So, being able to understand the Primary Task and using its sub-sections, is a vital part of this model because, as ever in the Tavistock Model, part of this thinking is conscious and a large part to will be unconscious and it is the linking of these two modalities which is the unique strength of this model.
Not wanting to labour this aspect of the model but let's think about a part of a Mental Health Trust which we have thought about before - a Psychotherapy Service and bearing in mind that the rock bottom definition of the Primary Task is, 'the task that it must perform in order to survive' and in a Psychotherapy Service that has to be, assessing and treating and discharging patients using the modality of exploratory psychotherapy.
Similarly, the Primary Task of a Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) has to be treating people aged <18 yrs for mental health difficulties, either in the community or as in-patients. But.....for both of these organisations/teams there have to be other functions that are also, certainly in the longer term, vital for the team to survive. E.g., they may have to offer training places for students, do research, teach and train other parts of the wider organisation as to what they do etc etc.
All these and other 'ancillary'tasks make the team relevant to the wider organisation so that it it safe from closure or cutbacks and if they are neglected, then the danger is, that the team only talks to itself and becomes a kind of organisational 'oxbow lake', stagnating on the outskirts of the 'mainstream' and eventually dies.
So, using the concept of the Primary Task for teams to build discussions around, can provoke creative thinking and actions which will keep the team vital and relevant.
In our next post we will look further into the Psychoanalytic Aspect of this model and see how it gels with our previous understandings.
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