pioneered psychodrama, while Kurt Lewin, widely regarded as the father of modern social psychology, initiated the scientific study of small groups. Subsequent contributors, including William Schutz, Carl Rogers, Bruce Tuckman, Irving Yalom, and S. H. Foulkes, each added significant conceptual frameworks for understanding group development, interpersonal dynamics, and therapeutic change.
When viewed through these diverse lenses—social psychology, sociology, and group psychodynamics—groups reveal a wide range of functions across everyday life: families, workplaces, social networks, sports teams, political movements, and therapeutic settings.
Today, the relevance of group dynamics continues to grow. Even NASA applies group theory when selecting and monitoring astronaut teams for extended missions in isolated environments. Understanding how groups function—and why they sometimes break down—remains a valuable skill for mental-health professionals, leaders, and anyone working in relational systems.
In this webinar, Dr Michael Williamson will position Bion’s foundational two-function model of the Work Group and Basic Assumption Group as an organising framework. Within this broader context, we will examine selected examples of group psychotherapy, including the Tavistock Group, the inpatient ward group, and a Conversational Model–oriented outpatient therapy group.
Live Webinar Series
Unlock the hidden forces shaping every group you work with
Explore how classic and contemporary theories illuminate group behaviour and therapeutic change.
Webinar Details
Venue: Online on Zoom. Includes access to video recording for 90 days
Dates: Saturday, 21st of February 2026
Time: 10.00 a.m. to 12.00 p.m. (Sydney/Melbourne Time)
Cost: A$79
CPD Certificate: 2 hours.
Live Webinar Series
Expand your clinical and organisational insights
Strengthen your ability to recognise, interpret, and intervene in complex group processes.
About Dr Michael Williamson
Dr Michael Williamson is a psychiatrist and psychotherapist who spent three decades in the public mental health service, and was trained in the Conversational Model at Westmead Hospital. Since 1988 he has been a faculty member of the Westmead Program of Psychotherapy for Complex Trauma. From 1992 to 1995 he was Clinical Senior Lecturer in Psychiatry in the University of Newcastle and was Clinical Associate Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Western Sydney from 2008 to 2010. He has twice been NSW President of ANZAP. In the 1990s, he also worked as a Visiting Medical Officer treating indigenous people at Wilcannia NSW, treating Vietnam Veterans for PTSD and providing supervision for the counselling service in the Vietnam Veterans Association. While co-presenting the first Mental Health Course to District Managers of East Timor in 2002, he provided some of the first psychiatric treatment to indigenous villagers. Since 2009 he has worked at Gordon Clinic and Gordon Private Hospital, providing long-term psychotherapy for chronic mood disorders, CPTSD, and acute and chronic PTSD in members of the Defence Forces and Police.