Dr Kalina Stamenova

Experience, background and philosophy

My work sits at the intersection of psychoanalytic thinking, organisational dynamics, education, and experiential learning. I am particularly interested in how unconscious processes shape leadership, relationships, learning, and organisational life, and in creating reflective spaces where individuals and groups can think more deeply about their experience. My doctoral research at the University of Essex explored the role of envy in learning groups using psychoanalytic observational methods. Since then, my research has expanded into the emotional and relational dynamics of online and hybrid working, with a focus on containment, virtual collaboration, leadership, and unconscious group processes in digital environments. I have extensive experience in teaching, doctoral supervision, reflective practice, and group relations work. At the University of Essex, I developed The Unconscious in Individuals, Groups and Society, integrating psychoanalytic concepts with experiential and group relations methodologies.

My work is influenced by Tavistock traditions and informed by psychoanalytic, systemic, and relational approaches to organisations and learning. I have facilitated reflective groups, work discussion groups, leadership workshops, and experiential learning events for students, educators, and organisational practitioners. My consulting practice focuses on authority, role, organisational culture, unconscious dynamics, and the emotional experience of working within institutions and systems. I am especially interested in how organisations respond to anxiety, uncertainty, and change, and how reflective practice can support more thoughtful and humane ways of working.

I currently serve as Associate Director of Leading and Working from the Screen at the Tavistock Institute of Human Relations and as staff member on Group Relations Conferences in the UK. I also supervise doctoral research in psychoanalytic and organisational studies and serve as Book Review Editor for the Journal of Organisational and Social Dynamics. My philosophy is grounded in the belief that learning and organisational life are deeply emotional and relational processes. I see psychoanalytic and group relations approaches as offering important ways of understanding the hidden dynamics that influence individuals, groups, and institutions, particularly in times of uncertainty and transition.

I bring an interdisciplinary background that integrates psychoanalytic thinking, experiential learning, organisational consultancy, and higher education practice. Alongside academic teaching and research, I have extensive experience facilitating analytic reflective groups, work discussion groups, and group relations events in both face-to-face and virtual settings. My current interests focus on the emotional and unconscious dimensions of online and hybrid work, including questions of containment, leadership, authority, and organisational culture in digital environments. I am particularly interested in creating reflective spaces that support deeper thinking, meaningful collaboration, and professional development in complex organisational contexts.