SCT Conference 2026 Program

In this two-day experiential practicum, members learn to use SCT's functional subgrouping and reduce defenses in a specific sequence to develop the system's capacity for solving problems and applying common sense to everyday conflicts.

Learning Objectives

Based on attending this event, I know, or am able to:

• Identify the three sources of anxiety according to SCT theory
• Describe one SCT method for undoing tension
• Describe a feeling that arises from a thought
• Describe a feeling that comes from a here-and-now experience
• Describe the difference between a stereotypical and a functional subgroup
• Demonstrate one behavior for joining others to form a functional subgroup

Presentation Content

The Foundation Training event is a learning opportunity that includes theory and experiential work that is based and builds on Agazarian’s (1997) Theory of Living Human Systems (TLHS). With its systems-centered approach to group practice, TLHS represents a developed and comprehensive systems theory applied to groups, individuals and couples.

TLHS and its methods are accepted among group practitioners as evidence-based by SCTRI’s 2010 recognition for “Outstanding Contributions in Education and Training in the Field of Group Psychotherapy” awarded by the National Registry of Certified Group Psychotherapists. SCT methods are regularly cited or included in handbooks and reviews of group psychotherapy practice. There is also significant peer-reviewed published support for the theory and its practice, including articles in the International Journal of Group Psychotherapy, Group Dynamics, Small Group Research, Organizational Analysis, and Group Analysis.

Participation in the Foundation Training group serves as an introduction to TLHS and its defined theoretical constructs and operational definitions, providing opportunity for beginners, experienced practitioners, and curious learners to implement and test the theoretical hypotheses in its practice.

Supporting References

Agazarian, Y.M., Gantt, S.P., & Carter, F.B. (Eds.) (2021). Systems-centered training: An illustrated guide for applying a theory of living human systems. New York, NY: Routledge.

Gantt, S.P. (2018). Developing groups that change our minds and transform our brains: Systems-centered's functional subgrouping, its impact on our neurobiology, and its role in each phase of group development. Psychoanalytic Inquiry: Today's Bridge Between Psychoanalysis and the Group World [Special Issue], 38(4), 270-284. doi: 10.1080/07351690.2018.1444851

Gantt, S.P., & Agazarian, Y.M. (2017). Systems-centered group therapy. International Journal of Group Psychotherapy, 67(sup1), S60-S70. doi: 10.1080/00207284.2016.1218768

Gantt, S.P., & Badenoch, B. (Eds.) (2013). The interpersonal neurobiology of group psychotherapy and group process. London, UK: Karnac Books.

Maher, M. (2018). From group analytic to systems-centered consulting: A comparison of experience. Journal of Social Work Practice, 32(4), 423-432. doi: 10.1080/02650533.2018.1503163

Presenters

Robert Hartford, MA, LICSW. Robert Hartford is a licensed psychotherapist in Washington, DC, California and an Executive and Organizational Development Coach. He is a Licensed Systems-Centered Practitioner, ICEEFT Certified Therapist, and a Certified Daring Way™ Facilitator (CDFW). In 2001, he founded Solutions & Results, in Washington, DC, an independent therapy center focusing on emotional development and transformation. Robert received his post-master's training at the Systems-Centered Training and Research Institute, and trained at San Francisco General Hospital, Psychiatric Department and Kaiser Department of Psychiatry.

Heather Twomey, PhD. Heather B. Twomey is a Clinical Psychologist who has trained in Systems-Centered Therapy (SCT) steadily since 1996. She is currently an SCT Licensed Practitioner who leads and co-leads in various SCT training contexts including conferences, workshops and training groups. Additionally, she practices in private practice where she conducts groups, individual, and couples therapy. She completed her PhD in 1997 at Miami University. She completed her pre-doctoral internship and post-doctoral fellowship at Emory University.

Functional communication is core to satisfying relationships and problem-solving. Some ways of communicating generate frustration, while others move us toward our goals. Why? In this workshop we’ll introduce SAVI (System for Analyzing Verbal Interactions) to explain these differences. We’ll practice using SAVI to see system patterns, and learn strategies for changing the tone toward more productive and satisfying conversations. This is a core SCT training.

Learning Objectives

Based on attending this event, I know, or am able to:

• Define "noise" in verbal communication systems
• Demonstrate Avoidance (noisy) behaviors and Approach (congruent) behaviors
• Demonstrate behaviors representing the Personal, Factual and Orienting columns of the SAVI Grid
• Name three SAVI behavior sequences (Alerts) that signal emerging "noise" in the communication system
• Demonstrate strategies to reduce communication "noise" in at least three common redundant sequences
• Describe how communication is a system output, discriminating "noisy" and problem-solving patterns

Presentation Content

SAVI (System for Analyzing Verbal Interactions) maps communication behaviors that contribute noise and those that build clarity in any human system: organizations, work groups, families, clients and everyday life. Learn to use communication behavior to “see” the system: how it is built by contributions from all the members -- and how it influences what members contribute! Recognize repetitive, unproductive communication loops and explore alternative system patterns that free energy for problem-solving and work. This is a core SCT training.

Behavioral observation systems are well-established in the research and clinical fields. This particular model, System for Analyzing Verbal Interaction, has been used for research in 4 dissertations, reported as a group process tool in 4 peer-reviewed publications, and is currently used for data collection in 3 as yet unpublished ongoing studies. It has a sound theoretical base in both field theory (Kurt Lewin) and information theory (Shannon), and builds on the work of Bales and others who developed observation systems to study classroom interactions.

Supporting References

Agazarian, Y.M., Gantt, S.P., & Carter, F.B. (2021). Systems-centered training: An illustrated guide for applying a theory of living human systems. New York, NY: Routledge.

Benjamin, B., Yeager, A., & Simon, A. (2012). Conversation transformation. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.

Gantt, S.P., & Agazarian, Y.M. (2017). Systems-centered group therapy. International Journal of Group Psychotherapy, 67(sup1), S60-S70. doi: 10.1080/00207284.2016.1218768

O’Neill, R.M., Byram, C.A., Mogle, J., & MacKenzie, M.J. (2024). Are system-centered boards more collaborative, productive, and creative? A partial replication, and a pilot exploration of how. GROUP: The Journal of the Eastern Group Psychotherapy Society, 48(4), 11-29. doi:10.1353/grp.2024.a962317

Simon A., & Agazarian, Y.M. (2000). SAVI - The system for analyzing verbal interaction. In A.P. Beck & C.M. Lewis (Eds.), The process of group psychotherapy: Systems for analyzing change (pp. 357-380). Washington, D.C.: American Psychological Association.

Presenters

Alida Zweidler-McKay, MBA. Alida Zweidler-McKay has been coaching executives, entrepreneurs, and teams from small businesses to Fortune 10 companies for over 20 years. She helps clients delegate effectively, lead authentically, and build productive teams through one-on-one coaching, team coaching and workshops. She uses SAVI with teams and individuals to improve communications and problem-solving. In addition to being a certified SAVI trainer, Alida is also a SAVI Master Coder, reflecting her experience using SAVI to code conversations for research purposes. Personally, she has found SAVI to be incredibly useful in her roles as spouse, mother, daughter and community volunteer. Alida has a BA from Swarthmore College and an MBA from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.

Keith Espenshade, MDiv. Keith Espenshade has been teaching communication skills for forty years in various settings. For the past thirty years he has been teaching spiritual care skills to clergy, seminarians, and chaplains in healthcare settings. He is a certified educator through ACPE, Inc. SAVI has been a very helpful lens in reflecting on communication professionally and personally. In addition to being a certified SAVI trainer, Keith is also a SAVI Master Coder, utilizing his SAVI skills to support research. Keith has a BA from Messiah College and an MDiv from Trinity International University.

Political polarization and environmental degradation contribute to the culture wars and wars between nations. We ask, "can we use SCT thinking and functional subgrouping to explore these conflicts developmentally?” Through this lens we can explore the type of community leadership necessary to undo what restrains our shared development and transform our large-group identities. Such work integrates the inner-psychological and outer-political paths to freedom.

Learning Objectives

Based on attending this event, I know, or am able to:

• List 3 survival-system restraining forces to exploring one's own history of collective victimization, dominance, and prejudice
• Describe at least one group-as-a-whole driving force to the exploration of collective victimization, dominance, and prejudice
• Describe the change that occurs when a system (person or group) develops from Robert Kegan's third to fourth order of consciousness
• Describe the four values identified within a systems theory of the human species’ psychocultural development
• Describe at least one learning about how survival roles connect to collective patterns of victimization, dominance, and prejudice
• Describe how functional subgrouping supports dialogue as shared thinking

Presentation Content

Agazarian’s (1997) theory of living human systems, with its systems-centered approach to group practice, represents a developed and comprehensive systems theory applied to groups, individuals and couples. The theory of living human systems has defined theoretical constructs and operational definitions that implement and test the theoretical hypotheses in its practice. This theory and its methods are accepted among group practitioners as evidence-based by SCTRI’s 2010 recognition for “Outstanding Contributions in Education and Training in the Field of Group Psychotherapy” awarded by the National Registry of Certified Group Psychotherapists. SCT methods are regularly cited or included in handbooks and reviews of group psychotherapy practice. There is also significant peer-reviewed published support for the theory and its practice, including articles in the International Journal of Group Psychotherapy, Group Dynamics, Small Group Research, Organizational Analysis, and Group Analysis.

The systems-centered approach to group and organizational work has been in the field for over 30 years, presented in approximately 45 articles in peer-reviewed professional journals. Its methods incorporate techniques linked to successful strategies for discriminating and integrating differences rather than scapegoating them, which can be applied to issues of collective patterns of victimization and prejudice.

Robert Kegan’s theory of adult epistemological development is widely known, published in multiple books, the subject of peer-reviewed articles, taught at the Harvard graduate school of education, and integrated into organizational development in his most recent book "An Everyone Culture" (Harvard Business Review Press, 2016).

Supporting References

Agazarian, Y.M., Gantt, S.P., & Carter, F.B. (Eds.) (2021). Systems-centered training: An illustrated guide for applying a theory of living human systems. New York, NY: Routledge.

Dunlap, P.T. (2017). How do we transform our large-group identities? Journal for Jungian Scholarly Studies, 12(1), 126-149. https://jungianjournal.ca/index.php/jjss/article/view/36

Kegan, R., & Lahey, L. (2016). An everyone culture: Becoming a deliberative lead developmental organization. Boston, MA: Harvard Business Review.

Volkan, V. (2020). Large-group psychology: Racism, societal divisions, narcissistic leaders and who we are now. London, UK: Karnac Books.

Presenters

Peter T. Dunlap, PhD. Peter T. Dunlap is a psychologist working in private and political practice. He is engaged in research at the interface between SCT group theory, Jungian psychocultural thought, and emotion-centered psychotherapy. He leads several groups using functional subgrouping focused on psychotherapy and community leadership. He has published his research in a book entitled "Awakening Our Faith in the Future.” He teaches group theory and practice and other classes to graduate students at Pacifica Graduate Institute. He is an SCT Licensed Practitioner.

Verena Murphy, PhD, LCSW-C. Verena Murphy began training with Yvonne Agazarian in 1993, and the co-originator, Anita Simon, of the System for Analyzing Verbal Interaction (SAVI), in 1997. She has used SCT theory and practice, as well as SAVI, in her personal development, as a partner, mother and grandmother, as a clinical Social Worker in inpatient and outpatient settings, as former assistant professor in Management and Information Systems, and as organizational consultant and trainer in Switzerland and Portugal. She is a re-certified SAVI Trainer, and resides in Oregon, where she is in private practice consulting online.

7-day group, meets on Institute weekend and continues Monday-Friday as full-morning training.

Intermediate skills training shifts focus from work with oneself to work with others. In this intensive 7-day training, participants are introduced to SCT protocols with an emphasis on the theoretical context for the intervention and the technical skills that make up each protocol. Participants then record their practice of each protocol and lead a small task group reviewing recorded sections in order to identify specific driving and restraining forces of their work.

By application to assess your readiness for this training (see link below). Send application form with force fields to both Lotte Paans and Peter Slenders.

APPLICATION DEADLINE: Sunday, April 26, 2026

Note: One of the leaders of your training group (or, if in unusual circumstances, you are not part of a training group, a system mentor) should approve your readiness for this training. This is the first of the core Intermediate SCT trainings.

Participation in intermediate level training requires membership in SCTRI and actively receiving consultation from an SCT Licensed Practitioner.

See the SCT Training Curriculum Intermediate page for more information

Please download, complete and return this application form

Learning Objectives

Based on attending this event, I know, or am able to:

• Demonstrate ability to introduce functional subgrouping to a group
• Demonstrate ability to use SCT protocols for undoing distractions, anxiety, tension, depression, outrage, and role locks
• Apply a basic understanding of the theoretical context for the use of SCT protocols
• Create a force field to analyze what helps or hinders the application of protocols
• Demonstrate ability to provide feedback based on facts, not opinions
• Demonstrate ability to lead a small task group

Presentation Content

Agazarian’s (1997) theory of living human systems, with its systems-centered approach to group practice, represents a developed and comprehensive systems theory applied to groups, individuals and couples. A theory of living human systems has defined theoretical constructs and operational definitions that function as hypotheses to test both the validity of the theory and the reliability of its practice in psychotherapy, clinical pastoral eduction, other mental health applications as well as organizational consultation.

This theory and its methods are accepted among group practitioners as evidence-based by SCTRI’s 2010 recognition for “Outstanding Contributions in Education and Training in the Field of Group Psychotherapy” awarded by the National Registry of Certified Group Psychotherapists. SCT methods are regularly cited or included in handbooks and reviews of group psychotherapy practice. There is also significant peer-reviewed published support for the theory and its practice, including articles in the International Journal of Group Psychotherapy, Group Dynamics, Small Group Research, Organizational Analysis, and Group Analysis.

Supporting References

Agazarian, Y.M., Gantt, S.P., & Carter, F.B. (Eds.) (2021). Systems-centered training: An illustrated guide for applying a theory of living human systems. New York, NY: Routledge.

Gantt, S.P. (2013). Applying systems-centered theory (SCT) and methods in organizational contexts: Putting SCT to work. International Journal of Group Psychotherapy, 63(2), 234-258. doi: 10.1521/ijgp.2013.63.2.234

Gantt, S.P. (2021). Systems-centered theory (SCT) into group therapy: Beyond surviving ruptures to repairing and thriving. International Journal of Group Psychotherapy, 71(2), 224-252. doi: 10.1080/00207284.2020.1772073

Gantt, S.P., & Agazarian, Y.M. (2017). Systems-centered group therapy. International Journal of Group Psychotherapy, 67(sup 1), S60-S70 doi: 10.1080/00207284.2016.1218768

Gantt, S.P., & Badenoch, B. (2020). Systems-centered group psychotherapy: Developing a group mind that supports right brain function and right-left-right hemispheric integration. In R. Tweedy (Ed.) The divided therapist: Hemispheric difference and contemporary psychotherapy (pp. 149-180). London, UK: Routledge.

Presenters

Lotte Paans, MSc. Lotte Paans runs a private practice for therapy and (team)coaching in the Netherlands. She counsels individuals, couples and teams, provides training and consultation for professionals using SCT. She leads several SCT groups in the Netherlands in Germany and at SCT conferences In the USA and the UK. Lotte is a licensed SCT Practitioner and founding member and Chair of the Dutch SCT-NL Board.

Peter Slenders, MSc. Peter Slenders is a certified coach in the Netherlands (PHBO) and has worked as trainer, (team) coach and therapist with adults and children since 2003. He has led programmes for personal and group development in primary schools and Health Care. He uses a systems orientation to support inter- and transdisciplinary groups, selfsteering teams and couples with their challenges in communication and collaboration towards their goals. Peter runs a private practice for coaching and couples therapy and is a teamcoach in the Netherlands. He has been studying SCT since 2009; has completed the Authority Issue Group; and is presently in the process of becoming a licensed SCT practitioner. He is a Board member of SCT-NL and a member of SCTRI.

7-day group, meets on Institute weekend and continues Monday-Friday as full-morning training.

This training is an ongoing event that confronts the hatred of authority, one’s own and others’. Alternating between training group practicum and review work, the program will focus on applying a Theory of Living Human Systems in exploring the issues of giving and taking authority. This training is by application only for SCTRI members who are committed to becoming a Licensed SCT Practitioner, who have completed all prerequisite intermediate training, and meet the criteria for group membership. Joining this group means committing to twice yearly meetings for the duration of the group.

This is a closed group.

Participation in intermediate level training requires membership in SCTRI and actively receiving consultation from an SCT Licensed Practitioner.

See the SCT Training Curriculum Intermediate and Advanced pages for more information

Learning Objectives

Based on attending this event, I know, or am able to:

• Demonstrate ability to shift from person to member in a developing group in each of its phases of system development
• Utilize leadership and membership roles working in the context of a peer task-focused group
• Apply SCT methods to weaken the restraining forces in shifting from person to member
• Describe the concept of hatred of authority
• Explain the role relationships with external authority and one’s internal authority
• Demonstrate working in membership with leadership towards the goal of increasing awareness of the driving and restraining forces related to leadership effectiveness, both internal in relationship to the personality style, task/maintenance dimensions, and the effect of leadership behaviors on the group's membership, subgroups and the group-as-a-whole

Presentation Content

Agazarian’s (1997) theory of living human systems, with its systems-centered approach to group practice, represents a developed and comprehensive systems theory applied to groups, individuals and couples. A theory of living human systems has defined theoretical constructs and operational definitions that function as hypotheses to test both the validity of the theory and the reliability of its practice. This theory and its methods are accepted among group practitioners as evidence-based by SCTRI’s 2010 recognition for “Outstanding Contributions in Education and Training in the Field of Group Psychotherapy” awarded by the National Registry of Certified Group Psychotherapists. SCT methods are regularly cited or included in handbooks and reviews of group psychotherapy practice. There is also significant peer-reviewed published support for the theory and its practice, including articles in the International Journal of Group Psychotherapy, Group Dynamics, Small Group Research, Organizational Analysis, and Group Analysis.

The Authority Issue Group (AIG) is an intermediate level training on the path toward becoming an SCT Licensed Practitioner. Alternating between training group practicum, review work, and peer assessment, the training focuses on applying a Theory of Living Human Systems in exploring the issues of giving and taking authority, shifting from person to member in a developing group, and learning to take up leadership and membership roles.

Supporting References

Agazarian, Y.M., Gantt, S.P., & Carter, F. (Eds.) (2021). Systems-centered training: An illustrated guide for applying a theory of living human systems. New York, NY: Routledge.

Finlay, L.D., Abernethy, A.D., & Garrels, S.R. (2016). Scapegoating in group therapy: Insights from Girard’s mimetic theory. International Journal of Group Psychotherapy, 66(2), 188-204. doi: 10.1080/00207284.2015.1106174

Gantt, S.P. (2018). Developing groups that change our minds and transform our brains: Systems-centered's functional subgrouping, its impact on our neurobiology, and its role in each phase of group development. Psychoanalytic Inquiry: Today's Bridge Between Psychoanalysis and the Group World [Special Issue], 38(4), 270-284. doi: 10.1080/07351690.2018.1444851

Maher, M. (2018). From group analytic to systems-centered consulting: A comparison of experience. Journal of Social Work Practice, 32(4), 423-432. doi: 10.1080/02650533.2018.1503163

O’Neill, R.M., Byram, C.A., Mogle, J., & MacKenzie, M.J. (2024). Are system-centered boards more collaborative, productive, and creative? A partial replication, and a pilot exploration of how. GROUP: The Journal of the Eastern Group Psychotherapy Society, 48(4), 11-29. doi: 10.1353/grp.2024.a962317

Tweedy, R. (Ed.) (2020). The divided therapist: Hemispheric difference and contemporary psychotherapy. London, UK: Routledge.

Presenters

Susan P. Gantt, PhD, CGP, ABPP, AGPA-DF, FAPA. Susan P. Gantt is a psychologist in private practice and coordinated group psychotherapy training in psychiatry at Emory University for 29 years. She chairs the Systems-Centered Training (SCT) and Research Institute; teaches SCT in the USA, Europe and China; and leads training groups in Atlanta, San Francisco, and The Netherlands. She has co-authored four books with Yvonne Agazarian, co-edited The Interpersonal Neurobiology of Group Psychotherapy and Group Process with Bonnie Badenoch, and received the 2011 Alonso Award for Excellence in Psychodynamic Group Psychotherapy. Her latest book is Systems-Centered Training: An Illustrated Guide for Applying a Theory of Living Human Systems (Agazarian, Gantt & Carter, 2021).

Ray Haddock, MBChB, MMedSc, FRCPsych. Ray Haddock is a Licensed Systems-Centered Practitioner, a member of the Institute of Group Analysis, and is chair of The Governance and Bylaws committee of the International Association of Group Psychotherapy and former board member of SCTRI and the International Association of Group Psychotherapy and Group Processes. He is a Systems centered trainer and leads SCT training groups and workshops in UK and internationally. He trained as a medical doctor, psychiatrist and psychotherapist, he was a Consultant Medical Psychotherapist in the NHS for over 25 years, where he occupied several management roles, including whole system service development, and taught trainees in psychiatry and psychotherapy. He has wide experience of applying SCT clinically in individual and group therapy and a Theory of Living Human Systems in day-to-day organisational work, consultation, mentoring and leadership development.

Action research is a form of systematic inquiry, bridging the gap between theory and practice, with the goal of improving outcomes at all system levels. This is done in participative cycles inquiring into the impact of our actions as leaders, trainers, therapists, members and consultants. Action Research was at the heart of how Agazarian developed a Theory of Living Human Systems and its SCT practice. We will apply the Action Research cycle of Planning, Acting, Observing and Reflecting to real-life cases, using the resources in the group to build research capacity and reflexivity. Minimum number of participants: 6.

Prerequisite: Completion of Intermediate Skills Training (IST). 

Participation in intermediate/advanced level training requires membership in SCTRI and actively receiving consultation from an SCT Licensed Practitioner.

See the SCT Training Curriculum Intermediate and Advanced pages for more information

Learning Objectives

Based on attending this event, I know, or am able to:

• Define the Action Research cycle
• Apply the Action Research cycle to a project in one’s work context
• Use the SCT map of Role, Goal and Context to identify roles and goals for one’s Action Research project
• Use the input and reflections from the workshop group members to improve one’s Action Research plan
• Define one driving and one restraining force for using Action Research to reflect on one’s SCT practice
• Plan one next step for one’s Action Research project assessing the impact of applying a Theory of Living Human Systems and its SCT practice

Presentation Content

Action Research is "a family of approaches to inquiry which are participative, grounded in experience and action-oriented" (Reason & Bradbury, 2001). It was at the heart of Agazarian’s development of a Theory of Living Human Systems and Systems-Centered Training, as she iterated through cycles of Planning, Acting, Observing and Reflecting. The Systems-Centered approach to group and organizational work has been in the field for over 30 years, presented in approximately 45 articles in peer-reviewed professional journals. Following an input defining Action Research and its applications, participants will apply the concepts to a context they are curious about using Action Research to improve upon their practice.

Supporting References

Agazarian, Y.M., & Gantt, S.P. (2000). Autobiography of a theory: Developing a theory of living human systems and its systems-centered practice. London, UK: Jessica Kingsley.

Agazarian, Y.M., Gantt, S.P., & Carter, F. (Eds.) (2021). Systems-centered training: An illustrated guide for applying a theory of living human systems. New York, NY: Routledge.

Åkerlund, M. (2017). Leadership - a team process developed through context awareness. Scandinavian Journal of Organizational Psychology, 9(2), 6-18.

Davis, R. (2014). Working across organisational boundaries: Shifting from complaining and blaming to problem-solving. e-O&P Journal of the Association for Management Education and Development, 21(3), 22-37.

Gantt, S.P., & Agazarian, Y.M. (2017). Systems-centered group therapy. International Journal of Group Psychotherapy, 67(sup1), S60-S70. doi: 10.1080/00207284.2016.1218768

McNiff, J. (2017). Action research: All you need to know. London, UK & Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Reason, P., & Bradbury, H. (2001). Handbook of action research: Participative inquiry & practice. London, UK & Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Presenters

Rowena Davis, MSc. Rowena Davis is an organizational consultant working with public, private and not-for-profit organizations in the UK and internationally. Her work combines coaching individuals and teams and running Systems-Centered and SAVI (System for Analyzing Verbal Interaction) trainings in the UK, US and Europe. She is a Licensed Systems-Centered Practitioner, a certified SAVI trainer, Research Director of the Systems-Centered Training and Research Institute (SCTRI), a Board member of SCTRI and a Director of SCT UK. She holds an MSc in Change Agent Skills & Strategies (Distinction) from the University of Surrey, a Dottore in Sociologia from the University of Trento, Italy, and a BSc (Econ) from the London School of Economics.

7-day group, meets on Institute weekend and continues Monday-Friday as full-morning training.

This training is rooted in the principles and practices of Systems-Centered Therapy (SCT), an approach for professionals including psychologists, to extend knowledge into the practical application of systems theory, group dynamics, and leadership interventions. Through observation, participants will assess the phase of development, the communication patterns, and the leadership interventions that facilitate or get in the way of group development. Through their own experience as observers, participants will also collect data about system isomorphy.

Prerequisite: Completion of Authority Issue Group training. This is a closed group.

This group will continue to meet through the duration of the Authority Issue Group.

Participation in advanced level training requires membership in SCTRI.

See the SCT Training Curriculum Advanced page for more information

Learning Objectives

Based on attending this event, I know, or am able to:

• Describe how Functional Subgrouping relates to a Theory of Living Human Systems
• Explain SCT's predictable hierarchy of defense modification in group settings
• Describe the differences in the leader's SCT interventions depending on the system's phase of development
• List 3 member behaviors you observed that demonstrate the group’s decreasing dependency on the leader
• Develop a force field for building Systems-Centered groups to assess the driving and restraining forces affecting the development of a group
• List 3 examples of isomorphy between the group being observed and the observing group

Presentation Content

The training is rooted in the Systems-Centered Training and Research Institute’s (SCTRI) long-standing commitment to advancing the field of group psychotherapy and Systems-Centered practice. SCTRI was presented with the 2010 Award for Outstanding Contributions in Education and Training in the Field of Group Psychotherapy by the National Registry of Certified Group Psychotherapists. With its empirical basis and focus on understanding group dynamics through observation, this training enhances the skills of participants working in groups and other settings.

The training emphasizes hands-on observation, critical discussion, and practical skill-building in the context of the Authority Issue Group (AIG) and Licensing Group. By observing and analyzing leadership interventions, communication patterns, and group phases, participants will gain first-hand experience in tracking real-life group developments, integrating theory and practice.

In summary, this training event serves as an advanced learning opportunity for participants, equipping them with the knowledge and practical skills to assess and intervene in group dynamics using Systems-Centered principles. The methods employed are empirically supported and rooted in a deep understanding of psychological, systemic and psychoanalytic theory.

Supporting References

Agazarian, Y.M., Gantt, S.P., & Carter, F.B. (Eds.) (2021). Systems-centered training: An illustrated guide for applying a theory of living human systems. New York, NY: Routledge.

Gantt, S.P. (2021). Systems-centered training for group leaders: Weakening social survivor roles that undermine women (and men) in leadership. In Y.I. Kane, S.M. Masselink & A.C. Weiss (Eds.), Women, intersectionality and power in group psychotherapy leadership (pp. 236-253). New York, NY: Routledge.

Gantt, S.P., & Agazarian, Y.M. (2017). Systems-centered group therapy. International Journal of Group Psychotherapy, 67(sup1), S60-S70. doi: 10.1080/00207284.2016.1218768

Gantt, S.P., & Badenoch, B. (2020). Systems-centered group psychotherapy: Developing a group mind that supports right brain function and right-left-right hemispheric integration. In R. Tweedy (Ed.) The divided therapist: Hemispheric difference and contemporary psychotherapy (pp. 149-180). London, UK: Karnac Books.

Presenters

Dorothy Gibbons, MSS, LCSW. Dorothy Gibbons is a Systems-Centered Licensed Practitioner. She is in private practice in Philadelphia. She works with individuals, groups, and couples and as an organizational consultant to a social service agency in Philadelphia. Ms. Gibbons is the former Director of the Adolescent Sex Offender Unit at the Joseph J. Peters Institute in Philadelphia and has extensive experience working with both victims and offenders of sexual abuse. She is on the Board of Directors of the Systems-Centered Training and Research Institute. She is also a graduate of the Gestalt Therapy Training.

Sunday 5:15-6:45; Monday, Tuesday, Thursday 4:30-6:00

This 90-minute conference-as-a-whole practicum starts the conference on Sunday evening and meets at the end of the day on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday to explore the conference experience using functional subgrouping.

The conference starts on Sunday evening with the first meeting of the Large Group. These four Large Group meetings are open to the entire conference community and demonstrate the application of SCT methods and techniques in the Large Group setting. The dynamics and potential of large group are crucial to our understanding of social forces at a different level from the more easily accessible family and small group setting. These forces are more similar to those operating in larger social systems, and therefore our understanding of how to relate to these larger contexts is an essential skill for social work and other social change advocates and professionals.

Note: You must attend all four days of Large Group in order to earn CE credits for Large Group.

Learning Objectives

Based on attending this event, I know, or am able to:

• Describe the unique challenge of relating to the Large Group context
• Apply skills in relating to the Large Group context in a way that increases the potential to include (rather than exclude) diversities
• Demonstrate a practical understanding of the unique challenge of relating to the Large Group context
• Demonstrate using functional subgrouping to recognize and integrate differences instead of ignoring or scapegoating them
• Describe one driving and one restraining force to Large Group functioning that I observed

Presentation Content

Agazarian’s (1997) theory of living human systems, with its systems-centered approach to group practice, represents a developed and comprehensive systems theory applied to groups, individuals and couples. A theory of living human systems has defined theoretical constructs and operational definitions that implement and test the theoretical hypotheses in its practice. This theory and its methods are accepted among group practitioners as evidence-based by SCTRI’s 2010 recognition for “Outstanding Contributions in Education and Training in the Field of Group Psychotherapy” awarded by the National Registry of Certified Group Psychotherapists. SCT methods are regularly cited or included in handbooks and reviews of group psychotherapy practice. There is also significant peer-reviewed published support for the theory and its practice, including articles in the International Journal of Group Psychotherapy, Group Dynamics, Small Group Research, Organizational Analysis, and Group Analysis.

Systems-centered large groups use functional subgrouping, the core method of SCT, to discriminate and integrate differences which develops the group system. This implements systems-centered theory: that living human systems survive, develop and transform through the process of discriminating and integrating differences. The dynamics and potential of large group are crucial to our understanding of social forces at a different level from the more easily accessible family and small group setting. These forces are more similar to those operating in larger social systems, and therefore our understanding of how to relate to these larger contexts is an essential skill for social work and other social change advocates and professionals.

Supporting References

Agazarian, Y.M., Gantt, S.P., & Carter, F.B. (Eds.) (2021). Systems-centered training: An illustrated guide for applying a theory of living human systems. New York, NY: Routledge.

Finlay, L.D., Abernethy, A.D., & Garrels, S.R. (2016). Scapegoating in group therapy: Insights from Girard’s mimetic theory. International Journal of Group Psychotherapy, 66(2), 188-204. doi: 10.1080/00207284.2015.1106174

Gantt, S.P. (2018). Developing groups that change our minds and transform our brains: Systems-centered’s functional subgrouping, its impact on our neurobiology, and its role in each phase of group development. Psychoanalytic Inquiry: Today’s Bridge Between Psychoanalysis and the Group World [Special Issue]. 38(4), 270-284. doi: 10.1080/07351690.2018.1444851

Gantt, S.P., & Agazarian, Y.M. (2011). Highlights from ten years of a systems-centered large group: Work in progress. Voices: The Art and Science of Psychotherapy, 47(1), 40-50.

Gantt, S.P., & Agazarian, Y.M. (2017). Systems-centered group therapy. International Journal of Group Psychotherapy, 67(sup1), S60-S70. doi: 10.1080/00207284.2016.1218768

Maher, M. (2018). From group analytic to systems-centered consulting: A comparison of experience. Journal of Social Work Practice, 32(4), 423-432. doi: 10.1080/02650533.2018.1503163

O’Neill, R.M., Byram, C.A., Mogle, J., & MacKenzie, M.J. (2024). Are system-centered boards more collaborative, productive, and creative? A partial replication, and a pilot exploration of how. GROUP: The Journal of the Eastern Group Psychotherapy Society, 48(4), 11-29. doi:10.1353/grp.2024.a962317

Presenters

Frances Carter, MSS, LSW. Frances Carter is a Licensed Social Worker, living and working in the Philadelphia area. She maintains a clinical and consulting practice working with individuals, couples, groups and organizations. Fran is a founding member of the Systems-Centered Training and Research Institute, a Board Member and a System Mentor. She continues to be interested in the development of training, curriculum and research and has contributed her time to these work groups within SCTRI. She is a Licensed Systems-Centered Practitioner and a senior trainer, leading workshops, ongoing training and consultation groups and intensive training blocks throughout the US and Europe. She is also a principle in SAVI Communications and the SAVI Network where she works with others to develop training in the SAVI approach to communication. She brings to all her work the energy and creativity of her early background as an artist.

Rowena Davis, MSc. Rowena Davis is an organizational consultant working with public, private and not-for-profit organizations in the UK and internationally. Her work combines coaching individuals and teams and running Systems-Centered and SAVI (System for Analyzing Verbal Interaction) trainings in the UK, US and Europe. She is a Licensed Systems-Centered Practitioner, a certified SAVI trainer, Research Director of the Systems-Centered Training and Research Institute (SCTRI), a Board member of SCTRI and a Director of SCT UK. She holds an MSc in Change Agent Skills & Strategies (Distinction) from the University of Surrey, a Dottore in Sociologia from the University of Trento, Italy, and a BSc (Econ) from the London School of Economics.

Susan Gantt, PhD, ABPP, CGP, AGPA-DF, FAPA. Susan P. Gantt is a psychologist in private practice and coordinated group psychotherapy training in psychiatry at Emory University for 29 years. She chairs the Systems-Centered Training (SCT) and Research Institute; teaches SCT in the USA, Europe and China; and leads training groups in Atlanta, San Francisco, and The Netherlands. She has co-authored four books with Yvonne Agazarian, co-edited The Interpersonal Neurobiology of Group Psychotherapy and Group Process with Bonnie Badenoch, and received the 2011 Alonso Award for Excellence in Psychodynamic Group Psychotherapy. Her latest book is Systems-Centered Training: An Illustrated Guide for Applying a Theory of Living Human Systems (Agazarian, Gantt, & Carter, 2021).

Ray Haddock, MBChB, MMedSc, FRCPsych. Ray Haddock is a Licensed Systems-Centered Practitioner, a member of the Institute of Group Analysis, and sits on the International Association of Group Psychotherapy Board. He leads SCT training groups and workshops in UK and internationally. Trained as a medical doctor, psychiatrist and psychotherapist, he was a Consultant Medical Psychotherapist in the NHS for over 25 years, where he occupied several management roles, including whole system service development, and taught trainees in psychiatry and psychotherapy. He uses SCT clinically in individual and group therapy and a Theory of Living Human Systems in day-to-day organisational work, consultation, mentoring and leadership development.

In this training with inputs on the heart of a Theory of Living Human Systems, members use the core SCT method of functional subgrouping to explore experientially their experience of building a Systems-Centered group. Members learn to subgroup around our normal human tendency to react to differences. By weakening our pull to reactivity, the group develops its capacity to open to difference with curiosity and to discover what emerges at the individual, subgroup and whole group level.

Learning Objectives

Based on attending this event, I know, or am able to:

• Apply the method of functional subgrouping to explore experience with others
• Apply the skill of centering
• Describe the difference between explaining and exploring
• Apply the skill of undoing negative predictions
• Describe the steps of undoing mindreads
• List the first two sub-phases in the Systems-Centered map of Phases of Development

Presentation Content

System-Centered methods and techniques used to run groups produce high levels of engagement, less avoidance, less conflict, better inter-member relationships, more overall learning and goal achievement, and are more collaborative, productive and creative than groups using various other communication structures. Research specifically examining functional subgrouping has shown that group members find it to be a positive experience as it relates to increased morale, learning, and goal achievement. See O’Neill et al (2013) research below for related references.

Supporting References

Agazarian, Y.M. (1997). Systems-centered therapy for groups. New York, NY: Guilford Press. Re-printed in paperback (2004). London, UK: Karnac Books.

Agazarian, Y.M., Gantt, S.P., & Carter, F.B. (Eds.) (2021). Systems-centered training: An illustrated guide for applying a theory of living human systems. New York, NY: Routledge.

Gantt, S.P. (2018). Developing groups that change our minds and transform our brains: Systems-centered’s functional subgrouping, its impact on our neurobiology, and its role in each phase of group development. Psychoanalytic Inquiry: Today’s Bridge Between Psychoanalysis and the Group World [Special Issue], 38(4), 270-284. doi: 10.1080/07351690.2018.1444851

Gantt, S.P., & Agazarian, Y.M. (2017). Systems-centered group therapy. International Journal of Group Psychotherapy, 67(sup1), S60-S70. doi: 10.1080/00207284.2016.1218768

O’Neill, R.M., Byram, C.A., Mogle, J., & MacKenzie, M.J. (2024). Are system-centered boards more collaborative, productive, and creative? A partial replication, and a pilot exploration of how. GROUP: The Journal of the Eastern Group Psychotherapy Society, 48(4), 11-29. doi:10.1353/grp.2024.a962317

Presenters

Rowena Davis, MSc. Rowena Davis is an organizational consultant working with public, private and not-for-profit organizations in the UK and internationally. Her work combines coaching and training individuals and teams to clarify their context, roles and goals and to work with underlying team dynamics so they are able to more easily integrate differences. She leads SCT and SAVI (System for Analyzing Verbal Interaction) trainings in the UK, US and Europe. She is a Licensed Systems-Centered Practitioner, a certified SAVI trainer, Research Director of the Systems-Centered Training and Research Institute (SCTRI), a Board member of SCTRI and a Director of SCT UK. She holds an MSc in Change Agent Skills & Strategies (Distinction) from the University of Surrey, a Dottore in Sociologia from the University of Trento, Italy, and a BSc (Econ) from the London School of Economics.

Debbie Woolf, LCSW. Deborah Woolf has been training in Systems-Centered Theory (SCT) since 1999 and been a member of Systems-Centered Training and Research Institute since 2001. She is a clinician working in an outpatient setting with individuals and groups. She has worked in Human Resources and in Organizational Development and applies SCT to that work as well. Psychoanalytic theory as well as other theories have also influenced her. She has trained in the use of the System for Analyzing Verbal Interactions (SAVI) since 2001 and has presented workshops and trainings on Diversity, Mentoring and SCT.

Participants will use SCT methods to build the group as a context to explore how the Inner-Person, Inter-Person (member) and System-as-a-Whole relate to different phases of group development. Together, we will explore how our Survival Roles fit within these phases and how to recognise when communication signals are either generated from survival or adaptive role outputs and the impact this has on the group-as-a-whole.

Prerequisite: Completion of Intermediate Skills Training (IST) or by application to assess your readiness (see link below). Participation in intermediate level training requires membership in SCTRI and actively receiving consultation from an SCT Licensed Practitioner.

If you have not yet completed IST, send application with details of your SCT training to date to Peter Dunlap and Janneke Maas. APPLICATION DEADLINE: Monday, May 11th, 2026.

See the SCT Training Curriculum Intermediate page for more information

Please download, complete and return this application form

Learning Objectives

Based on attending this event, I know, or am able to:

• Describe the connection between curiosity and opening closed survival role boundaries
• Name one common survivor role in the flight, fight and role lock phases of development
• Describe one way in which survivor roles impact system development
• Describe the difference between exploring and explaining survivor roles
• Identify one verbal and one non-verbal output of a survival role in the flight phase of development
• Describe one behavior that supports moving from a closed survival role-system to an inter-person role

Presentation Content

The systems-centered approach to group and organizational work has been in the field for over 30 years, presented in more than 45 articles in peer-reviewed professional journals. Its methods incorporate techniques linked to successful strategies for improvement in group and individual psychotherapy, for example, modifying cognitive distortions, increasing group cohesion, lowering scapegoating, and reducing somatic defenses.

Supporting References

Gantt, S.P., & Agazarian, Y.M. (2010). Developing the group mind through functional subgrouping: Linking systems-centered training (SCT) and interpersonal neurobiology. International Journal of Group Psychotherapy, 60(4), 515-544. doi: 10.1521/ijgp.2010.60.4.515

Agazarian, Y.M., Gantt, S.P., & Carter, F.B. (Eds.) (2021). Systems-centered training: An illustrated guide for applying a theory of living human systems. New York, NY: Routledge.

Gantt, S.P. (2011). Systems-centered approach to groups. In J. Kleinberg (Ed.), The Wiley-Blackwell handbook of group psychotherapy (pp. 113-138). Oxford, UK: Wiley.

Gantt, S.P. (2018). Developing groups that change our minds and transform our brains: Systems-centered’s functional subgrouping, its impact on our neurobiology, and its role in each phase of group development. Psychoanalytic Inquiry: Today’s Bridge Between Psychoanalysis and the Group World [Special Issue], 38(4), 270-284. doi: 10.1080/07351690.2018.1444851

Gantt, S.P. (2021). Systems-centered theory (SCT) into group therapy: Beyond surviving ruptures to repairing and thriving. International Journal of Group Psychotherapy, 71(2), 224-252. doi: 10.1080/00207284.2020.1772073

Gantt, S.P. (2021). Systems-centered training for group leaders: Weakening social survivor roles that undermine women (and men) in leadership. In Y.I. Kane, S.M. Masselink & A.C. Weiss (Eds.), Women, intersectionality and power in group psychotherapy leadership (pp. 236-253). New York, NY: Routledge.

Presenters

Janneke Maas, MSc. Janneke Maas works as a team coach and leadership development trainer in the Netherlands. She works with teams, individuals, and organizations. The core of her work is freeing up energy for work and relations that support work and fun. She also leads team coach training. Janneke is a Licensed SCT Practitioner, a Co-Director and leader of the Program Planning Group of the SCT Conference system.

Peter T. Dunlap , PhD. Peter T. Dunlap is a psychologist working in private and political practice. He is engaged in research at the interface between SCT group theory, Jungian psychocultural thought, and emotion-centered psychotherapy. He leads several groups using functional subgrouping focused on psychotherapy and community leadership. He has published his research in a book entitled "Awakening Our Faith in the Future.” He teaches group theory and practice and other classes to graduate students at Pacifica Graduate Institute. He is an SCT Licensed Practitioner.

Advanced members apply a Theory of Living Human Systems (TLHS) and SCT methods to build and develop a systems-centered group context within which they can explore intimacy phase roles that impact the capacity for member role in the group and the conference-as-a-whole.

Nina Klebanoff and Mike Maher with Robert Hartford and Heather Twomey

Prerequisite: Completion of Authority Issue Group (AIG).

Participation in advanced level training requires membership in SCTRI.

See the SCT Training Curriculum Advanced page for more information

If not currently in a training context, please contact Nina Klebanoff at nkleb@mac.com

Learning Objectives

Based on attending this event, I know, or am able to:

• Apply the concept of a member role to practice shifting from one's personal experience to one's experience in a larger context
• Use the method of functional subgrouping to test the hypothesis that discrimination and integration of difference contributes to survival, development and transformation
• Discuss the similarities and differences in experience at different system levels: person, member, subgroup and group-as-a-whole
• Identify and reduce the restraining forces appropriate to the phase of development
• Articulate fresh ways of taking up membership by exploring and reducing stereotyped habits of membership
• Discover and discuss the function of the "advanced" group in the system-as-a-whole

Presentation Content

Systems-centered training has been widely accepted in group psychotherapy and organizational development contexts. Its methods link to conditions that correlate with successful outcomes in group work - functional subgrouping increases group cohesion and lowers scapegoating. Agazarian’s (1997) theory of living human systems, with its systems-centered approach to group practice, represents a developed and comprehensive systems theory applied to groups, individuals and couples. A theory of living human systems has defined theoretical constructs and operational definitions that implement and test the theoretical hypotheses in its practice. There is also significant peer-reviewed published support for the theory and its practice, including articles in the International Journal of Group Psychotherapy, Group Dynamics, Small Group Research, Organizational Analysis, and Group Analysis. The systems-centered approach to group and organizational work has been in the field for over 30 years, presented in more than 45 articles in peer-reviewed professional journals. Its methods incorporate techniques linked to successful strategies for improvement in work with groups and individuals.

Supporting References

Agazarian, Y.M., Gantt, S.P., & Carter, F.B. (Eds.) (2021). Systems-centered training: An illustrated guide for applying a theory of living human systems. New York, NY: Routledge.

Gantt, S.P. (2018). Developing groups that change our minds and transform our brains: Systems-centered’s functional subgrouping, its impact on our neurobiology, and its role in each phase of group development. Psychoanalytic Inquiry: Today’s Bridge Between Psychoanalysis and the Group World [Special Issue], 38(4), 270-284. doi: 10.1080/07351690.2018.1444851

Gantt, S.P. (2021). Systems-centered theory (SCT) into group therapy: Beyond surviving ruptures to repairing and thriving. International Journal of Group Psychotherapy, 71(2), 224-252. doi: 10.1080/00207284.2020.1772073

Gantt, S.P., & Agazarian, Y.M. (2017). Systems-centered group therapy. International Journal of Group Psychotherapy, 67(sup1), S60-S70. doi: 10.1080/00207284.2016.1218768

Maher, M. (2018). From group analytic to systems-centered consulting: A comparison of experience. Journal of Social Work Practice, 32(4), 423-432. doi: 10.1080/02650533.2018.1503163
 

Presenters

Nina Klebanoff, EdM, LCSW, CGP. Nina Klebanoff has been in private practice for over forty years, working with individuals, groups, couples' groups and organizations. Nina leads an ongoing SCT training group, provides consultation and has presented at numerous conferences.

Mike Maher, MA, PGCE. Mike Maher is an experienced psychotherapist, trainer and organizational consultant. He was formerly Deputy Director at Peper Harow Therapeutic Community and worked in and with childcare and treatment for over 30 years. He is Director of the Systems-Centered Training and Research Institute and is a Licensed SCT Practitioner. Mike runs SCT training groups in the Netherlands and Denmark and works in private practice in the UK and online across the world. He has presented at many international conferences and his work has been regularly published.

Robert Hartford, MA, LICSW. Robert Hartford is a licensed psychotherapist in Washington, DC, California, Florida and New York and an Executive and Organizational Development Coach. He is a Licensed Systems-Centered Practitioner, ICEEFT Certified Therapist. In 2001, he founded Solutions & Results, in Washington, DC, an independent therapy center focusing on emotional development and transformation. Robert received his post-master's training at the Systems-Centered Training and Research Institute, and trained at San Francisco General Hospital, Psychiatric Department and Kaiser Department of Psychiatry.

Heather Twomey, PhD. Heather B. Twomey is a Clinical Psychologist who has trained in Systems-Centered Therapy (SCT) steadily since 1996. She is currently an SCT Licensed Practitioner who leads and co-leads in various SCT training contexts including conferences, workshops and training groups. Additionally, she practices in private practice where she conducts groups, individual, and couples therapy. She completed her PhD in 1997 at Miami University. She completed her pre-doctoral internship and post-doctoral fellowship at Emory University.

We will explore a Theory of Living Human Systems to build a systems-centered climate that can: access curiosity and information; engage with differences differently; make decisions based in reality and put frustration to work to meet goals. Participants will bring in live case examples to explore and learn together. Our goal is to build a working climate to free up energy and have fun!

Prerequisite: Open to members who have completed SCT Intermediate Skills Training (IST). However, if you have completed Foundation Training, not done IST, and undertaken additional SCT Trainings, please contact Alida Zweidler-McKay alida@zmcoach.net

Participation in intermediate/advanced level training requires membership in SCTRI and actively receiving consultation from an SCT Licensed Practitioner.

See the SCT Training Curriculum Intermediate and Advanced pages for more information

Learning Objectives

Based on attending this event, I know, or am able to:

• Describe how the goal and process of functional subgrouping is derived from a Theory of Living Human Systems
• Demonstrate introducing functional subgrouping
• Describe the Time Travelling Map as a technique to shift from irreality to reality
• Apply the fork-in-the-road technique to offer a choice between explaining the known or exploring reality
• Apply at least one protocol for undoing tension, outrage or depression to release energy for work
• Plan an intervention to weaken flight phase restraining forces to system development

Presentation Content

Agazarian’s (1997) theory of living human systems, with its systems-centered approach to group practice, represents a developed and comprehensive systems theory applied to groups, individuals and couples. A theory of living human systems has defined theoretical constructs and operational definitions that implement and test the theoretical hypotheses in its practice. SCT methods are regularly cited or included in handbooks and reviews of group psychotherapy practice. There is also significant peer-reviewed published support for the theory and its practice, including articles in the International Journal of Group Psychotherapy, Group Dynamics, Small Group Research, Organizational Analysis, and Group Analysis.

Supporting References

Agazarian, Y.M. (1997). Systems centered therapy for groups. New York, NY: Guilford. Re-printed in paperback (2004). London, UK: Karnac Books.

Agazarian, Y.M., Gantt, S.P., & Carter, F.B. (2021). Systems-centered training: An illustrated guide for applying a theory of living human systems. New York, NY: Routledge.

Gantt, S.P. (2021). Systems-centered theory (SCT) into group therapy: Beyond surviving ruptures to repairing and thriving. International Journal of Group Psychotherapy, 71(2), 224-252. doi: 10.1080/00207284.2020.1772073

Gantt, S.P. (2025). A commentary on “Contemporary theories of group psychotherapy: A systems approach to the group-as-a-whole.” International Journal of Group Psychotherapy, 75(1), 137–146. doi: 10.1080/00207284.2024.2429386

Gantt, S.P., & Agazarian, Y.M. (2017). Systems-centered group therapy. International Journal of Group Psychotherapy, 67(sup1), S60-S70. doi: 10.1080/00207284.2016.1218768

Presenters

Annie MacIver, MA, CQSW. Annie MacIver is an organisational consultant, trainer and coach working in the public and private sectors. She has applied SCT to build effective teams and partnerships as a senior leader in large public sector organisations. She is a licensed Systems-Centred practitioner, a Director of SCTUK, Director of the SCTRI Center and a member of the SCTRI Board. She has an MA in Consultation and the Organisation and is a qualified Social Worker.

Alida Zweidler-McKay, MBA. Alida Zweidler-McKay has been coaching executives, entrepreneurs, and teams from small businesses to Fortune 10 companies for over 25 years. She helps clients delegate effectively, lead authentically, and build productive teams through one-on-one coaching, team coaching and workshops. Alida has been studying SCT since 2002, has completed the Authority Issue Group, and is in the process of becoming a licensed SCT practitioner. She is also a Certified SAVI trainer and SAVI Master Coder. She has a BA from Swarthmore College and an MBA from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.

What happens that many of us lose our energy around applying for SCT licensing/relicensing? Through subgrouping, we will explore our restraining forces together. We will then listen to recorded samples from participants’ professional contexts and develop force fields. The goal will be to come away with next steps around licensing: nuts and bolts about the process, renewed energy to apply/reapply, clarity of driving/restraining forces of work samples, and/or peer support for moving forward.

*Note: All participants are asked to bring a 5-15 minute recorded work sample.

Prerequisite: Completion of Authority Issue Group (AIG). 

Participation in advanced level training requires membership in SCTRI.

See the SCT Training Curriculum Advanced page for more information

Learning Objectives

Based on attending this event, I know, or am able to:

• Utilize the person-as-a-system map to better understand my driving/restraining forces toward licensing
• Identify 1-2 restraining forces in my way of applying for licensing/relicensing
• Demonstrate an ability to see my restraining forces from a systems perspective and not just personally
• Create a force field from a work sample that uses data to identify driving and restraining forces towards meeting criteria for SCT licensure
• Describe the difference between an opinion and a data-based conclusion
• Identify 1-2 next steps for my professional work and/or my goal of licensing

Presentation Content

Agazarian’s (1997) theory of living human systems, with its systems-centered approach to group practice, represents a developed and comprehensive systems theory applied to groups, individuals and couples. A theory of living human systems has defined theoretical constructs and operational definitions that implement and test the theoretical hypotheses in its practice. This theory and its methods are accepted among group practitioners as evidence-baesd by SCTRI’s 2010 recognition for “Outstanding Contributions in Education and Training in the Field of Group Psychotherapy” awarded by the National Registry of Certified Group Psychotherapists. SCT methods are regularly cited or included in handbooks and reviews of group psychotherapy practice. There is also significant peer-reviewed published support for the theory and its practice, including articles in the International Journal of Group Psychotherapy, Group Dynamics, Small Group Research, Organizational Analysis, and Group Analysis.

The systems-centered approach to group and organizational work has been in the field for over 30 years and presented in more than 45 articles in peer-reviewed professional journals as well as numerous books. Its methods and techniques weaken the restraining forces to the flow of energy/information across the boundaries of the system hierarchy.

This training will be theoretically driven. Through the use of force fields participants will discriminate between subjective opinions and observable data. As we will be working with clinical material in this training, we will advise participants of and uphold APA and HIPAA guidelines for confidentiality.

Supporting References

Agazarian, Y.M. (1997). Systems-centered therapy for groups. New York, NY: Guilford Press. Re-printed in paperback (2004). London, UK: Karnac Books.

Agazarian, Y.M., Gantt, S.P., & Carter, F.B. (2021). Systems-centered training: An illustrated guide for applying a theory of living human systems. New York, NY: Routledge.

Gantt, S.P. (2021). Systems-centered training for group leaders: Weakening social survivor roles that undermine women (and men) in leadership. In Y.I. Kane, S.M. Masselink & A.C. Weiss (Eds.), Women, intersectionality and power in group psychotherapy leadership (pp. 236-253). London, UK: Routledge.

Gantt, S.P. (2013). Applying systems-centered theory (SCT) and methods in organizational contexts: Putting SCT to work. International Journal of Group Psychotherapy, 63(2), 234-258.  https://doi.org/10.1521/ijgp.2013.63.2.234

Gantt, S.P., & Agazarian, Y.M. (2017). Systems centered group therapy. International Journal of Group Psychotherapy, 67(sup 1), S60-S70 https://doi.org/10.1080/00207284.2016.1218768

Presenters

Susan Beren, PhD. Susan Beren is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist and Licensed Systems-Centered Practitioner who has been in private practice in NYC for over 25 years and who has worked in several city hospitals. Susan leads SCT therapy groups in her practice and co-leads an SCT training group. Susan's areas of specialization with clients include anxiety, depression, eating disorders, and trauma. She also specializes in consultation to other therapists in their work with clients and groups, and in SCT consultation.

Madeline O'Carroll, MSc, RMN. Madeline O'Carroll is a Senior Lecturer in Mental Health Nursing in London and a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. She has over thirty years of experience in mental health as an educator and clinician. As a qualified teacher she has expertise in the design, delivery and evaluation of educational programmes. Her group work experience includes therapy groups for people with psychosis and groups to support mental health students process the impact of their work. Madeline co-led Intermediate Skills Training for 6 years and is currently developing a competency framework for SCT as a member of the Curriculum Development Group

This group introduces participants to the basic elements of SCT theory, skills and practice.

Functional subgrouping is the core method used in SCT to implement the theory statement that all living systems survive, develop and transform by discriminating differences in the apparently similar and similarities in the apparently different. This group will introduce and practice the behaviors that support functional subgrouping.

Learning Objectives

Based on attending this event, I know, or am able to:

• Analyze the role of functional subgrouping in preventing systems from splitting off differences
• Apply two behaviors that support functional subgrouping
• Describe how functional subgrouping helps to activate one's observing system

Presentation Content

The systems-centered approach to group and organizational work has been in the field for over 30 years, presented in more than 45 articles in peer-reviewed professional journals. Functional subgrouping has been shown to increase group cohesion and decrease scapegoating. Developing a functional subgroup requires a set of verbal behaviors/skills which, once learned, facilitate exploration and conflict resolution in any context. Joining with similarities includes identifying authentic resonance within oneself, matching or slightly increasing the intensity of affect, adding new bits to build the subgroup without bringing in too big a difference.

Supporting References

Agazarian, Y.M. (2012). Systems-centered group psychotherapy: Putting theory into practice. International Journal of Group Psychotherapy, 62(2) 171-195. doi: 10.1521/ijgp.2012.62.2.171

Agazarian, Y.M., Gantt, S.P., & Carter, F.B. (2021). Systems-centered training: An illustrated guide for applying a theory of living human systems. New York: Routledge.

Gantt, S.P., & Agazarian, Y.M. (2010). Developing the group mind through functional subgrouping: Linking systems-centered training (SCT) and interpersonal neurobiology. International Journal of Group Psychotherapy, 60(4), 515-544. doi: 10.1521/ijgp.2010.60.4.515

Gantt, S.P., & Agazarian, Y.M. (2017). Systems-centered group therapy. International Journal of Group Psychotherapy, 67(sup1), S60-S70. doi: 10.1080/00207284.2016.1218768

Gantt, S.P., (2018). Developing groups that change our minds and transform our brains: Systems-centered’s functional subgrouping, its impact on our neurobiology, and its role in each phase of group development. Psychoanalytic Inquiry: Today’s Bridge Between Psychoanalysis and the Group World [Special Issue], 38(4), 270-284. doi: 10.1080/07351690.2018.1444851

Presenters

Brian Conley S.J., MBA, MAPR, ACPE Certified Educator. Brian Conley has over 20 years experience as a chaplain, chaplain educator, and Roman Catholic priest. He currently serves as the Superior of the Jesuits of Maine. He also serves as Chaplain to the Faculty and Staff and as a teacher at Cheverus High School in Portland, Maine where he works with faculty to develop and integrate Ignatian spirituality into their personal and professional lives. Finally, he serves as an ACPE Certified Educator at Maine Medical Center leading an extended unit Clinical Pastoral Education. He has been active in SCTRI since 2006 and recently completed the Authority Issue Group.

Jennifer Langdon , MS. Jennifer Langdon is a dynamic and innovative consultant with over 25 years of experience in corporations, associations and not-for-profit organizations. She specializes in building highly effective interdisciplinary teams through a combination of systems-centered methods including leader and team coaching, and organizational development consulting. As a trainer/facilitator, Jennifer has designed and delivered skill building workshops for front line managers, senior executives, and human resources (HR) colleagues seeking to build consultancy skills. She has an MS in Organization Development. She has been a SCTRI Board Member since 2024.

This session introduces participants to the basic elements of SCT theory, skills and practice.

We will connect SCT practice to the fundamentals of a Theory of Living Human Systems as well as to the neurobiological impacts of functional subgrouping.

Learning Objectives

Based on attending this event, I know, or am able to:

• Describe the fundamental elements of a Theory of Living Human Systems (TLHS)
• Define how Functional Subgrouping relates to a Theory of Living Human Systems
• Describe the impact of Functional Subgrouping on our neurobiology

Presentation Content

Agazarian’s (1997) theory of living human systems, with its systems-centered approach to group practice, represents a developed and comprehensive systems theory applied to groups, individuals and couples. A theory of living human systems has defined theoretical constructs and operational definitions that implement and test the theoretical hypotheses in its practice. This theory and its methods are accepted among group practitioners as evidence-based by SCTRI’s 2010 recognition for “Outstanding Contributions in Education and Training in the Field of Group Psychotherapy” awarded by the National Registry of Certified Group Psychotherapists. SCT methods are regularly cited or included in handbooks and reviews of group psychotherapy practice. There is also significant peer-reviewed published support for the theory and its practice, including articles in the International Journal of Group Psychotherapy, Group Dynamics, Small Group Research, Organizational Analysis, and Group Analysis.

Dr. Susan Gantt's 2018 publication develops the links between the increasing body of research integrating neurobiology and human development to the theory and practice of SCT. This program has the goal of linking the practice of SCT methods to both a theory of living human systems and the outcomes that psychologist and others who work to reduce restraining forces to development are working toward.

Supporting References

Agazarian, Y.M., Gantt, S.P., & Carter, F.B. (Eds.) (2021). Systems-centered training: An illustrated guide for applying a theory of living human systems. New York, NY: Routledge.

Gantt, S.P. (2015). Systems-centered group therapy. In E.S. Neukrug (Ed.), Encyclopedia of theory in counseling and psychotherapy (pp. 991-996). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Gantt, S.P. (2018). Developing groups that change our minds and transform our brains: Systems-centered’s functional subgrouping, its impact on our neurobiology, and its role in each phase of group development. Psychoanalytic Inquiry: Today’s Bridge Between Psychoanalysis and the Group World [Special Issue], 38(4), 270-284. doi: 10.1080/07351690.2018.1444851

Gantt, S.P. (2019). Implications of neuroscience for group psychotherapy. In F.J. Kaklauskas & L.R. Greene (Eds.), Core principles of group psychotherapy: An integrated theory, research, and practice training manual (pp. 156-170). New York, NY: Routledge.

Gantt, S.P., & Agazarian, Y.M. (2017). Systems-centered group therapy. International Journal of Group Psychotherapy, 67(sup1), S60-S70. doi: 10.1080/00207284.2016.1218768
 

Presenters

Claudia Byram, PhD, CGP. Claudia Byram has worked since 1980 as a clinician and trainer, developing with the emergence of systems-centered theory and practice in Philadelphia. Currently she is a Licensed Systems-Centered Practitioner with a clinical practice in Philadelphia. She leads Systems-Centered training events, both in Philadelphia and as a lead trainer in the annual SCT Conferences. She is editor of the SCTRI Newsletter and on the Board of Directors of SCTRI. She, along with Frances Carter, leads trainings in the SAVI (System for Analyzing Verbal Interaction) model of verbal communication. SAVI is one of the tools that helps systems-centered practitioners monitor both their own system inputs and the state of the working system.

Perri Lynn Franskviak, PhD. Perri Franskoviak maintains a private practice in which she integrates systems-centered therapy, sensorimotor psychotherapy, and harm reduction principles, working primarily with couples and individuals with trauma and alcohol and other drug misuse. She is currently the clinical director for the Harm Reduction Therapy Center in San Francisco, and is the organizational clinical consultant and trainer with Alchemy Community Therapy Center in Oakland that offers a two-year associate training program for therapists and psychologists that includes training in ketamine-assisted therapy. Along with Jane Steinberg, MFT, she runs an Introduction to SCT Training group that meets on-line approximately every month.

This group introduces participants to the basic elements of SCT theory, skills and practice.

Explaining is necessary for survival; it operates within a narrow, survival-enhancing range. It constructs the world for us; our survival roles and biases determines the kind of world we see. Explaining stabilizes us by using what we already know. Exploring moves us into the unknown where something new can emerge. Using SCT technique of the fork-in-the-road we will explore experience at the edge of the unknown and see what difference it makes and what we discover.

Learning Objectives

Based on attending this event, I know, or am able to:

• Describe the fork-in-the-road as a method to vector energy
• Apply exploring versus explaining as a fork-in-the-road
• Describe how the fork-in-the-road technique supports functional subgrouping, the major method in SCT

Presentation Content

Through didactic and experiential learning, this workshop will provide initial training to participants in understanding and using the systems-centered method of vectoring (specifically the fork-in-the-road intervention). The systems-centered approach has been in the field of group psychotherapy for over 30 years. More than 45 articles featuring SCT have been published in peer-reviewed journals and multiple books in the fields of psychotherapy and organizational development. The systems-centered approach has been studied and linked to successful strategies for increasing the effectiveness of leadership interventions in individual and group psychotherapy and in organizational contexts.

Supporting References

Agazarian, Y.M. (2012). Systems-centered group psychotherapy: A theory of living human systems and its systems-centered practice. GROUP: The Journal of the Eastern Group Psychotherapy Society, 36(1), 19-36.

Agazarian, Y.M., Gantt, S.P., & Carter, F.B. (2021). Systems-centered training: An illustrated guide for applying a theory of living human systems. New York, NY: Routledge.

Gantt, S.P. (2015). Systems-centered group therapy. In E.S. Neukrug (Ed.), Encyclopedia of theory in counseling and psychotherapy (pp. 991-996). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Gantt, S.P. (2018). Developing groups that change our minds and transform our brains: Systems-centered's functional subgrouping, its impact on our neurobiology, and its role in each phase of group development. Psychoanalytic Inquiry: Today's Bridge Between Psychoanalysis and the Group World [Special Issue], 38(4), 270-284. doi: 10.1080/07351690.2018.1444851

Gantt, S.P., & Agazarian, Y.M. (2017). Systems-centered group therapy. International Journal of Group Psychotherapy, 67(sup1), S60-S70. doi: 10.1080/00207284.2016.1218768

Presenters

Jeff Eiberson, PhD. Jeff Eiberson is a licensed psycholgist and Licensed Systems-Centered Practitioner. He has worked in several roles within SCT since 1994 and is in private practice in Philadelphia.

Floor Daver, MSc. Floor Daver is an Organizational Psychologist, working with leaders and teams in Organizational Development (OD) Contexts for 20 years. She is a member of SCT Licensing Group VII and a member of the SCT community since 2012,

This group introduces participants to the basic elements of SCT theory, skills and practice.

Learning to see systems and not just people is the heart of applying systems thinking. Participants will explore how to apply the constructs of a theory of living human systems in looking at human systems from as small as a person to a couple, group, organization and larger - a community or even as big as the world.

Learning Objectives

Based on attending this event, I know, or am able to:

• Identify an example of seeing systems and not just people
• Describe two variables identified in a Theory of Living Human Systems
• Explain two ways in which an understanding of a Theory of Living Human Systems builds the capacity for seeing systems

Presentation Content

This workshop will use Agazarian’s (1997) theory of living human systems (TLHS), with its systems-centered approach to group practice, to identify key elements of systems, such a boundaries, energy, and hierarchy, and interventions that can useful in helpful in supporting system development, e.g., functional subgrouping. By developing familiarity with system characteristics and interventions, workshop attendees will be able to see how a systems lens can facilitate evaluation and intervention with individuals, couples, groups, and institutions. A TLHS is a developed and comprehensive systems theory applied to groups, individuals and couples, that has defined theoretical constructs and operational definitions that function as hypotheses to test both the validity of the theory and the reliability of its practice. This theory and its methods are accepted among group practitioners as evidence-based by SCTRI’s 2010 recognition for “Outstanding Contributions in Education and Training in the Field of Group Psychotherapy” awarded by the National Registry of Certified Group Psychotherapists. SCT methods are regularly cited or included in handbooks and reviews of group psychotherapy practice. There is also significant peer-reviewed published support for the theory and its practice, including articles in the International Journal of Group Psychotherapy, Group Dynamics, Small Group Research, Organizational Analysis, and Group Analysis.

Supporting References

Agazarian, Y.M., Gantt, S.P., & Carter, F.B. (2021). Systems-centered training: An illustrated guide for applying a theory of living human systems. New York, NY: Routledge.

Gantt, S.P., & Agazarian, Y.M. (2017). Systems-centered group therapy. International Journal of Group Psychotherapy, 67(sup1), S60-S70. doi: 10.1080/00207284.2016.1218768

Gantt, S.P., & Badenoch, B. (2020). Systems-centered group psychotherapy: Developing a group mind that supports right brain function and right-left-right hemispheric integration. In R. Tweedy (Ed.) The divided therapist: Hemispheric difference and contemporary psychotherapy (pp. 149-180). London, UK: Routledge.

O’Neill, R.M., Byram, C.A., Mogle, J., & MacKenzie, M.J. (2024). Are system-centered boards more collaborative, productive, and creative? A partial replication, and a pilot exploration of how. GROUP: The Journal of the Eastern Group Psychotherapy Society, 48(4), 11-29. doi:10.1353/grp.2024.a962317

Presenters

Neal Spivack, PhD, CGP, AGPA-F. Neal Spivack is a clinical psychologist in private practice. He has worked over thirty years in hospital systems, including the Veterans Administration (VA) at the Manhattan Campus of the New York Harbor Healthcare System and the New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation. He has completed the SCT Authority Issue Group and is a Certified Group Psychotherapist (CGP) and a Fellow of the American Group Psychotherapy Association (AGPA-F). He has served as the President of Eastern Group Psychotherapy Society (EGPS) and Program Co-chair of the EGPS Annual Conference.

Perri Franskoviak, PhD. Perri Franskoviak maintains a private practice in which she integrates Systems-Centered Therapy, sensorimotor psychotherapy, and harm reduction principles, working primarily with couples and individuals with trauma and alcohol and other drug misuse. She is currently the clinical director for the Harm Reduction Therapy Center in San Francisco and is the organizational clinical consultant and trainer with Alchemy Community Therapy Center in Oakland that offers a two-year associate training program for therapists and psychologists that includes training in ketamine-assisted therapy. Along with Jane Steinberg, MFT, she runs an Introduction to SCT Training group that meets on-line approximately every month.

This group introduces participants to the basic elements of SCT theory, skills and practice.

SCT identifies three sources of anxiety. These will be introduced and normalized at the same time as recognizing that anxiety is often a barrier between the individual and authentic experience. The group will enable people to consider the discrimination between anxiety and sitting at the edge of the unknown.

Learning Objectives

Based on attending this event, I know, or am able to:

• List the three sources of anxiety identified in SCT
• Describe the discrimination between mindreads and negative predictions
• Describe the discrimination between anxiety that defends against experience and anxiety at the edge of the unknown

Presentation Content

Agazarian’s (1997) theory of living human systems, with its systems-centered approach to group practice, represents a developed and comprehensive systems theory applied to groups, individuals and couples. A theory of living human systems has defined theoretical constructs and operational definitions that implement and test the theoretical hypotheses in its practice. This theory and its methods are accepted among group practitioners as evidence-based by SCTRI’s 2010 recognition for “Outstanding Contributions in Education and Training in the Field of Group Psychotherapy” awarded by the National Registry of Certified Group Psychotherapists. SCT methods are regularly cited or included in handbooks and reviews of group psychotherapy practice. There is also significant peer-reviewed published support for the theory and its practice, including articles in the International Journal of Group Psychotherapy, Group Dynamics, Small Group Research, Organizational Analysis, and Group Analysis.

The systems-centered approach to group and organizational work has been in the field for over 30 years, presented in more than 45 articles in peer-reviewed professional journals. Its methods incorporate techniques linked to successful strategies for improvement in group and individual psychotherapy, for example, modifying cognitive distortions, increasing group cohesion, lowering scapegoating, and reducing somatic defenses.

Supporting References

Agazarian, Y.M., Gantt, S.P., & Carter, F.B. (Eds.) (2021). Systems-centered training: An illustrated guide for applying a theory of living human systems. New York, NY: Routledge.

Gantt, S.P. (2013). Applying systems-centered theory (SCT) and methods in organizational contexts: Putting SCT to work. International Journal of Group Psychotherapy, 63(2), 234-258. doi: 10.1521/ijgp.2013.63.2.234

Gantt, S.P. (2015). Systems-centered group therapy. In E.S. Neukrug (Ed.), Encyclopedia of theory in counseling and psychotherapy (pp. 991-996). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Gantt, S.P. (2019). Implications of neuroscience for group psychotherapy. In F.J. Kaklauskas & L.R. Greene (Eds.), Core principles of group psychotherapy: An integrated theory, research, and practice training manual (pp. 156-170). New York, NY: Routledge.

Gantt, S.P., & Agazarian, Y.M. (2017). Systems-centered group therapy. International Journal of Group Psychotherapy, 67(sup1), S60-S70. doi: 10.1080/00207284.2016.1218768

Wheelan, S.A. (2016). Creating effective teams: A guide for members and leaders. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage..

Presenters

Jennifer Langdon, MS. Jennifer Langdon is a dynamic and innovative consultant with over 25 years of experience in corporations, associations and not-for-profit organizations. She specializes in building highly effective interdisciplinary teams through a combination of systems-centered methods including leader and team coaching, and organizational development consulting. As a trainer/facilitator, Jennifer has designed and delivered skill building workshops for front line managers, senior executives, and human resources (HR) colleagues seeking to build consultancy skills. She has an MS in Organization Development. She has been a SCTRI Board Member since 2024.

Mike Maher, MA, PGCE. Mike Maher is an experienced psychotherapist, trainer and organizational consultant. He was formerly Deputy Director at Peper Harow Therapeutic Community and worked in and with childcare and treatment for over 30 years. He is Director of the Systems-Centered Training and Research Institute and is a Licensed SCT Practitioner. Mike runs SCT training groups in the Netherlands and Denmark and works in private practice in the UK and online across the world. He has presented at many international conferences and his work has been regularly published.

This group introduces participants to the basic elements of SCT theory, skills and practice.

This drop-In offers the opportunity to learn more about the SCT method for consultation called "My problem is I..." and its theoretical underpinnings. Participants will have the opportunity to practice this model and explore their experiences.

Learning Objectives

Based on attending this event, I know, or am able to:

• Describe the steps of the consultation method "My problem is I..."
• Demonstrate the consultation method "My problem is I..."
• Describe the theoretical underpinnings of this consultation method

Presentation Content

Agazarian’s (1997) Theory of Living Human Systems, with its Systems-Centered approach, represents a comprehensive systems theory that can be applied to groups, individuals and couples. The theory has defined theoretical constructs and operational definitions that implement and test the theoretical hypotheses in its practice. In this group we will be experimenting with an SCT consultation method used in working with individuals.

Supporting References

Agazarian, Y.M., Gantt, S.P., & Carter, F.B. (Eds.) (2021). Systems-centered training: An illustrated guide for applying a theory of living human systems. New York, NY: Routledge.

Gantt, S.P., & Agazarian, Y.M. (2017). Systems-centered group therapy. International Journal of Group Psychotherapy, 67(sup1), S60-S70. doi: 10.1080/00207284.2016.1218768

Gantt, S.P. (2021). Systems-centered theory (SCT) into group therapy: Beyond surviving ruptures to repairing and thriving. International Journal of Group Psychotherapy, 71(2), 224-252. doi: 10.1080/00207284.2020.1772073

Gantt, S.P. (2025). A commentary on “Contemporary theories of group psychotherapy: A systems approach to the group-as-a-whole.” International Journal of Group Psychotherapy, 75(1), 137–146. doi: 10.1080/00207284.2024.2429386

Presenters

Peter T. Dunlap, PhD. Peter T. Dunlap is a psychologist working in private and political practice. He is engaged in research at the interface between SCT group theory, Jungian psychocultural thought, and emotion-centered psychotherapy. He leads several groups using functional subgrouping focused on psychotherapy and community leadership. He has published his research in a book entitled "Awakening Our Faith in the Future.” He teaches group theory and practice and other classes to graduate students at Pacifica Graduate Institute. He is an SCT Licensed Practitioner.

Floor Daver, MSc. Floor Daver is an Organizational Psychologist, working with leaders and teams in Organizational Development (OD) Contexts for 20 years. She is a member of SCT Licensing Group VII and a member of the SCT community since 2012,

This group introduces participants to the basic elements of SCT theory, skills and practice.

When our energy is stuck in the past, the future or taken up by outside concerns, it’s not available for ourselves or for the group. Undoing distractions brings our energy into the present for ourselves and the system-as-a-whole. This group will cover the theory behind the SCT distraction exercise and practice undoing distractions to experience the impact on ourselves and the group.

Learning Objectives

Based on attending this event, I know, or am able to:

• Describe the impact of distraction on a system
• Describe the "undoing distractions" protocol
• Describe how undoing distractions contributes to system development

Presentation Content

Agazarian’s (1997) theory of living human systems, with its systems-centered approach to group practice, represents a developed and comprehensive systems theory applied to groups, individuals and couples. A theory of living human systems has defined theoretical constructs and operational definitions that implement and test the theoretical hypotheses in its practice. There is also significant peer-reviewed published support for the theory and its practice (which includes the protocol for undoing distractions), as published in the International Journal of Group Psychotherapy, Group Dynamics, Small Group Research, Organizational Analysis, and Group Analysis.

The protocol for undoing distractions is used most frequently at the beginning of a clinical session, as well as any point where distractions arise, to ensure that the client’s energy and focus is directed as far as possible towards the goal of the session. It is also useful in work groups for focusing the energy of the individual members on the task in hand.

Supporting References

Agazarian, Y.M., Gantt, S.P., & Carter, F. (Eds.) (2021). Systems-centered training: An illustrated guide for applying a theory of living human systems. New York: Routledge.

Gantt, S.P. (2021). Systems-centered theory (SCT) into group therapy: Beyond surviving ruptures to repairing and thriving. International Journal of Group Psychotherapy, 71(2), 224-252. doi: 10.1080/00207284.2020.1772073

Gantt, S.P. (2025). A commentary on “Contemporary theories of group psychotherapy: A systems approach to the group-as-a-whole.” International Journal of Group Psychotherapy, 75(1), 137–146. doi: 10.1080/00207284.2024.2429386

Kamozawa, A., Oshima, S., & Mizukawa, Y. (2021). Narrative of “here-and-now”: Cancer survivors in a group psychotherapy using SCT® (systems-centered therapy). Japanese Psychological Research, 63(4), 449-465. doi: 10.1111/jpr.12343

Sundlin, A.-L., Söderhjelm, T.M., & Sandahl, C. (2022). Making rapid shifts in work roles – an essential teamwork skill. An exploratory study of facilitating and inhibiting factors. Team Performance Management, 28(7/8), 461-475. doi: 10.1108/TPM-01-2022-0003

Presenters

Kati Taunt, MA, PGDip. Kati Taunt is a trauma therapist, managing a psychological trauma and bereavement service for children in Bedfordshire, UK. She has worked for the National Health Service for 18 years specializing in attachment, early trauma and PTSD with children and adolescents. Kati is the only European-based ARC (Attachment, Regulation and Competency) licensed trainer and works as a trainer and consultant to a number of foster care services, residential care provisions and is currently working with two local education authorities on projects to establish trauma informed practice within schools and exclusion projects. MA Social Work, PGDip Systemic Therapy, PGDip Cognitive Behavioral Therapy.

Jim Peightel, MD. Jim Peightel is a general and addiction psychiatrist with over 25 years experience serving Philadelphia in a wide range of treatment settings. He has a BA in Physics, and completed his medical training at Temple University and remains on the teaching faculty there. His work has focused on team-based treatment approaches, novel program development, and systems-oriented integration of services for the chronic mentally ill, homeless, and disenfranchised. He is a member of the Pennsylvania Psychiatric Leadership Council, a fellow in the APA, and a recipient of Philadelphia Psychiatric Society’s Robert Jones award honoring a psychiatrist for lifelong commitment and service to the chronically mentally ill. He has participated in health system cultural exchange contingents in various locales including Hungary, Cuba, China, Russia, South Africa, and Myanmar. He began training with Yvonne Agazarian during residency in 1989, became a member of SCTRI in 1996, and is a current member of the SCTRI Board.

This group introduces participants to the basic elements of SCT theory, skills and practice.

SCT work is always in the context of the phases of system development. Each phase of development is operationally defined as a force field of driving and restraining forces. This enables identifying phase-specific interventions that weaken the restraining forces relevant to the phase. Aligning change strategies that link to the phase of development enables releasing the driving forces of the phase.

Learning Objectives

Based on attending this event, I know, or am able to:

• Explain the phases of system development defined by SCT
• Describe at least one developmental challenge inherent in each phase of a group's development
• Describe and apply the hierarchy of defense modification for weakening restraining forces relevant to the phases of system development

Presentation Content

Agazarian’s (1997) theory of living human systems, with its systems-centered approach to group practice, represents a developed and comprehensive systems theory applied to groups, individuals and couples. A theory of living human systems has defined theoretical constructs and operational definitions that function as hypotheses to test both the validity of the theory and the reliability of its practice. SCT methods are regularly cited or included in handbooks and reviews of group psychotherapy practice. There is also significant peer-reviewed published support for the theory and its practice, including over 45 articles in the International Journal of Group Psychotherapy, Group Dynamics, Small Group Research, Organizational Analysis,Group Analysis, GROUP, and other scientific journals as well as numerous books.

The systems-centered approach to group and organizational work has been in the field for over 30 years. Its methods incorporate techniques linked to successful strategies for improvement in group and individual psychotherapy, for example, modifying cognitive distortions, increasing group cohesion, lowering scapegoating, and reducing somatic defenses.

Understanding a group's phase of development lays the groundwork for being able to explore issues related to diversities and past adaptive survivor roles related to power differences and privilege as they emerge in the here-and-now of the group experience. Exploring experiences of differences increases the group’s capacity for discriminating and integrating differences as resources for the group’s development so that differences and the responses to differences can be explored instead of enacted.

Supporting References

Agazarian, Y.M. (1999). Phases of development in the systems-centered group. Small Group Research, 30(1), 82-107. doi: 10.1177/104649649903000105

Agazarian, Y.M., Gantt, S.P., & Carter, F.B. (Eds.) (2021). Systems-centered training: An illustrated guide for applying a theory of living human systems. New York, NY: Routledge.

Gantt, S.P. (2018). Developing groups that change our minds and transform our brains: Systems-centered’s functional subgrouping, its impact on our neurobiology and its role in each phase of group development. Psychoanalytic Inquiry: Today’s Bridge Between Psychoanalysis and the Group World [Special Issue]. 38(4), 270-284. doi: 10.1080/07351690.2018.1444851

Kane, Y.I., Masselink, S.M., & Weiss, A.C. (Eds.). (2021). Women, intersectionality and power in group psychotherapy leadership. New York, NY: Routledge.

Maher, M. (2018). From group analytic to systems-centered consulting: A comparison of experience. Journal of Social Work Practice, 32(4), 423-432. doi: 10.1080/02650533.2018.1503163

O’Neill, R.M., Byram, C.A., Mogle, J., & MacKenzie, M.J. (2024). Are system-centered boards more collaborative, productive, and creative? A partial replication, and a pilot exploration of how. GROUP: The Journal of the Eastern Group Psychotherapy Society, 48(4), 11-29. doi:10.1353/grp.2024.a96231

Presenters

Susan P. Gantt, PhD, CGP, ABPP, AGPA-DF, FAPA. Susan P. Gantt is a psychologist in private practice and coordinated group psychotherapy training in psychiatry at Emory University for 29 years. She chairs the Systems-Centered Training (SCT) and Research Institute; teaches SCT in the USA, Europe and China; and leads training groups in Atlanta, San Francisco, and The Netherlands. She has co-authored four books with Yvonne Agazarian, co-edited The Interpersonal Neurobiology of Group Psychotherapy and Group Process with Bonnie Badenoch, and received the 2011 Alonso Award for Excellence in Psychodynamic Group Psychotherapy. Her latest book is Systems-Centered Training: An Illustrated Guide for Applying a Theory of Living Human Systems (Agazarian, Gantt & Carter, 2021).

This group introduces participants to the basic elements of SCT theory, skills and practice.

Force Field Analysis, developed by Kurt Lewin, collects information about behaviors which drive systems toward their goals (driving forces) and behaviors that hinder progress (restraining forces). By focusing on reducing restraining forces, driving forces are more accessible, making goals easier to reach. In this workshop group members will create their own force fields, relating to learnings from the conference, to inform life and work goals. Participants will then identify the easiest restraining force to undo and identify a next step towards achieving their goal.

Learning Objectives

Based on attending this event, I know, or am able to:

• Demonstrate a basic theoretical understanding of force fields through group discussion
• Construct a force field by identifying a goal, and the driving and restraining forces to that goal
• Use the force field data to identify the easiest restraining force to weaken and make a plan

Presentation Content

Force fields were developed by Kurt Lewin in 1947, and have been used in many social applications since then. They are an important tool used in SCT to aid in collecting data about the driving and restraining forces in human systems. Force fields have found applications in many other fields where they are used in a similar way. Several articles listed below describe and demonstrate the value and application of force fields to SCT and other fields.

Supporting References

Agazarian, Y.M., Gantt, S.P., Carter, F.B. (2021). Energy, information and communication. In Y.M. Agazarian, S.P. Gantt & F.B. Carter (Eds.), Systems-centered training: An illustrated guide for applying a theory of living human systems. (pp. 44-72). Routledge: New York.

Gantt, S.P. (2025). A commentary on “Contemporary theories of group psychotherapy: A systems approach to the group-as-a-whole.” International Journal of Group Psychotherapy, 75(1), 137–146. doi: 10.1080/00207284.2024.2429386

Gantt, S.P., & Agazarian, Y.M. (2017). Systems-centered group therapy. International Journal of Group Psychotherapy, 67(sup1), S60-S70. doi: 10.1080/00207284.2016.1218768

Lewin, K. (1951). Field theory in social science. New York, NY: Harper & Row.

Siegel, D.J. (2023). IntraConnected + mwe (me + we) as the integration of self, identity, and belonging. New York, NY: Norton.

Presenters

Floor Daver, MSc. Floor Daver is an Organizational Psychologist, working with leaders and teams in Organizational Development (OD) Contexts for 20 years. She is a member of SCT Licensing group VIII and member of the SCT community since 2012.

Mindy Lemoine, MS . Mindy Lemoine retired from the US Environmental Protection Agency in 2021 after a long career in watershed planning and hazardous waste management. She now leads tree-planting initiatives in her community. She has been involved in SCTRI since 2002 and has completed the AIG. Mindy holds an MS in Geography from Louisiana State University.

This group introduces participants to the basic elements of SCT theory, skills and practice.

Created by Yvonne Agazarian and Anita Simon, SAVI (System for Analyzing Verbal Interactions) maps communication behaviors. You will be introduced to the SAVI GRID, which captures verbal behaviors that can lead to satisfactory vs. unsatisfactory communication patterns in everyday life, in organizations, work groups, families, and with clients.

Learning Objectives

Based on attending this event, I know, or am able to:

• Identify 3 examples of Avoidant verbal behaviors based on the SAVI Grid
• Identify 3 examples of Approach verbal behaviors based on the SAVI Grid
• List one example each of “redundancy,” “ambiguity” and “contradiction”

Presentation Content

Behavioral observation systems are well-established in the research and clinical fields. This particular model, System for Analyzing Verbal Interaction (SAVI), has been used for research in 4 dissertations, reported as a group process tool in 4 peer-reviewed publications, and is currently used for data collection in 3 as yet unpublished ongoing studies. It has a sound theoretical base in both field theory (Lewin, 1951) and information theory (Shannon, 1964) and builds on the work of Bales (1950) and others who developed observation systems to study classroom interactions.

SAVI is a precursor to SCT and a Theory of Living Human Systems (TLHS). SAVI operationalizes the construct of “noise” (ambiguity, redundancy and contradictions) in a TLHS (Agazarian et al., 2021).

SAVI is a non-judgmental observation tool that can be used to map any human system’s communication behaviors in organizations, work groups, families, and clients, by collecting data from which we can infer the developmental phase of a system, and to what degree it is open or closed to information.

Participants will be introduced to a brief overview of the historical theoretical roots of SAVI (including Benjamin et al., 2012; Howard & Scott, 1965; Lewin et al., 1939; Shannon & Weaver, 1964; Simon & Agazarian, 1967).

The SAVI GRID will be used as a tool to explore verbal behaviors that promote or inhibit clear information transfer in everyday life, dependent on the context and the goal of the context, thus discriminating which behaviors approach or avoid problem-solving in communication.

Supporting References

Agazarian, Y.M., Gantt, S.P., & Carter, F.B. (Eds.) (2021). Systems-centered training: An illustrated guide for applying a theory of living human systems. New York: Routledge.

Benjamin, B., Yeager, A., & Simon, A. (2012). Conversation transformation: Recognize and overcome the 6 most destructive communication patterns. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.

Gantt, S.P. (2018). Developing groups that change our minds and transform our brains: Systems-centered’s functional subgrouping, its impact on our neurobiology, and its role in each phase of group development. Psychoanalytic Inquiry: Today’s Bridge Between Psychoanalysis and the Group World [Special Issue], 38(4), 270-284. doi: 10.1080/07351690.2018.1444851

Gantt, S.P. (2025). A commentary on “Contemporary theories of group psychotherapy: A systems approach to the group-as-a-whole.” International Journal of Group Psychotherapy, 75(1), 137–146. doi: 10.1080/00207284.2024.2429386

O’Neill, R.M., Byram, C.A., Mogle, J., & MacKenzie, M.J. (2024). Are system-centered boards more collaborative, productive, and creative? A partial replication, and a pilot exploration of how. GROUP: The Journal of the Eastern Group Psychotherapy Society, 48(4), 11-29. doi:10.1353/grp.2024.a962317

Simon A., & Agazarian, Y.M. (2000). SAVI - The system for analyzing verbal interaction. In A.P. Beck & C.M. Lewis (Eds.), The process of group psychotherapy: Systems for analyzing change (pp. 357-380). Washington, D.C.: American Psychological Association.

Presenters

Verena Murphy, PhD, LCSW-C. Verena Murphy began training with Yvonne Agazarian in 1993, and the co-originator of SAVI, Anita Simon, in 1997. She has used SCT theory and practice, as well as SAVI, in her personal development, as a partner, mother and grandmother, as a clinical Social Worker in inpatient and outpatient settings, as former assistant professor in Management and Information Systems, and as organizational consultant and trainer in Europe. She is a re-certified SAVI Trainer, and resides in Oregon, where she is in private practice online.

7-day group, meets on Institute weekend and continues Monday-Friday as full-morning training.

Intermediate skills training shifts focus from work with oneself to work with others. In this intensive 7-day training, participants are introduced to SCT protocols with an emphasis on the theoretical context for the intervention and the technical skills that make up each protocol. Participants then record their practice of each protocol and lead a small task group reviewing recorded sections in order to identify specific driving and restraining forces of their work.

By application to assess your readiness for this training (see link below). Send application form with force fields to both Lotte Paans and Peter Slenders.

APPLICATION DEADLINE: Sunday, April 26, 2026

Note: One of the leaders of your training group (or, if in unusual circumstances, you are not part of a training group, a system mentor) should approve your readiness for this training. This is the first of the core Intermediate SCT trainings.

Participation in intermediate level training requires membership in SCTRI and actively receiving consultation from an SCT Licensed Practitioner.

See the SCT Training Curriculum Intermediate page for more information

Please download, complete and return this application form

Learning Objectives

Based on attending this event, I know, or am able to:

• Demonstrate ability to introduce functional subgrouping to a group
• Demonstrate ability to use SCT protocols for undoing distractions, anxiety, tension, depression, outrages, and role locks
• Apply a basic understanding of the theoretical context for the use of SCT protocols
• Create a force field to analyze what helps or hinders the application of protocols
• Demonstrate ability to provide feedback based on facts, not opinions
• Demonstrate ability to lead a small task group

Presentation Content

Agazarian’s (1997) theory of living human systems, with its systems-centered approach to group practice, represents a developed and comprehensive systems theory applied to groups, individuals and couples. A theory of living human systems has defined theoretical constructs and operational definitions that function as hypotheses to test both the validity of the theory and the reliability of its practice in psychotherapy, clinical pastoral eduction, other mental health applications as well as organizational consultation.

This theory and its methods are accepted among group practitioners as evidence-based by SCTRI’s 2010 recognition for “Outstanding Contributions in Education and Training in the Field of Group Psychotherapy” awarded by the National Registry of Certified Group Psychotherapists. SCT methods are regularly cited or included in handbooks and reviews of group psychotherapy practice. There is also significant peer-reviewed published support for the theory and its practice, including articles in the International Journal of Group Psychotherapy, Group Dynamics, Small Group Research, Organizational Analysis, and Group Analysis.

Supporting References

Agazarian, Y.M., Gantt, S.P., & Carter, F.B. (Eds.) (2021). Systems-centered training: An illustrated guide for applying a theory of living human systems. New York, NY: Routledge.

Gantt, S.P. (2013). Applying systems-centered theory (SCT) and methods in organizational contexts: Putting SCT to work. International Journal of Group Psychotherapy, 63(2), 234-258. doi: 10.1521/ijgp.2013.63.2.234

Gantt, S.P. (2021). Systems-centered theory (SCT) into group therapy: Beyond surviving ruptures to repairing and thriving. International Journal of Group Psychotherapy, 71(2), 224-252. doi: 10.1080/00207284.2020.1772073

Gantt, S.P., & Agazarian, Y.M. (2017). Systems-centered group therapy. International Journal of Group Psychotherapy, 67(sup 1), S60-S70 doi: 10.1080/00207284.2016.1218768

Gantt, S.P., & Badenoch, B. (2020). Systems-centered group psychotherapy: Developing a group mind that supports right brain function and right-left-right hemispheric integration. In R. Tweedy (Ed.) The divided therapist: Hemispheric difference and contemporary psychotherapy (pp. 149-180). London, UK: Routledge.

Presenters

Lotte Paans, MSc. Lotte Paans runs a private practice for therapy and (team)coaching in the Netherlands. She counsels individuals, couples and teams, provides training and consultation for professionals using SCT. She leads several SCT groups in the Netherlands in Germany and at SCT conferences In the USA and the UK. Lotte is a licensed SCT Practitioner and founding member and Chair of the Dutch SCT-NL Board.

Peter Slenders, MSc. Peter Slenders is a certified coach in the Netherlands (PHBO) and has worked as trainer, (team) coach and therapist with adults and children since 2003. He has led programmes for personal and group development in primary schools and Health Care. He uses a systems orientation to support inter- and transdisciplinary groups, selfsteering teams and couples with their challenges in communication and collaboration towards their goals. Peter runs a private practice for coaching and couples therapy and is a teamcoach in the Netherlands. He has been studying SCT since 2009; has completed the Authority Issue Group; and is presently in the process of becoming a licensed SCT practitioner. He is a Board member of SCT-NL and a member of SCTRI.

7-day group, meets on Institute weekend and continues Monday-Friday as full-morning training.

This training is an ongoing event that confronts the hatred of authority, one’s own and others’. Alternating between training group practicum and review work, the program will focus on applying a Theory of Living Human Systems in exploring the issues of giving and taking authority. This training is by application only for SCTRI members who are committed to becoming a Licensed SCT Practitioner, who have completed all prerequisite intermediate training, and meet the criteria for group membership. Joining this group means committing to twice yearly meetings for the duration of the group.

This is a closed group.

Participation in intermediate level training requires membership in SCTRI and actively receiving consultation from an SCT Licensed Practitioner.

See the SCT Training Curriculum Intermediate and Advanced pages for more information

Learning Objectives

Based on attending this event, I know, or am able to:

• Demonstrate ability to shift from person to member in a developing group in each of its phases of system development
• Utilize leadership and membership roles working in the context of a peer task-focused group
• Apply SCT methods to weaken the restraining forces in shifting from person to member
• Describe the concept of the hatred of authority
• Explain the role relationships with external authority and one’s internal authority
• Demonstrate working in membership with leadership towards the goal of increasing awareness of the driving and restraining forces related to leadership effectiveness, both internal in relationship to the personality style, task/maintenance dimensions, and the effect of leadership behaviors on the group's membership, subgroups and the group-as-a-whole

Presentation Content

Agazarian’s (1997) theory of living human systems, with its systems-centered approach to group practice, represents a developed and comprehensive systems theory applied to groups, individuals and couples. A theory of living human systems has defined theoretical constructs and operational definitions that function as hypotheses to test both the validity of the theory and the reliability of its practice. This theory and its methods are accepted among group practitioners as evidence-based by SCTRI’s 2010 recognition for “Outstanding Contributions in Education and Training in the Field of Group Psychotherapy” awarded by the National Registry of Certified Group Psychotherapists. SCT methods are regularly cited or included in handbooks and reviews of group psychotherapy practice. There is also significant peer-reviewed published support for the theory and its practice, including articles in the International Journal of Group Psychotherapy, Group Dynamics, Small Group Research, Organizational Analysis, and Group Analysis.

The Authority Issue Group (AIG) is an intermediate level training on the path toward becoming an SCT Licensed Practitioner. Alternating between training group practicum, review work, and peer assessment, the training focuses on applying a Theory of Living Human Systems in exploring the issues of giving and taking authority, shifting from person to member in a developing group, and learning to take up leadership and membership roles.

Supporting References

Agazarian, Y.M., Gantt, S.P., & Carter, F. (Eds.) (2021). Systems-centered training: An illustrated guide for applying a theory of living human systems. New York, NY: Routledge.

Finlay, L.D., Abernethy, A.D., & Garrels, S.R. (2016). Scapegoating in group therapy: Insights from Girard’s mimetic theory. International Journal of Group Psychotherapy, 66(2), 188-204. doi: 10.1080/00207284.2015.1106174

Gantt, S.P. (2018). Developing groups that change our minds and transform our brains: Systems-centered's functional subgrouping, its impact on our neurobiology, and its role in each phase of group development. Psychoanalytic Inquiry: Today's Bridge Between Psychoanalysis and the Group World [Special Issue], 38(4), 270-284. doi: 10.1080/07351690.2018.1444851

Maher, M. (2018). From group analytic to systems-centered consulting: A comparison of experience. Journal of Social Work Practice, 32(4), 423-432. doi: 10.1080/02650533.2018.1503163

O’Neill, R.M., Byram, C.A., Mogle, J., & MacKenzie, M.J. (2024). Are system-centered boards more collaborative, productive, and creative? A partial replication, and a pilot exploration of how. GROUP: The Journal of the Eastern Group Psychotherapy Society, 48(4), 11-29. doi: 10.1353/grp.2024.a962317

Tweedy, R. (Ed.) (2020). The divided therapist: Hemispheric difference and contemporary psychotherapy. London, UK: Routledge.

Presenters

Susan P. Gantt, PhD, CGP, ABPP, AGPA-DF, FAPA. Susan P. Gantt is a psychologist in private practice and coordinated group psychotherapy training in psychiatry at Emory University for 29 years. She chairs the Systems-Centered Training (SCT) and Research Institute; teaches SCT in the USA, Europe and China; and leads training groups in Atlanta, San Francisco, and The Netherlands. She has co-authored four books with Yvonne Agazarian, co-edited The Interpersonal Neurobiology of Group Psychotherapy and Group Process with Bonnie Badenoch, and received the 2011 Alonso Award for Excellence in Psychodynamic Group Psychotherapy. Her latest book is Systems-Centered Training: An Illustrated Guide for Applying a Theory of Living Human Systems (Agazarian, Gantt & Carter, 2021).

Ray Haddock, MBChB, MMedSc, FRCPsych. Ray Haddock is a Licensed Systems-Centered Practitioner, a member of the Institute of Group Analysis, and is chair of The Governance and Bylaws committee of the International Association of Group Psychotherapy and former board member of SCTRI and the International Association of Group Psychotherapy and Group Processes. He is a Systems centered trainer and leads SCT training groups and workshops in UK and internationally. He trained as a medical doctor, psychiatrist and psychotherapist, he was a Consultant Medical Psychotherapist in the NHS for over 25 years, where he occupied several management roles, including whole system service development, and taught trainees in psychiatry and psychotherapy. He has wide experience of applying SCT clinically in individual and group therapy and a Theory of Living Human Systems in day-to-day organisational work, consultation, mentoring and leadership development.

The capacity to resonate with clients, individually or in groups, and to use that resonance in the service of clinical goals is an ongoing development for clinicians. Participants work with the Foundation group, exploring containing and using their own experience to resonate and support the work of the group. Containers review and process their work after the foundation group. The process work provides a context to integrate learnings and development. Container training is an important building block toward SCT leadership in any system. This training is open by application for intermediate/advanced members.

Prerequisite: Completion of Intermediate Skills Training (IST).

By application (see link below). Send application to both Dayna Burnett and Dayne Narretta.

APPLICATION DEADLINE: Friday, May 1, 2026

Participation in intermediate/advanced level training requires membership in SCTRI and actively receiving consultation from an SCT Licensed Practitioner.

See the SCT Training Curriculum Intermediate and Advanced pages for more information

Please download, complete and return this application form

Learning Objectives

Based on attending this event, I know, or am able to:

• Use knowledge of phase of development as evidenced by container role contributions that serve to weaken phase-relevant restraining forces
• Identify and then plan to reduce person-system outputs thus enabling greater container role functionality
• Demonstrate the ability to contain and explore authority issues aroused in self and group as evidenced by consistently making inputs (verbal and non-verbal) that support the current leadership vector(s)
• Demonstrate ability to subgroup internally with all voices of the subgroup/group-as-a-whole as evidenced by functional joins
• Utilize ability to lighten or deepen exploration appropriately in context
• Utilize own experience as member of training group, contribute with container role behavior and inputs that support the development of the group

Presentation Content

The systems-centered approach to group and organizational work has been in the field for over 30 years, presented in approximately 45 articles in peer-reviewed professional journals. Its methods incorporate techniques linked to successful strategies for improvement in group and individual psychotherapy, for example, modifying cognitive distortions, increasing group cohesion, lowering scapegoating, and reducing somatic defenses. This training focuses on the Container role to support functional subgrouping, group development and the group leader.

Supporting References

Agazarian, Y.M., Gantt, S.P., & Carter, F.B. (Eds.) (2021). Systems-centered training: An illustrated guide for applying a theory of living human systems. New York, NY: Routledge.

Gantt, S.P. (2018). Developing groups that change our brains: Systems-centered's functional subgrouping, and its role in each phase of group development. Psychoanalytic Inquiry, 38(4), 270-284. https://10.1080/07351690.2018.1444851

Gantt, S.P., & Agazarian, Y.M. (2017). Systems-centered group therapy. International Journal of Group Psychotherapy, 67(sup1), S60-S70. doi: 10.1080/00207284.2016.1218768

Gantt, S.P., & Badenoch, B. (2020). Systems-centered group psychotherapy: Developing a group mind that supports right brain function and right-left-right hemispheric integration. In R. Tweedy (Ed.) The divided therapist: Hemispheric difference and contemporary psychotherapy (pp. 149-180). London, UK: Karnac Books.

Sundlin, A.L,. & Sundlin, P. (2014). Taking up your role: How to shift life and work without losing yourself. Cambridge, MA: Catalyst Communications Press.

Presenters

Dayna Burnett, PhD. Dayna Burnett is a Clinical Psychologist who works with individuals and couples in private practice in Austin, Texas. She has advanced training in Systems-Centered Therapy (SCT) and System for Analyzing Verbal Interactions (SAVI). She is a certified SAVI trainer and a certified SAVI Master Coder. She has led and co-led various SCT workshops at AGPA and the SCT Conference. She completed her PhD in 2006 at the University of Texas at Austin.

Dayne Narretta, LCSW, BCD, CGP, AGPA-F . Dayne Narretta is a psychotherapist in Baton Rouge with more than 30 years of experience in individual, couple, family, and group therapy. A fellow of the American Psychotherapy Association, she specializes in systems-oriented and trauma-informed approaches and is an active leader, trainer, and presenter in national and international psychotherapy communities.

7-day group, meets on Institute weekend and continues Monday-Friday as full-morning training.

This training is rooted in the principles and practices of Systems-Centered Therapy (SCT), an approach for professionals including psychologists, to extend knowledge into the practical application of systems theory, group dynamics, and leadership interventions. Through observation, participants will assess the phase of development, the communication patterns, and the leadership interventions that facilitate or get in the way of group development. Through their own experience as observers, participants will also collect data about system isomorphy.

Prerequisite: Completion of Authority Issue Group training. This is a closed group.

This group will continue to meet through the duration of the Authority Issue Group.

Participation in advanced level training requires membership in SCTRI.

See the SCT Training Curriculum Advanced page for more information

Learning Objectives

Based on attending this event, I know, or am able to:

• Describe how Functional Subgroupng relates to a Theory of Living Human Systems
• Explain SCT's predictable hierarchy of defense modification in group settings
• Describe the differences in the leader's SCT interventions depending on the system's phase of development
• List 3 member behaviors you observed that demonstrate the group’s decreasing dependency on the leader
• Develop a force field for building systems-centered groups to assess the driving and restraining forces affecting the development of a group
• List 3 examples of isomorphy between the group being observed and the observing group

Presentation Content

The training is rooted in the Systems-Centered Training and Research Institute’s (SCTRI) long-standing commitment to advancing the field of group psychotherapy and Systems-Centered practice. SCTRI was presented with the 2010 Award for Outstanding Contributions in Education and Training in the Field of Group Psychotherapy by the National Registry of Certified Group Psychotherapists. With its empirical basis and focus on understanding group dynamics through observation, this training enhances the skills of participants working in groups and other settings.

The training emphasizes hands-on observation, critical discussion, and practical skill-building in the context of the Authority Issue Group (AIG) and Licensing Group. By observing and analyzing leadership interventions, communication patterns, and group phases, participants will gain first-hand experience in tracking real-life group developments, integrating theory and practice.

In summary, this training event serves as an advanced learning opportunity for participants, equipping them with the knowledge and practical skills to assess and intervene in group dynamics using Systems-Centered principles. The methods employed are empirically supported and rooted in a deep understanding of psychological, systemic and psychoanalytic theory.

Supporting References

Agazarian, Y.M., Gantt, S.P., & Carter, F.B. (Eds.) (2021). Systems-centered training: An illustrated guide for applying a theory of living human systems. New York, NY: Routledge.

Gantt, S.P. (2021). Systems-centered training for group leaders: Weakening social survivor roles that undermine women (and men) in leadership. In Y.I. Kane, S.M. Masselink & A.C. Weiss (Eds.), Women, intersectionality and power in group psychotherapy leadership (pp. 236-253). New York: Routledge.

Gantt, S.P., & Agazarian, Y.M. (2017). Systems-centered group therapy. International Journal of Group Psychotherapy, 67(sup1), S60-S70. doi: 10.1080/00207284.2016.1218768

Gantt, S.P., & Badenoch, B. (2020). Systems-centered group psychotherapy: Developing a group mind that supports right brain function and right-left-right hemispheric integration. In R. Tweedy (Ed.) The divided therapist: Hemispheric difference and contemporary psychotherapy (pp. 149-180). London, UK: Karnac Books.

Presenters

Dorothy Gibbons, MSS, LCSW. Dorothy Gibbons is a Licensed Systems-Centered Practitioner. She is in private practice in Philadelphia. She works with individuals, groups, and couples and as an organizational consultant to a social service agency in Philadelphia. Ms. Gibbons is the former Director of the Adolescent Sex Offender Unit at the Joseph J. Peters Institute in Philadelphia and has extensive experience working with both victims and offenders of sexual abuse. She is on the Board of Directors of the Systems-Centered Training and Research Institute. She is also a graduate of the Gestalt Therapy Training.

Mention SCT in the workplace or at a social gathering, and curiosity sparks: “SCT? What’s that?” This workshop explores possibilities for effectively introducing Systems-Centered Training in conversations with colleagues, clients and acquaintances. Together, we’ll practice communicating a complex concept in clear, engaging ways. Throughout the session, we aim to learn from one another, have fun, and spark the energy to put our insights into practice.

Learning Objectives

Based on attending this event, I know, or am able to:

• Describe one restraining and one driving force when introducing SCT in conversations
• Describe one concrete example of how SCT can be applied in daily life
• List three keywords to use when discussing SCT with a person unfamiliar to SCT

Presentation Content

Agazarian’s (1997) Theory of Living Human Systems, with its systems-centered approach to group practice and organizational change, represents a developed and comprehensive systems theory. A Theory of Living Human Systems has defined theoretical constructs and operational definitions that implement and test the theoretical hypotheses in its practice. There is also significant peer-reviewed published support for the theory and its practice, including articles in the International Journal of Group Psychotherapy, Group Dynamics, Small Group Research, Organizational Analysis, and Group Analysis.

The theory holds that living human systems survive, develop, and transform from simple to complex by discriminating and integrating differences. Yet in practice, people often resist differences, responding instead with avoidance, attack, or scapegoating. These reactions can also arise when Systems-Centered Training (SCT) is first introduced, whether in conversation with a patient or client, among colleagues, or within an organizational setting, sometimes leading to SCT skills being overlooked before they can be considered as useful resources.

This workshop explores how to communicate SCT in ways that invite curiosity. Drawing on communication theory, we will look at how to present complex ideas in clear, engaging, and accessible ways. The aim is to help participants speak about SCT with greater ease, relevance, and impact, making it easier for others to recognize its value and make use of it.

Supporting References

Agazarian, Y.M., Gantt, S.P., & Carter, F.B. (2021). Systems-centered training: An illustrated guide for applying a theory of living human systems. New York, NY: Routledge.

Benjamin, B., Yeager, A., & Simon, A. (2012). Conversation transformation: Recognize and overcome the 6 most destructive communication patterns. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.

Druckman, J.M., Ellenbogen, K.M., Scheufele, D.A., & Yanovitzky, I. (2025). An agenda for science communication research and practice. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 122(27), e2400932122.

Scheufele, D.A. (2013). Communicating science in social settings. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 110, 14040-14047. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1213275110

Tullis, G., & Feder, B., (2023). The “curse of knowledge” when predicting others’ knowledge. Memory & Cognition, 51(5), 1214-1234. doi: 10.3758/s13421-022-01382-3

Presenters

Esther Krikke, .. Esther Krikke is an organizational consultant working with public, private and not-for-profit organizations in the Netherlands. She brings extensive experience coaching individuals and teams and facilitating trainings that develop communication skills and group dynamics. She was introduced to SCT in 2017 and is currently a member of the Authority Issue Group within the SCT training curriculum.

Stephanie Ottenheijm, BSc, MSc. Stephanie Ottenheijm has 30 years of experience in driving innovation and transformation within and across organisations, in a variety of roles including manager, advisor, connector, facilitator and trainer. In addition, she lectures at an interuniversity training institute in organisational and change management. Collaboration is a constant thread throughout her work. Since her introduction to a TLHS in 2016 she is hooked. It helps her to excel in her day-to-day work of building ecosystems for innovation as well as her teaching and training practice.

SCT teaches us to notice similarities in the apparently different. What are the blindspots that keep us unable to see the similarities when it comes to race, ethnicity and culture? How do we challenge our blindspots that keep us separate, closed to our curiosity? What blinds us to the fact we are more similar than different? Let's see what we can learn about some of the blindness that gets in the way.

Learning Objectives

Based on attending this event, I know, or am able to:

• Describe the Johari window and how it can facilitate learning more about oneself
• Describe at least one step I can take to identify an area of blindness in myself
• Identify one behavior that I or others demonstrate that closes to difference and blinds us, interfering with taking in new information

Presentation Content

Agazarian’s (1997) theory of living human systems, with its systems-centered approach to group practice, represents a developed and comprehensive systems theory applied to groups, individuals and couples. A theory of living human systems has defined theoretical constructs and operational definitions that implement and test the hypotheses in its practice. This theory and its methods are accepted among group practitioners as evidence-based by SCTRI’s 2010 recognition for “Outstanding Contributions in Education and Training in the Field of Group Psychotherapy” awarded by the National Registry of Certified Group Psychotherapists. SCT methods are regularly cited or included in handbooks and reviews of group psychotherapy practice. There is also significant peer-reviewed published support for the theory and its practice, including articles in the International Journal of Group Psychotherapy, Group Dynamics, Small Group Research, Organizational Analysis, and Group Analysis.

The systems-centered approach to group and organizational work has been in the field for over 25 years, presented in approximately 30 articles in peer-reviewed professional journals. Its methods incorporate techniques linked to successful strategies for improvement in group and individual psychotherapy, for example, modifying cognitive distortions, increasing group cohesion, lowering scapegoating, and reducing somatic defenses.

A Theory of Living Human Systems states that living human systems survive, develop and transform from simple to complex by discriminating and integrating differences. Frequently, differences are attacked, scapegoated, or avoided by us as humans. The awareness of one’s impulse to scapegoat, attack or avoid differences is important to discover.

We will be using a tool called the Johari window, which has been cited in over 737 articles since 1955. The Johari window has demonstrated relevance in various fields, including psychology, education, and organizational development. References to the value of the Johari window have been cited in a broad range of peer reviewed journals, demonstrating its broad application, including: Psychological Review, Nursing Standard, Adult Education Quarterly, Journal of Culture Society and Development, Management and Labor Studies and Human Relations. The Johari window is a simple and useful tool that provides us the opportunity to look into how we view ourselves and how others view us. It renders a way to show how we become increasingly more open to others as we get to know them and share information about ourselves.

The rationale behind the Johari window is that people have the innate ability to adopt four approaches to interpersonal relationships with respect to themselves: * Ability to disclose a lot of information about themselves * Ability to disclose any information about themselves * Ability to receive feedback in constructive way * Ability to resist any feedback about themselves

Using the Johari window from a stance of humility can allow the Person-as-a-System to access the Exploratory Drive of the Researcher. As we increase self awareness and generate curiosity it can help facilitate discovering the blindspots that get in the way of self knowledge and knowledge about the world. Becoming more self aware can lead to insight and alternate choices (forks-in-the-road) when we respond to differences. Ultimately the ability to integrate differences leads to development, learning and transformation. This workshop seeks to facilitate what we can do to be more open to differences, others who are different, and become curious about what gets in the way for each of us.

Supporting References

Agazarian, Y.M., Gantt, S.P., & Carter, F.B. (2021). Systems-centered training: An illustrated guide for applying a theory of living human systems. New York, NY: Routledge.

Eberhardt, J.L. (2019). Biased: Uncovering the hidden prejudice that shapes what we see, think, and do. New York, NY: Viking.

Gantt, S.P., Ashley, W., Adams, J.M., & Carter, F.B. (2025). Addressing power dynamics in systems-centered training groups: Undoing racialized enactments by developing a decolonizing group culture and weakening closed survivor-roles. In A.D. Abernathy, L. Greene, R. MacNair-Semands & C. Marmarosh (Eds.), Addressing diversity dynamics in group therapy: Clinical and training applications (pp. 24-45). New York, NY & Abingdon, UK: Routledge.

Oliver, S., & Duncan, S. (2019). Editorial: Looking through the Johari window. Research for All, 3(1), 1-6. doi: 10.18546/RFA.03.1.01

Wilkerson, I. (2020). Caste: The origins of our discontents. New York, NY: Random House.

Presenters

Debbie Woolf, MS, MSS, PHR, LCSW. Deborah Woolf has been training in Systems-Centered Theory (SCT) since 1999 and been a member of Systems-Centered Training and Research Institute since 2001. She is a clinician working in an outpatient setting with individuals and groups. She has worked in Human Resources and in Organizational Development and applies SCT to that work as well. Psychoanalytic theory as well as other theories have also influenced her. She has trained in the use of the System for Analyzing Verbal Interactions (SAVI) since 2001 and has presented workshops and trainings on Diversity, Mentoring and SCT.

This experiential workshop explores how music and dance activate our nervous systems and how they can support self-awareness, regulation, and connection. With guidance from Polyvagal Theory and SCT’s Person-as-a-System map, participants will use the structured rhythm and group movement of international folk dance to track shifts between curiosity and reactivity - and to explore co-regulation, emotional intelligence, and the conditions that support deeper contact.

Learning Objectives

Based on attending this event, I know, or am able to:

• Describe how music and movement influence the autonomic nervous system through the lens of Polyvagal Theory
• Identify my own nervous system state (ventral, sympathetic, dorsal)
• Describe one similarity and one difference between Polyvagal Theory and the Person-as-a-System map

Presentation Content

This workshop integrates Polyvagal Theory with SCT-based systems thinking to support embodied clinical and group work. The systems-centered approach to group and organizational work has been in the field for over 30 years, presented in more than 45 articles in peer-reviewed professional journals. Its methods incorporate techniques linked to successful strategies for improvement in group and individual psychotherapy (Agazarian, Gantt, & Carter 2021). Polyvagal Theory offers a framework for understanding how music and movement affect autonomic states - shifting between social engagement, mobilization, and shutdown (Porges, 2011). These shifts are not just physiological but also relational, influencing how individuals engage, pull back, or rejoin group interactions.

The Person-as-a-System map from Systems-Centered theory offers a real-time lens for tracking when we are in our survival self (reactive) or curious observer. These distinctions help participants become more aware of how nervous system states intersect with emotional regulation, self-awareness, and interpersonal connection.

Research on embodied practices (Braun & Kotera, 2021; San-Juan-Ferrer & Hípola, 2019) supports the use of movement to increase emotional awareness, co-regulation, and interpersonal skill - all core capacities for therapeutic and group-based growth. Participants will have the opportunity to explore these ideas through rhythm, movement, and structured interpersonal experimentation.

Supporting References

Agazarian, Y.M., Gantt, S.P., & Carter, F.B. (2021). Systems-centered training: An illustrated guide for applying a theory of living human systems. New York, NY: Routledge.

Braun, N., & Kotera, Y. (2021). Influence of dance on embodied self-awareness and well-being: An interpretative phenomenological exploration. Journal of Creativity in Mental Health, 17(4), 469–484. doi: 10.1080/15401383.2021.1924910

Hodges, D.A., & Wilkins, R.W. (2015). How and why does music move us?: Answers from psychology and neuroscience. Music Educators Journal, 101(4), 41-47. doi; 10.1177/0027432115575755

Porges, S. W. (2022). Polyvagal theory: A science of safety. Frontiers in Integrative Neuroscience, 16, Article 871227. doi: 10.3389/fnint.2022.871227

San-Juan-Ferrer, B., & Hípola, P. (2019). Emotional intelligence and dance: A systematic review. Research in Dance Education, 21(1), 57–81. doi: 10.1080/14647893.2019.1708890

Presenters

Michelle Lynskey, PhD. Michelle Lynskey is a licensed psychologist with over 25 years of coaching and consulting experience, 17 years' experience in SCT, and a lifelong passion for dance. She has led trainings and workshops across corporate and non-profit settings on topics such as emotional intelligence and SAVI. As a leader in Philadelphia’s international folk dance community, she draws inspiration from the transformative power of global music and dance. Her curiosity about the connection between SCT, music, and dance led to a powerful experiment at the 2024 conference, revealing the deep, mutual benefits of blending these practices.

Kati Taunt, MA. Kati Taunt is a Clinical Social Worker, Cognitive Behavioural Therapist, Systemic Practitioner, and accredited EMDR therapist. She works also as a consultant, supervisor and trainer, with 20 years experience designing and delivering workshops on all aspects of trauma informed practice. She has 30 years of experience working in child and adolescent mental health services, trauma specialist services, private practice, youth work, local authority residential child and adolescent provision, adoption support services and educational settings. Kati has been part of the Systems-Centered Training community for the past 13 years and brings a systems lens to thinking about organisational change and the understanding the impact of working with traumatised people on systems as a whole as well as on helping professionals. In her downtime she likes to sail and bang drums.

In this session, we will briefly introduce the SAVI GRID and then explore how it can be used as a map for: 1. identifying when someone may be in a past adaptive role; 2. finding strategies for shifting from a past adaptive role into the curious explorer system; 3. bringing the information and energy from the person system into the inter-person system.

Learning Objectives

Based on attending this event, I know, or am able to:

• List the 3 sources of noise in verbal communications, as defined by SAVI
• Identify at least 2 communication behaviors that may be outputs from a past adaptive role
• Describe at least one strategy for moving from an old adaptive role to communicate from a present adaptive role

Presentation Content

Behavioral observation systems are well-established in the research and clinical fields. This particular model, System for Analyzing Verbal Interaction (SAVI), has been used for research in dissertations, reported as a group process tool in peer-reviewed publications, and is currently used for data collection in as yet unpublished ongoing studies. It has a sound theoretical base in both field theory (Lewin, 1951) and information theory (Shannon, 1964) and builds on the work of Bales (1950) and others who developed observation systems to study classroom interactions. SAVI is a non-judgmental observation tool that can be used to map any human system’s communication behaviors in organizations, work groups, families, and clients, by collecting data from which we can infer the developmental phase of a system, and to what degree it is open or closed to information.

SAVI is a precursor to SCT and a Theory of Living Human Systems (TLHS). SAVI operationalizes the construct of “noise” (ambiguity, redundancy and contradictions) in a TLHS (Agazarian et al., 2021).

Agazarian’s (1997) theory of living human systems, with its systems-centered approach to group practice, represents a developed and comprehensive systems theory applied to groups, individuals and couples. A theory of living human systems has defined theoretical constructs and operational definitions that implement and test the theoretical hypotheses in its practice. This theory and its methods are accepted among group practitioners as evidence-based by SCTRI’s 2010 recognition for “Outstanding Contributions in Education and Training in the Field of Group Psychotherapy” awarded by the National Registry of Certified Group Psychotherapists. SCT methods are regularly cited or included in handbooks and reviews of group psychotherapy practice. There is also significant peer-reviewed published support for the theory and its practice, including articles in the International Journal of Group Psychotherapy, Group Dynamics, Small Group Research, Organizational Analysis, and Group Analysis.

In this workshop we will use SAVI to identify potential pathways for moving from closed-boundaried past adaptive roles, as defined in the SCT Person-as-a-System Map, into a working climate with oneself and others.

Supporting References

Agazarian, Y.M., Gantt, S.P., & Carter, F.B. (2021). Systems-centered training: An illustrated guide for applying a theory of living human systems. New York, NY: Routledge.

Benjamin, B., Yeager, A., & Simon, A. (2012). Conversation transformation. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.

Gantt, S.P., & Agazarian, Y.M. (2017). Systems-centered group therapy. International Journal of Group Psychotherapy, 67(sup1), S60-S70. doi: 10.1080/00207284.2016.1218768

O’Neill, R.M., Byram, C.A., Mogle, J., & MacKenzie, M.J. (2024). Are system-centered boards more collaborative, productive, and creative? A partial replication, and a pilot exploration of how. GROUP: The Journal of the Eastern Group Psychotherapy Society, 48(4), 11-29. doi:10.1353/grp.2024.a962317

Simon A., & Agazarian, Y.M. (2000). SAVI - The system for analyzing verbal interaction. In A.P. Beck & C.M. Lewis (Eds.), The process of group psychotherapy: Systems for analyzing change (pp. 357-380). Washington, D.C.: American Psychological Association.

Presenters

Alida Zweidler-McKay, MBA. Alida Zweidler-McKay has been coaching executives, entrepreneurs, and teams from small businesses to Fortune 10 companies for over 25 years. She helps clients delegate effectively, lead authentically, and build productive teams through one-on-one coaching, team coaching and workshops. Alida has been studying SCT since 2002, has completed the Authority Issue Group, and is in the process of becoming a licensed SCT practitioner. She is also a Certified SAVI trainer and SAVI Master Coder. She has a BA from Swarthmore College and an MBA from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.

Fran Carter, MSS, LSW. Frances Carter is a Licensed Social Worker, living and working in the Philadelphia area. She maintains a clinical and consulting practice working with individuals, couples, groups and organizations. Fran is a founding member of the Systems-Centered Training and Research Institute, a Board Member and a System Mentor. She continues to be interested in the development of training, curriculum and research and has contributed her time to these work groups within SCTRI. She is a Licensed Systems-Centered Practitioner and a senior trainer, leading workshops, ongoing training and consultation groups and intensive training blocks throughout the US and Europe. She is also a principle in SAVI Communications and the SAVI Network where she works with others to develop training in the SAVI approach to communication. She brings to all her work the energy and creativity of her early background as an artist.

In this interactive workshop, members will discover the value of writing together in a group, through live practice and sharing. Members will specifically write about our experiences related to social, racial, identity and political differences - issues that often close down conversation. We’ll use functional subgrouping as a structure both to share our writing, and to explore our experience.

Learning Objectives

Based on attending this event, I know, or am able to:

• Name one driving and one restraining force toward the goal of writing in a group context
• Describe how exploratory writing can help individuals and groups develop in professional, personal and political contexts
• Compare the impact of survival roles with that of curious observer roles in the context of exploring differences

Presentation Content

Agazarian’s (1997) theory of living human systems, with its systems-centered approach to group practice, represents a developed and comprehensive systems theory applied to groups, individuals and couples. A theory of living human systems has defined theoretical constructs and operational definitions that implement and test the hypotheses in its practice. This theory and its methods are accepted among group practitioners as evidence-based by SCTRI’s 2010 recognition for “Outstanding Contributions in Education and Training in the Field of Group Psychotherapy” awarded by the National Registry of Certified Group Psychotherapists. SCT methods are regularly cited or included in handbooks and reviews of group psychotherapy practice. There is also significant peer-reviewed published support for the theory and its practice, including articles in the International Journal of Group Psychotherapy, Group Dynamics, Small Group Research, Organizational Analysis, and Group Analysis.

The systems-centered approach to group and organizational work has been in the field for over 30 years, presented in approximately 45 articles in peer-reviewed professional journals. Its methods incorporate techniques linked to successful strategies for improvement in group and individual psychotherapy, for example, modifying cognitive distortions, increasing group cohesion, lowering scapegoating, and reducing somatic defenses.

Reflective and creative writing has been shown to have value throughout history. For example, as researched by Pennebaker (1997) in a therapeutic process: In helping put words to our human experiences, and in clinical contexts, to support in healing and growth. By integrating the tools and insight of SCT into the context of creative and/or clinical writing, we might develop richer and deeper awareness of ourselves, our relationships, our groups, and broader systems, especially as it relates to topics that are often difficult to discuss.

Supporting References

Agazarian, Y.M., Gantt, S.P., & Carter, F.B. (Eds.) (2021). Systems-centered training: An illustrated guide for applying a theory of living human systems. New York, NY: Routledge.

Gantt, S.P., & Adams, J. (2010). Systems-centered training for therapists: Beyond stereotyping to integrating diversities into the change process. Women & Therapy, 33(1), 101–120. doi: 10.1080/02703140903404812

Gantt, S.P., & Agazarian, Y.M. (2017). Systems-centered group therapy. International Journal of Group Psychotherapy, 67(sup1), S60-S70. doi: 10.1080/00207284.2016.1218768

Hovey, J. (2019). Communicating about politics in group: Is there room for a difference? GROUP: The Journal of the Eastern Group Psychotherapy Society, 43(2), 113-126. doi: 10.1353/grp.2019.0006

Presenters

Joseph Hovey, LCSW, CGP. Joseph Hovey is a psychotherapist and supervisor in Brooklyn, NY. He provides individual and relationship therapy through his private practice, runs a gay men’s therapy group, and serves on the faculty of the Eastern Group Psychotherapy Society (EGPS) Group Therapy Training Program. He has been training in SCT since 2015, and is a Certified SAVI Trainer. He is the President of the EGPS. He has presented at multiple workshops and events; has been part of an ongoing creative clinical writing group with other therapists for ten years; and has co-led a systems-oriented writing group for the past 3 years.

In this workshop we explore how enabling children's guardians to see children's behaviors as survivor roles - an SCT concept - can allow the guardians to respond with compassion and address unmet needs and create safety. This in turn enables children to gain more access to their innate curiosity which is essential for development. SCT will serve as an intervention to address Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and to build on the the Attachment, Regulation and Competency model (ARC) - widely accepted and practiced in the field - to enhance our understanding of Developmental Trauma.

Learning Objectives

Based on attending this event, I know, or am able to:

• Describe 2 examples of adversity in childhood (ACEs) and link them to survivor roles in children
• Name 3 survivor roles in caregivers that can get triggered by survivor roles in the children
• Explain why attunement is appropriate as the main intervention when supporting children in survivor roles

Presentation Content

Agazarian’s (1997) theory of living human systems, with its systems-centered approach to group practice, represents a developed and comprehensive systems theory applied to groups, individuals and couples. A theory of living human systems has defined theoretical constructs and operational definitions that implement and test the theoretical hypotheses in its practice. This theory and its methods are accepted among group practitioners as evidence-based by SCTRI’s 2010 recognition for “Outstanding Contributions in Education and Training in the Field of Group Psychotherapy” awarded by the National Registry of Certified Group Psychotherapists. SCT methods are regularly cited or included in handbooks and reviews of group psychotherapy practice. There is also significant peer-reviewed published support for the theory and its practice, including over 45 articles in the International Journal of Group Psychotherapy, Group Dynamics, Small Group Research, Organizational Analysis,Group Analysis, GROUP, and other scientific journals as well as numerous books.

This workshop explores how Agazarian's work around the concept of "person-as-a-system" with both explorer and survivor drives and specifically the development of context specific functional survivor roles can be applied to training carers to implement trauma-informed practices. The workshop will use the ARC framework (Attachment, Regulation and Competency) developed by Balustein and Kinniberg (2019) as an approach to addressing the many domains of development impacted by adversity in childhood, and we will then explore how introducing ideas of survival adaptations to care providers may enable greater attunement. The ARC framework is strongly grounded in the theoretical and research literature, particularly the fields of trauma, attachment, child development, and resilience. Its formal development began in 2003; it has since been applied in over 300 agencies and programs in the U.S. and internationally. Results of five research studies showing the framework's effectiveness have been published to date, there are more than 10 peer-reviewed articles in publications such as Journal of Child and Adolescent Trauma, Journal Of Child And Family Studies, and Occupational Therapy and Mental Health.

Supporting References

Agazarian, Y.M., Gantt, S.P., & Carter, F.B. (Eds.) (2021). Systems-centered training: An illustrated guide for applying a theory of living human systems. New York, NY: Routledge.

Blaustein, M.E., & Kinniburgh, K.M. (2019). Treating traumatic stress in children and adolescents: How to foster resilience through attachment, self-regulation, and competency (2nd ed.). New York, NY: Guilford.

Felitti, V.J., Anda, R.F., Nordenberg, D., Williamson, D.F., Spitz, A.M., Edwards, V., Koss, M.P., & Marks, J.S. (1988). Relationship of childhood abuse and household dysfunction to many of the leading causes of death in adults. The Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) Study. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 14(4), 245-58. doi: 10.1016/s0749-3797(98)00017-8. PMID: 9635069.

Menakem, R. (2017). My grandmother’s hands: Racialized trauma and the pathway to mending our hearts and bodies. Las Vegas, NV: Central Recovery Press.

Siegel, D.M., & Bryson, T.P. (2020). The power of showing up. New York, NY: Ballantine Books.

1998 May;14(4):245-58.

1998 May;14(4):245-58.

1998 May;14(4):245-58.

doi: 10.1016/s0749-3797(98)00017-8.

. 1998 May;14(4):245-58. doi: 10.1016/s0749-3797(98)00017-8.

Presenters

Kati Taunt, MA, PGDip, Systemic Therapy, PGDip, CBT. Kati Taunt is a trauma therapist, managing a psychological trauma and bereavement service for children in Bedfordshire UK. She has worked for the National Health Service for 18 years specializing in attachment, early trauma and PTSD with children and adolescents. Kati is the only European-based ARC (Attachment, Regulation and Competency) licensed trainer and works as a trainer and consultant to a number of foster care services, residential care provisions and is currently working with two local education authorities on projects to establish trauma informed practice within schools and exclusion projects.

Imagine living fully every day. What choices enhance our aging? How can regular contemplation of death enhance our daily life? Topics include self-support, aging and ageism, and death and dying. Workshop goals include exploring aging and dying as components of living human systems, exploring our choices using SCT practices, and identifying driving and restraining forces toward embracing life daily at every age.

Learning Objectives

Based on attending this event, I know, or am able to:

• Describe at least one internalized ageist ideation toward self and others
• Describe one way contemplating death promotes happiness, gratitude, and being more fully alive in the here-and-now
• Describe one restraining force and one driving force related to skillful and compassionate aging and dying

Presentation Content

Agazarian’s (1997) theory of living human systems, with its systems-centered approach to group practice and organizational change, represents a developed and comprehensive systems theory. A theory of living human systems has defined theoretical constructs and operational definitions that implement and test the theoretical hypotheses in its practice. There is also significant peer-reviewed published support for the theory and its practice, including articles in the International Journal of Group Psychotherapy, Group Dynamics, Small Group Research, Organizational Analysis, and Group Analysis.

A theory of living human systems defines a hierarchy of isomorphic systems that are energy-organizing, goal-directing, and self-correcting. Every system exists in the context of the system above it and is the context for the system below it. This workshop explores how we can identify and reduce restraining forces that keep us from living fully as aging adults. This workshop gives participants opportunities to deepen self-support, issues related to ageism, and death and dying.

Supporting References

Chödrön, P. (2019). Welcoming the unwelcome: Wholehearted living in a brokenhearted world. Boulder, CO: Shambhala Publications.

Gantt, S.P., & Agazarian, Y.M. (Eds.) (2006). Systems-centered therapy: In clinical practice with individuals, families and groups. Livermore, CA: WingSpan Press. Reprint (2011). London, UK: Karnac Books.

Gantt, S.P., & Agazarian, Y.M. (2017). Systems-centered group therapy. International Journal of Group Psychotherapy, 67(sup1), S60-S70. doi: 10.1080/00207284.2016.1218768

Mezuk, B. (2023). Differences and disparities in ageism affecting older US adults: A review. Epidemiology of Aging, 10(1), 17-32. doi: 10.1007/s40471-022-00316-6

Soeng, M., Taraniya Ambrosia, G., & Olendzki, A. (2017). Older and wiser: Classical Buddhist teachings on aging, sickness, and death. Barre Center for Buddhist Studies.

Presenters

Gail Spindell, LCSW. Gail Spindell graduated from New York University with a Masters Degree in Social Work in May 1980. She began her career as a Social Worker on the Oncology Unit at Bellevue Hospital. The AIDS epidemic was just beginning and she was thrust into a professional and life experience that would influence her life’s work as a therapist. She has been a student of Gestalt Therapy, Buddhism and System-Centered Therapy. She has been a member of various SCT training groups, one for over 30 years. Turning 80 in April reminds her of the expanse of learning opportunities both experienced in her past and the unfolding possibilities life presents. Gail is a psychotherapist in private practice in NYC and the Hudson Valley practicing for over 40 years.

Allan Rubin, BS, MBA. Allan Rubin has been an organizational consultant for the past 32 years. He spent 12 years as an external consultant with an emphasis on continuous improvement and change management for client companies in the U.S., Asia, and South America. Allan has worked the past 20 years as an internal OD consultant focusing on analyzing and diagnosing business systems and designing and executing interventions that maximize individual and team performance. He is an Intermediate Level practitioner in his eighth year as a member of an SCT training group.

Paula Nordhauzen, BA. Paula Nordhauzen studied Communication at the Hanze University of Applied Sciences. She is passionate about communication, team development, and self-organization. She is a SAVI certified trainer. In her work, she provides training and coaching in organizational development. She is the co-author (with Peter Kunneman) of a Dutch book about SCT in organizations.

This workshop will present short video clips designed to generate data to test the hypotheses that racism (race prejudice + the power of systems) is real and that living human systems develop defenses against the dissonance created by the reality of racism and espoused values of democracy, equity and fairness. Using subgrouping, participants will explore their responses to the videos, weakening defenses and freeing energy for change.

Learning Objectives

Based on attending this event, I know, or am able to:

• Describe at least one way systemic racism affects one’s person system and member system, and the system-as-a-whole
• Identify at least one reaction/response/survival role in myself when I witness racism
• Identify one step I can take to undo racism in myself and in society that moves me closer to becoming anti-racist

Presentation Content

Systemic racism is based on a hierarchy of access to power and preserved through survival roles that prevent us from taking up our functional membership in a system. This workshop will explore our reactions when witnessing racism depicted in popular media and seek to undo the roles triggered by witnessing such a situation.

Agazarian’s (1997) theory of living human systems, with its systems-centered approach to group practice, represents a developed and comprehensive systems theory applied to groups, individuals and couples. A theory of living human systems has defined theoretical constructs and operational definitions that implement and test the theoretical hypotheses in its practice. This theory and its methods are accepted among group practitioners as evidence-based by SCTRI’s 2010 recognition for “Outstanding Contributions in Education and Training in the Field of Group Psychotherapy” awarded by the National Registry of Certified Group Psychotherapists. SCT methods are regularly cited or included in handbooks and reviews of group psychotherapy practice. There is also significant peer-reviewed published support for the theory and its practice, including articles in the International Journal of Group Psychotherapy, Group Dynamics, Small Group Research, Organizational Analysis, Group Analysis, GROUP, and other scientific journals as well as numerous books.

The systems-centered approach to group and organizational work has been in the field for over 30 years. Its methods incorporate techniques linked to successful strategies for improvement in group and individual psychotherapy, for example, modifying cognitive distortions, increasing group cohesion, lowering scapegoating, and reducing somatic defenses.

Supporting References

Agazarian, Y.M., Gantt, S.P., & Carter, F.B. (2021). Systems-centered training: An illustrated guide for applying a theory of living human systems. New York, NY: Routledge.

Anderson, C. (2016). White rage: The unspoken truth of our racial divide. New York, NY: Bloomsbury USA. 

Applebaum, B. (2017). Comforting discomfort as complicity: White fragility and the pursuit of invulnerability. Hypatia: A Journal of Feminist Philosophy, 32(4), 862-875. doi: 10.1111/hypa.12352

D'Angelo, R. (2018). White fragility: Why it's so hard for white peope to talk about race. Boston, MA: Beacon Press.

Stoute, B.J. (2023). Race and racism in psychoanalytic thought: The ghosts in our nursery, 2nd edition. In B.J. Stoute & M. Slevin (Eds.), The trauma of racism: Lessons from the therapeutic encounter (pp. 13–41). London, UK: Routledge.

Presenters

Brian J. Conley S.J., MBA, MA, ACPE Certified Educator. Brian Conley has over 20 years experience as a chaplain, chaplain educator, and Roman Catholic priest. He currently serves as teacher of theology and chaplain to the faculty and staff at Cheverus High School in Portland, Maine where he works with faculty to develop and integrate Ignatian spirituality into the personal and professional lives of faculty and staff. He also offers a unit of Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) at Maine Medical Center.

Perri Franskoviak, PhD. Perri Franskoviak has been working in community settings for over 34 years, developing and delivering low-threshold services to individuals living with mental illness, unstable housing, and drug and alcohol illnesses. In addition to a private practice with a focus on complex trauma in individuals and couples, she also works for a community-based agency in Oakland, California providing consultation and training other therapists in the practice of ketamine-assisted therapy.

Rich O'Neill will discuss the SCT methods of centering and undoing clinician and client anxiety and using "Informed Consent" to build relationships with challenging, potentially suicidal clients to improve treatment outcomes while limiting malpractice liability. Workshop members will role-play SCT methods and the "Informed Consent" model, and work in our group-as-a-whole using functional subgrouping to develop the skills and build satisfying relationships with each other around these issues.

Learning Objectives

Based on attending this event, I know, or am able to:

• Describe at least two SCT methods and list one learning from the "Informed Consent" model
• Demonstrate centering as a method to calm oneself and one's challenging clients in turbulent situations
• Discuss one example in which the SCT method of undoing anxiety helps one remain curious and creative in the here-and-now edge of the unknown

Presentation Content

Several legal decisions established the "principle of patient autonomy..." which is the basis of the medical-legal concept of "Informed Consent" (Ochsner, 2011). The informed consent model is hypothesized to be a driving force in building a therapeutic alliance with challenging clients, including those potentially suicidal, and thus improve therapeutic outcomes while reducing the possibility of a malpractice suit (Gutheil et al., 1986).

O’Neill and colleagues have shown that groups run with SCT methods are more collaborative, productive and creative, and have higher engagement, less avoidance, less conflict, better inter-member relationships, and more overall learning and goal achievement than groups using various other communication structures.

Research specifically examining the SCT method of functional subgrouping has shown that group members find it a positive experience and that it relates to better morale over time, more overall learning and more goal achievement. The "Informed Consent" model, used with SCT methods for reducing anxiety and joining with clients around what we have in common (i.e., functional subgrouping), may improve outcomes and increase the collaborative experience of both clients and their consultants. Using SCT methods in this workshop, we will role-play establishing "Informed Consent" with challenging clients. And, in the group-as-a-whole, we will use functional subgrouping to build shared purpose and collegiality as we explore the experience of integrating SCT practices with the informed consent model. We will aim for flow and fun in the workshop, and more of the same using SCT methods and informed consent in our work outside.

Supporting References

Agazarian, Y.M., Gantt, S.P., & Carter, F.B. (Eds.) (2021). Systems-centered training: An illustrated guide for applying a theory of living human systems. New York, NY: Routledge.

Bazzano, L.A., Durant, J., & Brantley, P.R. (2021). A modern history of informed consent and the role of key information. Ochsner Journal, 21(1), 81-85. doi: 10.31486/toj.19.0105

Csikszentmihalyi, M. (2022). Flow: The psychology of happiness. London, UK: Penguin, Rider Classics.

O’Neill, R.M., Murphy, V., Mogle, J., MacKenzie, M.J., MacGregor, K.L., Pearson, M., & Parekh, M. (2013). Are systems-centered teams more collaborative, productive and creative? Journal of Team Performance Management, 19(3/4), 201-221. doi: 10.1108/TPM-04-2012-0015

Shah, P., Thornton, I., Kopitnik, N.L. Informed Consent. [Updated 2024 Nov 24]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2025 Jan-. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK430827/

Presenters

Richard O’Neill, PhD, FAClinP, ABPP. Rich O'Neill has been a medical school faculty member and a psychotherapist working frequently with clients in danger for over 40 years. He has been clinically employing and teaching Gutheil's "Informed Consent" model for 40 plus years and has never been sued. He has presented in the media since 1985 including 10 years with his "Checkup from the Neckup" brief radio and YouTube spots, 5 years with his "Healthy Decisions" weekly TV segment, 18 seasons with the PBS-affiliated TV show he launched, hosts and co-produces--"Cycle of Health" (wcny.org/cycleofhealth), and for 2 years has done a half-hour "Checkup from the Neckup" radio show (wcny.org/communityfm) on using psychology to improve everyday life. He consults now with individuals, partners, and groups on achieving greater health, happiness, and success.

In this workshop participants explore their internal processes using Dynamic Meditation, Bodywork, and Functional Subgrouping as the group transitions through group dynamics. Through movement, breath, meditative and playful embodied exercises, participants observe and experience how their boundaries open and close. With curiosity and compassion, participants notice their survival roles, and habitual patterns of moving toward or away from connection. In exploring their survival roles, the energy bound within these roles is freed up, creating space for vitality, authenticity, and deeper connection. No prior experience required; all are welcome.

Learning Objectives

Based on attending this event, I know, or am able to:

• Identify two bodily sensations that indicate restricted or defended life-force energy
• Apply one dynamic meditation or bodywork method together with Functional Subgrouping to support the transformation of survival-based tension
• Describe one personal shift and one group-as-a-whole level shift in energy, openness, or vitality following the embodied practice

Presentation Content

This workshop integrates bodywork and dynamic (movement) meditation with Functional Subgrouping (FSG) from Systems-Centered Theory (SCT) (Gantt, 2025) to explore group development through embodied experience. The intervention approach draws from an expanding empirical base demonstrating the effectiveness of body-oriented and movement-based psychotherapies for improving psychological health. A comprehensive meta-analysis of Body Psychotherapy (BPT) trials found medium, statistically significant effects on psychopathology, psychological distress and coping capacity across diverse client populations (Rosendahl et al., 2021). These findings indicate that structured, embodied interventions can reliably support self-regulation, resilience, and psychological integration, core aims of this workshop’s experiential methods.

Complementary evidence from movement-based interventions further supports this framework. A meta-analysis of Body- and Movement-Oriented Interventions (BMOIs) for trauma-related symptoms found moderate reductions in PTSD and small-to-moderate improvements in depression and sleep quality (van de Kamp et al., 2023). Similarly, a systematic review and meta-analysis of Qigong (Chi Kung) a movement and breath-centered contemplative practice found significant improvements in depression and anxiety with overall enhancement in well-being (Wang et al., 2013). In Systems-Centered Theory, survival roles and chronic defenses are viewed as adaptive strategies that once maintained safety but can later restrict vitality and spontaneity. The workshop invites participants to identify, explore, and transform these embodied patterns through movement, grounding, and curiosity integrating findings from Somatic Psychology (Ogden, 2021) that emphasize the neurophysiological basis of safety, co-regulation, and affect integration.

Functional Subgrouping provides a group process structure that facilitates integration of embodied experience. By joining similarities and exploring differences, participants co-regulate and together create a holding space where constricted energy can possibly be transformed into vitality, playfulness, and relational openness. This aligns with meta-analytic evidence that body-based psychotherapy and group-oriented somatic interventions enhance emotional regulation and resilience through interoceptive awareness and social connection (Rosendahl et al., 2021; van de Kamp et al., 2023).

Supporting References

Gantt, S.P. (2025). A commentary on “Contemporary theories of group psychotherapy: A systems approach to the group-as-a-whole.” International Journal of Group Psychotherapy, 75(1), 137–146. doi: 10.1080/00207284.2024.2429386

Kamp, M.M. van de, Scheffers, M., Emck, C., Fokker, T.J., Hatzmann, J., Cuijpers, P., & Beek, P.J. (2023). Body- and movement-oriented interventions for posttraumatic stress disorder: An updated systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 36(5), 835–848. doi: 10.1002/jts.22968

Ogden, P. (2021). The different impact of trauma and relational stress on physiology, posture, and movement: Implications for treatment. European Journal of Trauma & Dissociation, 5(4), Article 100172. doi: 10.1016/j.ejtd.2020.100172

Rosendahl, J., Nehls, W., & Strauss, B. (2021). Effectiveness of body psychotherapy: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 12, 709798. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2021.709798

Wang, C.W., Chan, C.H.Y., Ho, R.T.H., Chan, J.S.M., Ng, S.M., & Chan, C.L.W. (2013). The effects of Qigong on anxiety, depression, and psychological well-being: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Complementary Therapies in Medicine, 21(4), 341–351. doi: 10.1016/j.ctim.2013.06.003

Presenters

Shanta Baan, MSc. Shanta Baan works with individuals and groups as (team)coach, supervisor and trainer and has over 20 years experience in body-mind training and leadership development. She holds an SCT Project License, is a member of SCTRI and member of the current AIG. She is member of the Dutch SCT Board. Shanta has an MSc in Human Geography.

Gea van Kruistum, BSc. Gea van Kruistum has worked for 40 years as a trainer, teamcoach and coach. Specialized in developing customized approaches for organizations in leadership and change programs. Certified meditation teacher. Member of SCTRI and member of the current AIG. Gea has a BSc in Pedagogy.

Systems-Centered theory posits that we are born with our life force energy to survive and our exploratory drive to integrate differences and develop. But why is the exploratory drive so important? Can't we live without development, and wouldn't it be less stressful and risky? Why do we keep returning to exploration and curiosity rather than staying with the known? This presentation will explore how the exploratory drive is a fundamental energy that supports both survival and development, by taking us into the unknown.

Learning Objectives

Based on attending this event, I know, or am able to:

• Define the purpose of the exploratory drive
• Articulate the role of the exploratory drive in survival and development
• Articulate why development is as vital as survival

Presentation Content

Systems-centered therapy facilitates transformational change and is a theory-based systems approach that introduces the idea that first discriminating and then integrating differences enables individuals and groups to develop and transform from simple to more complex. Agazarian’s (1997) theory of living human systems, with its systems-centered approach to individual and group practice, represents a developed and comprehensive systems theory applied to groups, individuals and couples. A theory of living human systems has defined theoretical constructs and operational definitions that implement and test the theoretical hypotheses in its practice. At the heart of the theory is the statement that systems survive, develop and transform through the integration of differences.

The presentation will build on developments in evolutionary psychology theory and investigate why the exploratory drive, leading to the integration of differences, is so vital to both survival and development.

This theory and its methods are accepted among group practitioners as evidence-based by SCTRI’s 2010 recognition for “Outstanding Contributions in Education and Training in the Field of Group Psychotherapy” awarded by the National Registry of Certified Group Psychotherapists. SCT methods are regularly cited or included in handbooks and reviews of group psychotherapy practice. There is also significant peer-reviewed published support for the theory and its practice, including articles in the International Journal of Group Psychotherapy, Group Dynamics, Small Group Research, Organizational Analysis, and Group Analysis.

Supporting References

Agazarian, Y.M. (1997). Systems-centered therapy for groups. New York, NY: Guilford. Re-printed in paperback (2004). London, UK: Karnac Books

Agazarian, Y.M., Gantt, S.P., & Carter, F.B. (2021). Systems-centered training: An illustrated guide for applying a theory of living human systems. New York, NY: Routledge.

Gantt, S.P. (2019). Implications of neuroscience for group psychotherapy. In F.J. Kaklauskas & L.R. Greene (Eds.), Core principles of group psychotherapy: An integrated theory, research, and practice training manual (pp. 156-170). New York, NY: Routledge.

Gantt, S.P., & Agazarian, Y.M. (2010). Developing the group mind through functional subgrouping: Linking systems-centered training (SCT) and interpersonal neurobiology. International Journal of Group Psychotherapy, 60(4), 515-544. doi: 10.1521/ijgp.2010.60.4.515

Gantt, S.P. & Badenoch, B. (2020). Systems-centered group psychotherapy: Developing a group mind that supports right brain function and right-left-right hemispheric integration. In R. Tweedy (Ed.) The divided therapist: Hemispheric difference and contemporary psychotherapy (pp. 149-180). London, UK: Routledge.

Riccio, D.C., Millin, P.M., & Bogart, A.R. (2006). Reconsolidation: A brief history, a retrieval view, and some recent issues. Learning & Memory, 13(5), 536-544. doi: 10.1101/lm.290706

Presenters

Mike Maher, MA, UKCP. Mike Maher is an experienced psychotherapist, trainer and organisational consultant. He is Director of the Systems-Centered Training and Research Institute and is a Licensed SCT practitioner. Mike runs SCT training groups in the Netherlands and Denmark and works in private practice in the UK and online across the world. He has presented at many international conferences and his work has been regularly published.

Susan P. Gantt, PhD, CGP, ABPP, AGPA-DF, FAPA. Susan P. Gantt is a psychologist in private practice and coordinated group psychotherapy training in psychiatry at Emory University for 29 years. She chairs the Systems-Centered Training (SCT) and Research Institute; teaches SCT in the USA, Europe and China; and leads training groups in Atlanta, San Francisco, and The Netherlands. She has co-authored four books with Yvonne Agazarian, co-edited The Interpersonal Neurobiology of Group Psychotherapy and Group Process with Bonnie Badenoch, and received the 2011 Alonso Award for Excellence in Psychodynamic Group Psychotherapy. Her latest book is Systems-Centered Training: An Illustrated Guide for Applying a Theory of Living Human Systems (Agazarian, Gantt & Carter, 2021).