Dr Roberta Mineo, PhD

The group analytic Large Group (LG) has long been a central yet contested element of clinical and educational practice. Too often perceived as a ritual, the LG in fact provides a unique arena for exploring the social unconscious as it manifests within institutions and organizations. In educational contexts, its clinical significance becomes particularly evident, functioning as a reflective space in which unconscious processes shape identity formation, role challenges, and value systems. Drawing on my own experience in universities and organizations, I will present examples where the LG has been applied as a training tool to surface generational anxieties, especially among Gen Z participants navigating recruitment and workplace entry, and to help educators confront their role dilemmas in contexts of authority and knowledge transmission (Mineo, 2021). I will also address the conductor’s position when holding multiple roles simultaneously (teacher, facilitator, advisor), a task that highlights the tension between neutrality and authority (Mineo & Hofstede, 2020). This contribution argues that the LG in educational settings retains its full clinical depth: it is not merely an exercise in dialogue, but a means of accessing unconscious dynamics that shape collective learning, professional identity, and organizational belonging.