Josephine Klein obituary

Psychologist, psychotherapist, academic and community worker who founded the Refugee Therapy Centre in London

The psychologist and psychotherapist Josephine Klein, who has died aged 92, had a passionate concern for social justice. It underpinned a variety of her initiatives as a researcher, writer and practitioner.

Two books came out of a period in the research section of the National Association of Boys' Clubs in the late 1940s and a subsequent doctorate: The Study of Groups (1956) and Working With Groups: The Social Psychology of Discussion and Decision (1961). They pioneered a theoretical foundation by drawing critically on what was being done elsewhere in sociology, psychology and psychoanalysis, and offered guidance on interventions in a variety of settings - therapeutic, youth and community work.