SCT Conference 2019 Program

In this two-day experiential practicum, members learn to use SCT 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:

• Describe the symptoms of anxiety and the skills to undo anxiety
• Identify tension in the body, describe the function of tension and how to let go of tension
• Discriminate between feelings coming from thoughts vs. feelings coming from the here-and-now direct experience
• Use SCT methods to come into the present, work in the present, and modify defenses in the present context
• Subgroup functionally by joining on similarities, rather than separating from and rejecting differences
• Join and work with others in a functional subgroup, as opposed to working alone

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 evidenced 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. (2010). Systems-centered theory and practice: The contribution of Yvonne Agazarian (Edited by SCTRI.) Livermore, CA: WingSpan Press. Reprint (2011). London, UK: Karnac Books.

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. (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

Presenters

Nina Klebanoff, Ed.M., LCSW, CGP. Nina Klebanoff, Ed.M., LCSW, CGP, 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, PCGE. Mike Maher, MA, PGCE, is a psychotherapist, trainer and organizational consultant. He is a Licensed SCT Practitioner and Director of SCTRI and leads three ongoing SCT training groups. He was Deputy Director in a Therapeutic Community and subsequently he has developed a specialism in working with staff who work with client groups - adolescents and adults - characterized by their challenging natures. He has written papers and book chapters in working with staff groups, organizational issues in mental health reform, managing self-harm behaviors and other subjects, and has presented at many national and international conferences.

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.

Learning Objectives

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

• Define "noise" in verbal communication systems
• Produce Avoidance (noisy) behavior and Approach (congruent) behaviors
• Produce 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

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. (2008). Autobiography of a theory. London, UK: Jessica Kingsley.

Bedwell, W.L., Wildman, J.L., DiazGranados, D., Salazar, M., Kramer, W.S., & Salas, E. (2012). Collaboration at work: An integrative multilevel conceptualization. Human Resource Management Review, 22(2), 128-145.

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

Brooks, A.B., & John, L.K. (2018). The surprising power of questions. Harvard Business Review, May-June 2018, pp. 60-67.

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

Claudia Byram, Ph.D., CGP. Claudia Byram, Ph.D., CGP, has worked since 1980 as a clinician and trainer. She began work with Yvonne Agazarian in the early 80s, and has developed as a clinician and trainer as Systems-Centered therapy developed. Currently, she is a licensed Systems-Centered Practitioner with a clinical practice in Philadelphia. She leads Systems-Centered training events as well as communications training and consultation in the SAVI (System for Analyzing Verbal Interaction) model.

Alida Zweidler-McKay, MBA. Alida Zweidler-McKay, MBA, has been a consultant and coach since 1996. She works with senior executives and middle managers to develop their leadership skills through coaching, training and consulting projects. Alida is a Certified SAVI Trainer and a SAVI Master Coder. She has participated in SCT since 2002 and is working toward becoming a licensed Systems-Centered practitioner. She has a BA from Swarthmore College and an MBA from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.

Today’s workplace is in constant flux, which means that individuals experience uncertainty on a daily basis. Now more than ever, organizations need to clarify roles, goals and purpose, so that the employees have an accurate map to work from. When managers and employees learn tools and techniques to clarify their roles and develop their communication skills, positive changes follow. Their responsibilities, boundaries, rights and obligations become much clearer and personal conflicts, stress and feelings of insecurity start to diminish. Drawing on their book, the authors will share tools to clarify roles and ideas to support organizational team development in the work place.

Learning Objectives

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

• Use the model of Role, Goal and Context to improve role-taking and communication in the workplace
• Analyze how your work contributes to the larger system’s organizational goals
• Apply a framework for group development to contribute to a more effective working climate
• Demonstrate a group perspective for understanding human interactions in a work group
• Describe the difference between spontaneous and role-conscious communication
• Compare the experience in a team of getting stuck in the past with using information from the past to inform the present work

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 evidenced 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 addition to the work of Agazarian, the presenters have been inspired by the Milan school and other family systems models. Another important source of inspiration is Aaron Antonovsky’s concept of “a sense of coherence.” The presenters are also influenced by Poul Moxnes’ work on how dysfunctional roles develop in the workplace as well as Belbin’s writings on team roles, Elliott Jaquies’ thought on the requirements for a functional role taking in an organizational hierarchy, Peter Lang’s concept of systemic management and Bruce Reed’s theory and practice with role analysis. Finally, the presentation draws on Susan Wheelan’s model of stages of development in an organizational context.

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.

Antonovsky, A. (1991). Unraveling the mystery of health: How people manage stress and stay well. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

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

Gantt, S.P., & Agazarian, Y.M. (Eds.) (2005). SCT in action: Applying the systems-centered approach in organizations. Lincoln, NE: iUniverse. Reprint (2006). London, UK: Karnac Books.

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

Wheelan, S. (2009). Creating effective teams: A guide for members and leaders (3rd ed). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Presenters

Anna-Lena Sundlin, MSc, Licensed Psychologist. Anna-Lena Sundlin, MSc, is an organizational consultant, owner and Managing Director of Sandahl Partners Gotland AB, Sweden. She is a licensed psychologist in Sweden (1994), with a background in clinical practice. She has worked as an organizational consultant since 1996, focusing on leadership training and group development in the workplace context. She has been involved in SCT training since 1993. Together with Paul Sundlin she has written the book “Taking up your role – How to shift between life and work without losing yourself” (2014, Catalyst Press) on how to use systems thinking in organizational development. Training to specialize in systems oriented therapy and organizational work at SCTRI in Stockholm, York (UK), Philadelphia (US) 1993 - present.

Paul Sundlin, MSc, Licensed Psychologist. Paul Sundlin, MSc, is a licensed psychologist in Sweden (1993) and partner of Sandahl Partners Gotland AB. He has a background in occupational health and has written two books on the subject of stress management and meditation. Paul has been working as an organizational consultant for over 20 years. He has been involved in SCT training since 2006 and together with Anna-Lena Sundlin he has written the book “Taking up your role – How to shift between life and work without losing yourself” (2014, Catalyst Press) on how to use systems thinking in organizational development. GDQ license 2006, Training to specialize in systems oriented therapy and organizational work at SCTRI in Sweden and United States 2006.

Ben Benjamin, Ph.D.. Ben Benjamin, Ph.D., has been using SCT and SAVI in both an educational and organizational context for the past ten years. He is a senior SAVI Trainer and co-author of "Conversation Transformation," the first published book on SAVI. He is the author of four other books in the health field. His most recent co-authored book, "The Ethics of Touch," is a text for hands-on health professionals in how to create a healthy therapeutic relationship. Ben worked closely with the authors to translate and publish "Taking Up Your Role" in English in the American cultural context. He coaches executives and teams and has recently completed a year-long training certificate program in how to coach intact teams. GDQ license June, 2010, SCTRI Training 1999-2010, US, York, Stockholm.

In this context Advanced participants will collaborate to explore their understanding of theory and its application in the support of the survival, development and transformation in systems responding to uncertainty. We will explore more deeply the understanding of the hierarchy of living human systems and the driving and restraining forces that maintain stability, the developmental goal, vector and function of the protocols in the hierarchy of defense modification, particularly the newer role systems in the person-as-a-whole additions.

Prerequisite: Completion of Authority Issue Group (AIG).

Learning Objectives

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

• Use the concept of Hierarchy to decide when to make an intervention to the person system
• Use the concept of Hierarchy to decide when to make an intervention to the member system
• Use the concept of Hierarchy to decide when to make an intervention to the Subgroup System
• Describe the relationship of Structural, Functional and Vectoring interventions and give an example of when each is appropriate
• Use Functional Subgrouping to contain differences and maintain stability
• Use the protocols appropriate to Flight, Fight, Role-Lock dynamics

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. 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 20 years, presented in approximately 30 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. (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. (2014). Systems-centered training with couples: Building marriages that work. Systemic Thinking & Psychotherapy, 5.

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.

Davis, R. (2013). Creating the conditions for all voices to be heard: Strategies for working with differences. e-O&P Journal of the Association for Management Education and Development, 20(1), 23-29.

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

O’Neill, R.M., & Mogle, J. (2015). Systems-centered functional subgrouping and large group outcome. GROUP: The Journal of the Eastern Group Psychotherapy Society, 39(4), 303-317. doi: 10.13186/group.39.4.0303

Presenters

Frances Carter, MSS, LSW, CGP. Frances Carter, MSS, LSW, CGP, 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, and a Board Member and 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.

Intermediate skills training shifts focus from work with oneself to work with others. This intensive 7-day training introduces the SCT protocols with an emphasis on the theoretical context within which the protocol is used, and the actual steps in each technical skill that make up the protocol. Participants will videotape their practice of each skill and lead a small task group reviewing videotaped sections with an eye on building the skill of force field development.

By application to assess your readiness for this training (see link below). Send application to both Susan Beren and Madeline O'Carroll.

APPLICATION DEADLINE: February 10, 2019

7-day group, meets on Institute weekend and continues Mon - Fri mornings.

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 be consulted as to your readiness for this training. This is the first of the core Intermediate SCT trainings.

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. The 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 evidenced 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 Press. Re-printed in paperback (2004). London, UK: Karnac Books.

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., & Byram, C. (2009). First build the system: The systems-centered approach to combined psychotherapy. GROUP: The Journal of the Eastern Group Psychotherapy Society, 33(2), 129-148.

Gantt, S.P. (1996). Defense analysis: Linking SCT theory and practice - cognitive defenses. SCT Journal: Systems-Centered Theory and Practice, 1, 35-40.

Presenters

Susan Beren, Ph.D.. Susan Beren, Ph.D., is a licensed clinical psychologist who has worked in multiple city hospitals and been in private practice in New York City for the last 20 years, doing therapy with individuals, couples and groups and providing supervision and consultation. Susan has taught, done research on and co-authored several papers on the multiple causes and treatment of eating disorders and obesity. She is a licensed Systems-Centered Training practitioner.

Madeline O'Carroll, MSc, PGDip, RMN, SFHEA. Madeline O'Carroll, MSc, is a Licensed Systems-Centered Practitioner, a Senior Lecturer in Mental Health Nursing at City, University of London and a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. She has worked in mental health for thirty years as a clinician and an educator. Madeline is a qualified teacher with extensive experience of developing and delivering education and training and she also runs therapy groups for people with psychosis.

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 the 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 (see SCT Training Curriculum for details). Joining this group means committing to twice yearly meetings for the duration of the group.

This is a closed group. 7-day group, meets on Institute weekend and continues Mon - Fri mornings.

Note: Participation in intermediate level training requires actively receiving consultation from an SCT Licensed Practitioner.

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
• Practice 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. The 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 evidenced 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. (1994). The phases of development and the systems-centered group. In M. Pines, & V. Schermer (Eds.), Ring of fire: Primitive object relations and affect in group psychotherapy (pp. 36-85). London, UK: Routledge, Chapman & Hall.

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. (1999). Phases of development in the systems-centered group. Small Group Research, 30(1), 82-107.

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

Armington, R. (2012). Exploring the convergence of systems-centered therapy’s functional subgrouping and the principles of interpersonal neurobiology. Journal of Interpersonal Neurobiology Studies, 1, 51-55.

Brabender, V., & Fallon, A. (2008). Group development in practice: Guidance for clinicians and researchers on stages and dynamics of change. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

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

Moreno, J.K. (2007). Scapegoating in group psychotherapy. International Journal of Group Psychotherapy, 57(1), 93-104.

Presenters

Susan P. Gantt, Ph.D., CGP, ABPP, DFAGPA, FAPA. Susan P. Gantt, Ph.D., ABPP, CGP, DFAGPA, FAPA, is a psychologist in private practice in Atlanta and Emerita faculty at Emory University School of Medicine, Psychiatry department, where she taught and coordinated group psychotherapy training for 29 years. She is the Chair of the Systems-Centered Training and Research Institute, which was recognized 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. She trains, supervises and consults in the practice of SCT in the US and Europe and leads ongoing training groups for therapists and consultants in Atlanta, San Francisco and the Netherlands. She has published numerous journal articles and co-authored the texts Autobiography of a Theory, SCT in Action, and Systems-Centered Therapy: Clinical Practice with Individuals, Families & Groups with Yvonne Agazarian. She co-edited the book The Interpersonal Neurobiology of Group Psychotherapy and Group Process with Bonnie Badenoch in 2013. She was awarded the 2011 Alonso Award for Excellence in Psychodynamic Group Psychotherapy by the Group Psychotherapy Foundation for her work in editing (with Paul Cox) the special issue of the International Journal of Group Psychotherapy on “Neurobiology and Interpersonal Systems: Groups, Couples and Beyond.”

Ray Haddock, MBChB, M.MedSc, FRCPsych. Ray Haddock, MBChB, M.MedSc, FRCPsych, Member of Institute of Group Analysis, Licensed Systems-Centered Practitioner. He qualified in medicine in 1982, trained in Psychiatry then in Psychotherapy in Leeds (UK). He has wide experience of leading SCT training groups and workshops in UK, Europe and the USA. He has practiced as a Consultant Medical Psychotherapist in the UK for over 20 years and has also had a number of management roles in the NHS, including service development and implementation of training programs for psychiatry trainees. He taught psychotherapy based on SCT to junior psychiatrists and psychotherapy trainees for over 20 years. Clinically he uses SCT in individual and group therapy and has developed a manual to support this work. He uses the Theory of Living Human Systems in day-to-day organizational work, consultation and leadership.

This task-focused training is an opportunity to observe a two-day foundation group through the first phases of system development, tracking group dynamics and phase while linking leader interventions to theory and methods.

Minimum membership criterion is Mentor Training experience.

By application only. To apply, contact Annie MacIver

Learning Objectives

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

• Describe leader interventions in creating a working SCT group
• Discuss the leader's use of methods and techniques of SCT in relation to the group's movement through the early phases of development
• Create a force field of leader behaviors as driving or restraining forces toward the development of all system levels (member, subgroup, group-as-a-whole)
• Discuss leader interventions and consequent behavioral data in relation to the Theory of Living Human Systems
• List 3 examples of member, subgroup and group-as-a-whole behaviors as reflections of phase of group development
• List 3 examples of changes in behaviors as members learn to move from person to member, to member of a subgroup and to the group-as-a-whole

Presentation Content

The systems-centered approach to group and organizational work has been in the field for over 20 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.

Supporting References

Agazarian, Y.M. (2010). Systems-centered theory and practice: The contribution of Yvonne Agazarian (Edited by SCTRI.) Livermore, CA: WingSpan Press. Reprint (2011). London, UK: Karnac Books.

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. (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

Presenters

Annie MacIver, MA, DipSW. Annie MacIver, MA, DipSW, is a Social Worker who specialises in working with children and their families. Annie is Director of Family Operations for a large local authority in England and is engaged in applying systems-centred theory and methods to enhancing leadership capacity and capability in complex organisational contexts. She is a licensed Systems-Centered Practitioner and Board Member.

A. Meigs Ross, M.Div., LCSW. The Rev. A. Meigs Ross, M.Div., LCSW, is a psychotherapist and consultant in private practice in New York City. She is also an adjunct professor and Clinical Pastoral Education Supervisor at Union Theological Seminary in New York and Jewish Theological Seminary. She is an Episcopal priest, a licensed systems-centered consultant and therapist SCTRI, a certified clinical pastoral educator with the Association for Clinical Pastoral Education, a certified chaplain with the Association for Professional Chaplains and a licensed Clinical Social Worker. Rev. Ross has served as the Manager of Pastoral Care and Education at New York Presbyterian Hospital the Director of Clinical Pastoral Education at the HealthCare Chaplaincy in New York and continues to serve as a consultant with New York Presbyterian Hospital and the Episcopal Church. Rev. Ross received a Master of Divinity from Union Theological Seminary and an MSW from New York University.

This training observes the Authority Issue Group to track group dynamics, phase of system development, communication patterns that support the phase, leadership interventions linking interventions to theory and group functioning. Goal: To learn through observation to collect data about the impact of leader interventions in each phase of development and, through experience, to collect data about system isomorphy.

Prerequisite: Completion of the Authority Issue Group.

This is a closed group. 7-day group, meets on Institute weekend and continues Mon - Fri mornings.

Learning Objectives

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

• Analyze the leaders' SCT interventions and relate to driving and restraining forces in the phases of system development
• Identify a predictable hierarchy of defense modification
• Describe observations and apply experience to a Theory of Living Human Systems and systems-centered practice
• Compare isomorphy between group being observed and observing group
• Assess effectiveness of functional subgrouping in advanced training group (Authority Issue Group)
• Demonstrate development of advanced training skills in the training group context

Presentation Content

Learning methods: Systems-centered practice and training was developed by Yvonne Agazarian over a number of decades. This training is offered from foundation level to licensing and more recently the Systems-Centered Training and Research Institute (SCTRI) has pioneered advanced training for trainers and leaders, a training group for advanced practitioners who who wish to enhance their skills as trainers. This training is a twice yearly training observing the training and development of the Authority Issue Group (AIG). 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. The training consists of observation of the AIG training group led by Susan Gantt and Ray Haddock. Discussion and exploration, using the observations to provide data for tracking group dynamics, phase of system development, communication patterns that support the phase, leadership interventions to member, subgroup and group-as-a-whole, while linking interventions to theory and group functioning. Skills practice: using the group to practice and build on skills of giving and taking authority in training roles.

Supporting References

Armington, R. (2012). Exploring the convergence of systems-centered therapy’s functional subgrouping and the principles of interpersonal neurobiology. Journal of Interpersonal Neurobiology Studies, 1, 51-55.

Brabender, V., & Fallon, A. (2009). Group development in practice. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

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

O'Neill, R.M., Smyth, J.M., & MacKenzie, M.J. (2011). Systems-centered functional subgrouping links the member to the group dynamics and goals: How-to and a pilot study. GROUP: The Journal of the Eastern Group Psychotherapy Society, 35(2), 105-121.

O’Neill, R.M., Constantino, M.J., & Mogle, J. (2012). Does Agazarian’s systems-centered functional subgrouping improve mood, learning and goal achievement?: A study in large groups. Group Analysis, 45, 375-390. doi: 10.1177/0533316412448287

Presenters

Dorothy Gibbons, MSS, LCSW. Dorothy Gibbons, MSS, LCSW, is a licensed Systems-Centered Practitioner. She is in private practice in Philadelphia, PA. She works with individuals, groups, and couples. She also works 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.

Juliet Koprowska, MSW. Juliet Koprowska, MSW, Diploma in Counselling, has extensive experience of systems-centered training at an advanced level, most recently as a member of the group observing the last Authority Issue/Licensing Group. She is Senior Lecturer in Social Work at the University of York where her main roles are teaching qualifying and registered social workers. Her areas of expertise are communication, family work, group work, and field education. She researches communication in social work practice and is author of "Communication and Interpersonal Skills in Social Work" (4th edition). London: Sage Learning Matters, a book widely used on social work programmes in the UK. She organises the annual SCT event held in York, England.

Sunday 5:05-6:35; Monday, Tuesday, Thursday 4:20-5:50

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
• Practice 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. 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 evidenced 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. (1994). The phases of development and the systems-centered group. In M. Pines, & V. Schermer (Eds.), Ring of fire: Primitive object relations and affect in group psychotherapy (pp. 36-85). London, UK: Routledge, Chapman & Hall.

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

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. (2005). The systems perspective. In S. Wheelan (Ed.), Handbook of group research and practice (pp. 187-200). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Armington, R. (2012). Exploring the convergence of systems-centered therapy’s functional subgrouping and the principles of interpersonal neurobiology. Journal of Interpersonal Neurobiology Studies, 1, 51-55.

Brabender, V., & Fallon, A. (2009). Group development in practice. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

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, Ph.D., CGP. Claudia Byram, Ph.D., CGP, is a licensed Systems-Centered Practitioner with a clinical practice in Philadelphia. She leads Systems-Centered training events, as well as communications training and consultation in the SAVI (System for Analyzing Verbal Interaction) model. She has worked since 1980 as a clinician and trainer, with a doctorate in developmental and clinical psychology from Bryn Mawr College. She began work with Yvonne Agazarian in the early 80s, shifting from psychoanalytic practice toward systems as systems-centered therapy developed.

Frances Carter, MSS, LSW, CGP. Frances Carter, MSS, LSW, CGP, 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, and a Board Member and 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.

Susan P. Gantt, Ph.D., ABPP, CGP, DFAGPA, FAPA. Susan P. Gantt, Ph.D., ABPP, CGP, DFAGPA, FAPA, is a psychologist in private practice in Atlanta and Emerita faculty at Emory University School of Medicine, Psychiatry department, where she taught and coordinated group psychotherapy training for 29 years. She is the Chair of the Systems-Centered Training and Research Institute, which was recognized 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. She trains, supervises and consults in the practice of SCT in the US and Europe and leads ongoing training groups for therapists and consultants in Atlanta, San Francisco and the Netherlands. She has published numerous journal articles and co-authored the texts Autobiography of a Theory, SCT in Action, and Systems-Centered Therapy: Clinical Practice with Individuals, Families & Groups with Yvonne Agazarian. She co-edited the book The Interpersonal Neurobiology of Group Psychotherapy and Group Process with Bonnie Badenoch in 2013. She was awarded the 2011 Alonso Award for Excellence in Psychodynamic Group Psychotherapy by the Group Psychotherapy Foundation for her work in editing (with Paul Cox) the special issue of the International Journal of Group Psychotherapy on “Neurobiology and Interpersonal Systems: Groups, Couples and Beyond.”

Ray Haddock, MBChB, M.MedSc, FRCPsych. Ray Haddock, MBChB, M.MedSc, FRCPsych, Member of Institute of Group Analysis, Licensed Systems-Centered Practitioner. He qualified in medicine in 1982, trained in Psychiatry then in Psychotherapy in Leeds (UK). He has wide experience of leading SCT training groups and workshops in UK, Europe and the USA. He has practiced as a Consultant Medical Psychotherapist in the UK for over 20 years and has also had a number of management roles in the NHS, including service development and implementation of training programs for psychiatry trainees. He taught psychotherapy based on SCT to junior psychiatrists and psychotherapy trainees for over 20 years. Clinically he uses SCT in individual and group therapy and has developed a manual to support this work. He uses the Theory of Living Human Systems in day-to-day organizational work, consultation and leadership.

In this experiential training, members create a systems-centered group through functional subgrouping, the core method of SCT. As members work together modifying personal and group constraints to growth, the group develops skills for solving problems in the uncertainty of everyday life.

Learning Objectives

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

• Apply the skill of functional subgrouping to integrate new and different information with less conflict
• Apply the skill of centering myself
• Apply the skill of exploring my experience in the present
• Practice undoing scary thoughts about the future and coming into the present
• Test the reality of my thoughts regarding what others are thinking
• Practice being curious in the here-and-now of the group in the face of uncertainty

Presentation Content

O’Neill and colleagues have shown that groups run with SCT methods have high 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 a positive experience and that it relates to better morale over time, more overall learning and more goal achievement. See O’Neill et al (2013) research below for related references.

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

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

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

Presenters

Richard O’Neill, Ph.D., FAClinP, CGP, ABPP. Richard O’Neill, Ph.D., FAClinP, CGP, DF-NYSPA, is Professor and Director of SCT Training at the State University of New York-Upstate Medical University. He is a founding member of SCTRI and its Board of Directors and SCTRI Research Director Emeritus. He is a licensed SCT practitioner and consultant specializing in SCT supervision, training and therapy for individuals, partners and groups, and presents SCT on the radio and YouTube in his "Checkup from the Neckup" productions.

Rowena Davis, MSc.

Integrating role systems. Participants will use SCT methods to build the group as a context for exploring the relationships among group-as-a-whole, member and inner person systems. We will discover how communication outputs signal the source of the sending role system and explore how the sending system relates to the group context.

Members must meet criteria for SCT Intermediate level. By application to assess your readiness for this training (see link below). Send application to Claudia Byram.

APPLICATION DEADLINE: March 1, 2019

Please download, complete and return this application form

Learning Objectives

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

• Describe one behavioral output of inner person role systems
• Describe one behavioral output of inter-person role systems
• Describe behavioral output of whole-system role
• Identify one example of a survival role system triggered in the flight or fight sub-phase
• Describe the connection between curiosity and the communication potential between the Explorer and Survival role systems
• Give one example of moving from a survival role system to inner person explorer to inter-person observer role, naming one driving or restraining force influencing the shift

Presentation Content

The systems-centered approach to group and organizational work has been in the field for over 20 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.

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. (2017). Use our systems-centered pictures as a map. Systems-Centered News 25(1), 3-9.

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.

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. (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., & Agazarian, Y.M. (2011). The group mind, systems-centred functional subgrouping, and interpersonal neurobiology. In E. Hopper & H. Weinberg (Eds.), The social unconscious in persons, groups, and societies: Volume 1: Mainly theory (pp. 99-123). London, UK: Karnac Books.

Haines, S., & Standing, S. (2016). Trauma is really strange. London, UK: Singing Dragon.

Siegel, D. (2010). Mindsight: The new science of personal transformation. New York, NY: Bantam Books.

Presenters

Claudia Byram, Ph.D., CGP. Claudia Byram, Ph.D., CGP, is a licensed Systems-Centered Practitioner with a clinical practice in Philadelphia. She leads Systems-Centered training events, as well as communications training and consultation in the SAVI (System for Analyzing Verbal Interaction) model. She has worked since 1980 as a clinician and trainer, with a doctorate in developmental and clinical psychology from Bryn Mawr College. She began work with Yvonne Agazarian in the early 80s, shifting from psychoanalytic practice toward systems as systems-centered therapy developed.

Rick Campa, Ph.D.. Rick Campa, Ph.D., is a licensed psychologist who lives in Austin, Texas. After earning his doctoral degree in clinical psychology from Boston University in 1991, he moved to Texas and has worked as a psychotherapist in private for the past twenty-six years. Rick began studying System-Centered training in 1998, and is a licensed Systems-Centered practitioner and trainer.

Advanced members apply the 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.

Prerequisite: Completion of Authority Issue Group, active membership in SCTRI. If not currently in a training context, please contact Fran Carter and Sven-Erik Viskari for permission.

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.

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. (2000). Autobiography of a theory: Developing a theory of living human systems and its systems-centered practice. London, UK: Jessica Kingsley.

Gantt, S.P., & Agazarian, Y.M. (Eds.) (2005). SCT in action: Applying the systems-centered approach in organizations. Lincoln, NE: iUniverse. Reprint (2006). London, UK: Karnac Books.

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. (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

O’Neill, R.M., & Constantino, M.J. (2008). Systems-centered training groups’ process and outcome: A comparison with AGPA institute groups. International Journal of Group Psychotherapy, 58(1), 77-102. doi: 10.1521/ijgp.2008.58.1.77

Presenters

Frances Carter, MSS, LSW, CGP. Frances Carter, MSS, LSW, CGP, 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 Systems-Centered Training and Research Institute, a current Board Member and System Mentor. 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 principal in SAVI Communications and the SAVI Network where she works with others to develop training in the SAVI approach to communication.

Sven-Erik Viskari, BA. Sven-Erik Viskari, BA, is a licensed psychologist and psychotherapist. As a senior Organizational Consultant, he mainly works with team building, group development and coaching of leaders and employees. As a clinician, he works with supervision in the Swedish public health care system. He is also a licensed Systems-Centered Practitioner and has been a member of the Board of the Systems-Centered Training and Research Institute 2006-2017.

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

Learning Objectives

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

• State one goal of functional subgrouping
• Apply two behaviors that support functional subgrouping
• Describe one impact functional subgrouping has on the communication climate

Presentation Content

The systems-centered approach to group and organizational work has been in the field for over 20 years, presented in approximately 30 articles in peer-reviewed professional journals. Functional subgrouping has been shown to increase group cohesion and lower 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

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., & Adams, J.M. (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

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

Presenters

Dayne Narretta, LCSW, BCD, CGP. Dayne Narretta, LCSW, CGP, BCD, is in Private Practice in Baton Rouge, LA. She has been facilitating groups since 1992. She has done her group training through Systems-Centered Training Research Institute, American Group Psychotherapy Association and its affiliates. She was introduced to Systems-Centered group work in 2004 and continues her training in the Systems-Centered Training and Research Institute. Dayne is currently on the Board for American Group Psychotherapy Association and is a Co-Director for the Systems-Centered Training Annual Conference. She is a past president of Louisiana Group Psychotherapy Society and has been a member of a Systems-Centered training group since 2008.

Introduction to the fundamentals of a Theory of Living Human Systems and how Systems-Centered methods are an application of the theory with a particular focus on functional subgrouping.

Learning Objectives

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

• Describe the fundamental concepts of a Theory of Living Human Systems (TLHS)
• Define how SCT methods relate to a Theory of Living Human Systems
• Describe the SCT method of Functional Subgrouping and use it to enable the discrimination and integration of differences as an alternative to ignoring or scapegoating them

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 evidenced 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 Press. Re-printed in paperback (2004). London, UK: Karnac Books.

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. (2017). The nuts and bolts of systems-centered practice. Systems-Centered News, 26(1), 5-9.

Brabender, V., & Fallon, A. (2009). Group development in practice. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

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

Ray Haddock, MBChB, M.MedSc, FRCPsych. Ray Haddock, MBChB, M.MedSc, FRCPsych, qualified in medicine in 1982, trained in Psychiatry then in Psychotherapy in Leeds (UK). Qualified as a member of the Institute of Group Analysis in 1993 and now a Licensed Systems-Centered practitioner. Wide experience of leading SCT training groups and workshops in UK, Europe and the USA. Practices part time as a Consultant Medical Psychotherapist in the UK and works in independent practice as a Systems-Centered Practitioner in training and consultancy. Provision of therapy with complex patient problems in the NHS for over 25 years. Member of the board of the Systems-Centered Training and Research Institute and the International Association of Group Psychotherapy and Group Processes. Lead editor of Theory and Applications section of SCT Newsletter. Lead for SCTRI board theory group.

Developing awareness of the fork-in-the-road between explaining and exploring is a discrimination that opens us to the possibility of change. Explaining keeps us focused on what we already know, and exploring moves us into the unknown where something new can emerge. Using the fork-in-the-road we will explore experience at the edge of the unknown as well as the information contained within our tendency to explain.

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 explaining versus exploring as a fork-in-the-road
• Practice using the fork-in-the road method

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 20 years. Approximately 30 articles in peer-reviewed journals and multiple books in the fields of psychotherapy and organizational development have been published. 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. (2010). Systems-centered theory and practice: The contribution of Yvonne Agazarian (Edited by SCTRI). Livermore, CA: WingSpan Press. Reprint (2011). London, UK: Karnac Books.

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.

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

Presenters

Jeff Eiberson, Ph.D.. Jeff Eiberson, Ph.D., is a licensed psychologist in private practice in Philadelphia, PA. Jeff began System-Centered training in 1994 and is currently a licensed Systems-Centered practitioner. He has participated in many SCT trainings , led various Systems-Centered workshops, groups, and seminars and worked with Dr. Yvonne Agazarian in several roles. In addition, he has been an active voice and leader in the Philadelphia LGBTQ Community.

Learning to see systems and not just people is the heart of applying systems thinking. Participants will explore how to apply the constructs of the theory of living human systems in looking at living human systems as small as a person and as big as the world.

Learning Objectives

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

• State the connection between theory (TLHS) and practice (SCT)
• Practice thinking systems and not just people
• Describe and diagram the essential system variables identified in a theory of living human systems

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 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 evidenced 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. (1994). The phases of development and the systems-centered group. In M. Pines, & V. Schermer (Eds.), Ring of fire: Primitive object relations and affect in group psychotherapy (pp. 36-85). London, UK: Routledge, Chapman & Hall.

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

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

Armington, R. (2012). Exploring the convergence of systems-centered therapy’s functional subgrouping and the principles of interpersonal neurobiology. Journal of Interpersonal Neurobiology Studies, 1, 51-55.

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

Susan P. Gantt, Ph.D., CGP, ABPP, DFAGPA, FAPA. Susan P. Gantt, Ph.D., ABPP, CGP, DFAGPA, FAPA, is a psychologist in private practice in Atlanta and Emerita faculty at Emory University School of Medicine, Psychiatry department, where she taught and coordinated group psychotherapy training for 29 years. She is the Chair of the Systems-Centered Training and Research Institute, which was recognized 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. She trains, supervises and consults in the practice of SCT in the US and Europe and leads ongoing training groups for therapists and consultants in Atlanta, San Francisco and the Netherlands. She has published numerous journal articles and co-authored the texts Autobiography of a Theory, SCT in Action, and Systems-Centered Therapy: Clinical Practice with Individuals, Families & Groups with Yvonne Agazarian. She co-edited the book The Interpersonal Neurobiology of Group Psychotherapy and Group Process with Bonnie Badenoch in 2013. She was awarded the 2011 Alonso Award for Excellence in Psychodynamic Group Psychotherapy by the Group Psychotherapy Foundation for her work in editing (with Paul Cox) the special issue of the International Journal of Group Psychotherapy on “Neurobiology and Interpersonal Systems: Groups, Couples and Beyond.”

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 workshop 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 mind reads 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. 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 evidenced 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 20 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.

Supporting References

Agazarian, Y.M. (2010). Systems-centered theory and practice: The contribution of Yvonne Agazarian (Edited by SCTRI). 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

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

Presenters

Mike Maher, MA, PGCE. Mike Maher, MA, PGCE, is a psychotherapist, trainer and organisational consultant. He is a Licensed SCT Practitioner and Director of SCTRI and leads an ongoing SCT training group. He was Deputy Director in a Therapeutic Community and subsequently he has developed a specialism in working with staff who work with client groups - adolescents and adults - characterised by their challenging natures. He has written papers and book chapters in working with staff groups, organisational issues in mental health reform, managing self-harm behaviours and other subjects, and has presented at many national and international conferences.

This Drop-In offers the opportunity to learn more about one of the SCT methods for consultation and the the theoretical underpinnings behind the SCT model. Participants will have the opportunity to practice and explore their experiences using this exercise and method.

Learning Objectives

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

• Describe the theoretical underpinnings of this consultation method
• Practice the protocol of the consultation method
• Describe how the consultation skill 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. The theory of living human systems has defined theoretical constructs and operational definitions that implement and test the theoretical hypotheses in its practice.

Supporting References

Agazarian, Y.M. (2010). Systems-centered theory and practice: The contribution of Yvonne Agazarian (Edited by SCTRI). Livermore, CA: WingSpan Press. Reprint (2011). London, UK: Karnac Books.

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. (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., & Agazarian, Y.M. (2007). Phases of system development in organizational work groups: The systems-centered approach for intervening in context. Organisational & Social Dynamics, 7(2), 253-291.

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

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

Presenters

Sven-Erik Viskari, BA, Licensed Psychologist. Sven-Erik Viskari, BA, is a licensed psychologist and psychotherapist. As a senior Organizational Consultant, he mainly works with team building, group development and coaching of leaders and employees. As a clinician, he works with supervision in the Swedish public health care system. He is also a licensed Systems-Centered Practitioner and has been a member of the Board of the Systems-Centered Training and Research Institute 2006-2017.

This Drop-In group offers the opportunity to learn more about the theory behind the SCT distraction exercise. Participants will have the opportunity to practice and explore their experiences with the distraction exercise as well.

Learning Objectives

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

• Describe the theoretical underpinnings of the distraction exercise
• Practice the protocol of the distraction exercise
• Describe how the distraction exercise contributes to building a system

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. 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 Press. Re-printed in paperback (2004). London, UK: Karnac Books.

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. (2002). A systems-centered approach to individual and group psychotherapy. In L. Vandecreek, & T. Jackson (Eds.), Innovations in clinical practice: A source book, Vol. 20 (pp. 223-240). Sarasota, FL: Professional Resource Press.

Presenters

Åsa Bergquist Håål, MA. Åsa Bergquist Håål, MA, has since 2002 worked with organizations development, designing and facilitating business transformation programs, leading workshops and training groups. She has developed a parenting program and a train the trainer program in the context of drug prevention. She is a member of the SCT Licensing Group VII.

This workshop introduces the theory behind the creation of the SAVI system for analyzing verbal interaction. The SAVI grid is a map for understanding that HOW we say what we say determines how likely it is that the information in our communication will get across. With SAVI, it is assumed that it is the pattern of verbal interaction that determines the probability, not a single input or an individual's intention.

Learning Objectives

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

• Describe the relationship between noise, information transfer and boundary permeability
• Describe the ideas underlying the SAVI Grid as a map of verbal communication behaviors
• Give two examples of verbal behaviors serving as driving and two serving as restraining forces to the transfer of the information contained in the behavior

Presentation Content

Behavioral observation systems are well-established in the research and clinical fields. This particular model, System for Analyzing Verbal Interaction, developed by Yvonne Agazarian and Anita Simon, 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. (2008). Autobiography of a theory. London, UK: Jessica Kingsley.

Bedwell, W.L., Wildman, J.L., DiazGranados, D., Salazar, M., Kramer, W.S., & Salas, E. (2012). Collaboration at work: An integrative multilevel conceptualization. Human Resource Management Review, 22(2), 128-145.

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

Brooks, A.B., & John, L.K. (2018). The surprising power of questions. Harvard Business Review, May-June 2018, pp. 60-67.

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

Claudia Byram, Ph.D., CGP. Claudia Byram, Ph.D., CGP, has worked since 1980 as a clinician and trainer. She began work with Yvonne Agazarian in the early 80s, and has developed as a clinician and trainer as Systems-Centered therapy developed. Currently, she is a licensed Systems-Centered Practitioner with a clinical practice in Philadelphia. She leads Systems-Centered training events as well as communications training and consultation in the SAVI (System for Analyzing Verbal Interaction) model.

The force field, as developed by Kurt Lewin, is the SCT map for collecting information about the forces that drive systems towards their goals (driving forces) and the forces that get in the way (restraining forces). Building a force field related to a particular goal helps identify which restraining forces to reduce so the driving forces can be released. The group will use force fields to clarify goals, identify driving and restraining forces, identify solutions to problems, and make decisions.

Learning Objectives

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

• Demonstrate a basic theoretical understanding of force field analysis and its application in supporting change
• Construct a force field by identifying a goal, and driving and restraining forces to that goal
• Use the force field in problem-solving to support system movement toward a goal

Presentation Content

Force Fields were developed by Kurt Lewin in 1947, and have been applied in many therapeutic, research and organizational contexts since then. They are an important tool used in SCT to aid in collecting data about human systems, identifying driving and restraining forces toward a goal, the system's implicit goals and its phase of development. Force Fields have found applications in many other fields where they are used in a similar way. The articles below describe and demonstrate the value and application of Force Fields to SCT and other fields.

Supporting References

Agazarian, Y.A. (2018). The nuts and bolts of systems-centered practice. Systems-Centered News, 26(1), 5-9.

Agazarian, Y.M., & Gantt, S.P. (2003). Phases of group development: Systems-centered hypotheses and their implications for research and practice. Group Dynamics: Theory, Research and Practice, 7(3), 238-252. doi: 10.1037/1089-2699.7.3.238

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

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.

Cripps, H.G.K. (2013). Art imitates life: Art and architecture as a driving force for change. Journal of Organizational Change Management, 26(1), 49-63.

Curran, D. (2014). The role of mediation in the resolution of two industrial disputes in Ireland: Towards a theoretical understanding. Employee Relations: An International Journal, 36(5), 496-515.

Gantt, S.P., & Agazarian, Y.M. (2007). Phases of system development in organizational work groups: The systems-centered approach for intervening in context. Organisational & Social Dynamics, 7(2), 253-291.

Lewin, K. (1947). Frontiers in group dynamics: II. Channels of group life social planning and action research. Human Relations, 1(2), 143-153.

Shirey, M. (2013). Lewin’s theory of planned change as a strategic resource. The Journal of Nursing Administration, 43(2), 69–72.

Presenters

Alida Zweidler-McKay, MBA. Alida Zweidler-McKay has been a consultant and coach since 1996. She works with senior executives and middle managers to develop their leadership skills through coaching, training and consulting projects. Alida is a certified SAVI trainer. She has participated in Systems-Centered Training since 2002 and is working toward becoming a licensed Systems-Centered Practitioner. She has a BA from Swarthmore College and an MBA from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.

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
• Describe and apply the hierarchy of defense modification 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. The 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 evidenced 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. (1994). The phases of development and the systems-centered group. In M. Pines, & V. Schermer (Eds.), Ring of fire: Primitive object relations and affect in group psychotherapy (pp. 36-85). London, UK: Routledge, Chapman & Hall.

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. (1999). Phases of development in the systems-centered group. Small Group Research, 30(1), 82-107.

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

Armington, R. (2012). Exploring the convergence of systems-centered therapy’s functional subgrouping and the principles of interpersonal neurobiology. Journal of Interpersonal Neurobiology Studies, 1, 51-55.

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

Susan P. Gantt, Ph.D., CGP, ABPP, DFAGPA, FAPA. Susan P. Gantt, Ph.D., ABPP, CGP, DFAGPA, FAPA, is a psychologist in private practice in Atlanta and Emerita faculty at Emory University School of Medicine, Psychiatry department, where she taught and coordinated group psychotherapy training for 29 years. She is the Chair of the Systems-Centered Training and Research Institute, which was recognized 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. She trains, supervises and consults in the practice of SCT in the US and Europe and leads ongoing training groups for therapists and consultants in Atlanta, San Francisco and the Netherlands. She has published numerous journal articles and co-authored the texts Autobiography of a Theory, SCT in Action, and Systems-Centered Therapy: Clinical Practice with Individuals, Families & Groups with Yvonne Agazarian. She co-edited the book The Interpersonal Neurobiology of Group Psychotherapy and Group Process with Bonnie Badenoch in 2013. She was awarded the 2011 Alonso Award for Excellence in Psychodynamic Group Psychotherapy by the Group Psychotherapy Foundation for her work in editing (with Paul Cox) the special issue of the International Journal of Group Psychotherapy on “Neurobiology and Interpersonal Systems: Groups, Couples and Beyond.”

Force field analysis is a tool used in SCT to track the driving and restraining forces of system development. Force fields allow us to identify the explicit and implicit goals of a system at any level. In this two-day intermediate level training we will practice building force fields together with experiential exercises, while creating a context for connection and having fun.

This training dovetails with Intermediate Skills Training (IST) and is for people who have taken IST and for those who are considering IST. Please self-assess your readiness for this training by reviewing the criteria for Intermediate Level training at SCT Training Curriculum

Learning Objectives

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

• Use observable data (different from opinions and stories) to describe system output and its driving or restraining influence on goals for the context
• Build and use force fields to clarify implicit and explicit goals of a system
• Discriminate inter-person system output from inner person survivor output, and the driving and restraining influence these have on the goals of the group

Presentation Content

The systems-centered approach developed by Yvonne Agazarian is considered by APA a contribution to the knowledge of the boundaries between clinical and social psychology. Systems-centered training draws on a comprehensive systems theory, that is implemented by specific, theory-derived methods and techniques. The core method, functional subgrouping, is indicated by peer-reviewed research to improve group functioning.

Force Fields were developed by Kurt Lewin in 1947. 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, including organizational development, where they are used in a similar way.

Supporting References

Agazarian, Y.M. (2018). The nuts and bolts of systems-centered practice. Systems-Centered News, 26(1), 5-9.

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. (2005). The systems perspective. In S. Wheelan (Ed.), Handbook of group research and practice (pp. 187-200). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

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.

Bentzen, M. (2018). The neuroaffective picture book: An illustrated introduction to developmental neuropsychology. Berkeley, CA: North Atlantic Books.

Gantt, S.P., & Agazarian, Y.M. (Eds.) (2006). SCT in clinical practice: Applying the systems-centered approach with individuals, families and groups. Livermore, CA: WingSpan Press. Reprint (2011). London, UK: Karnac Books.

Haines, S. (2016). Trauma is really strange. London, UK and Philadelphia, PA: Jessica Kingsley.

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

Shirey, M. (2013). Lewin’s theory of planned change as a strategic resource. Journal of Nursing Administration, 43(2), 69–72.

Siegel, D. (2010). Mindsight: The new science of personal transformation. New York, NY: Bantam Books.

Presenters

Rick Campa, Ph.D.. Rick Campa, Ph.D., is a licensed psychologist in private practice in Austin, Texas. Rick was formally trained in Boston and moved to Texas in 1991. Rick currently divides his time as a husband and father of two, a psychotherapist working with individuals, couples, and groups in private practice, and a state psychological consultant making determinations for the Social Security Disability program. He began studying System-Centered training in 1998 and is currently a licensed Systems-Centered practitioner.

Alida Zweidler-McKay, MBA. Alida Zweidler-McKay, MBA, has been a consultant and coach since 1996. She works with senior executives and middle managers to develop their leadership skills through coaching, training programs and consulting projects. Alida is a certified SAVI trainer. She began studying Systems-Centered Training in 2002 and is working toward becoming a licensed Systems-Centered Practitioner. She has a BA from Swarthmore College and an MBA from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.

This intermediate level training focuses on the practice of SCT leadership through introducing functional subgrouping, the distraction exercise and the fork-in-the-road to discriminate between explaining and exploring – core SCT methods. Participants practice through role plays in different contexts (clinical, OD, etc).

This training dovetails with Intermediate Skills Training (IST) and is for people who have taken IST and for those who are considering IST. Please self-assess your readiness for this training by reviewing the criteria for Intermediate Level training at SCT Training Curriculum

Learning Objectives

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

• Practice using the skill of functional subgrouping in a group, building a context where members join on similarities, while differences are contained and explored, rather than scapegoated
• Apply the concept of role, goal and context in the system, by using the distraction exercise to bring energy across the boundaries in time, space and reality so individuals take up their member role in a given context
• State and apply the fork-in-the-road technique that helps build the discrimination between explaining or exploring an experience

Presentation Content

The systems-centered approach developed by Yvonne Agazarian is considered by APA a contribution to the knowledge of the boundaries between clinical and social psychology. Systems-Centered Training draws on a comprehensive systems theory that is implemented by specific, theory-derived methods and techniques. The core method, functional subgrouping, is indicated by peer-reviewed research to improve group functioning. All the three methods that in this workshop are explored from the leadership perspective can be linked theoretically and practically to group Emotional Intelligence as well as to the concept of Learning Organization.

Supporting References

Agazarian, Y.M., & Gantt, S.P. (2005). The systems perspective. In S. Wheelan (Ed.), Handbook of group research and practice (pp. 187-200). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Gantt, S.P. (2005). Functional role-taking in organizations and work groups. Group Psychologist (APA Division 49 newsletter), 15(5), 15.

Gantt, S.P., & Agazarian, Y.M. (2004). Systems-centered emotional intelligence: Beyond individual systems to organizational systems. Organizational Analysis, 12(2), 147-169. doi: 10.1108/eb028990

O'Neill, R.M., & Constantino, M.J. (2008). Systems-centered training groups' process and outcome: A comparison with AGPA institute groups. International Journal of Group Psychotherapy, 58(1), 77-102. doi: 10.1521/ijgp.2008.58.1.77

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.

Presenters

A. Meigs Ross, M.Div., LCSW. The Rev. A. Meigs Ross, M.Div., LCSW, is a psychotherapist and consultant in private practice in New York City. She is also an adjunct professor and Clinical Pastoral Education Supervisor at Union Theological Seminary in New York and Jewish Theological Seminary. She is an Episcopal priest, a licensed systems-centered consultant and therapist SCTRI, a certified clinical pastoral educator with the Association for Clinical Pastoral Education, a certified chaplain with the Association for Professional Chaplains and a licensed Clinical Social Worker. Rev. Ross has served as the Manager of Pastoral Care and Education at New York Presbyterian Hospital the Director of Clinical Pastoral Education at the HealthCare Chaplaincy in New York and continues to serve as a consultant with New York Presbyterian Hospital and the Episcopal Church. Rev. Ross received a Master of Divinity from Union Theological Seminary and an MSW from New York University.

Hella Ritz, DRS (MA) . Hella Ritz, DRS (MA), has expertise in developing organisations through coaching teams and executives to deliver results, using differences as fuel for excellence. Hella uses Systems-Centered methods and tools to foster liveliness in the system, creative problem-solving and collaboration. Hella has 10 years of experience in management roles and over 20 years of experience as a consultant and executive team coach, working for a wide range of public and private organizations. She holds a Master degree in Business Communication, is a licensed Systems-Centered practitioner and a Certified SAVI trainer (SAVI = System for Analyzing Verbal Interaction). Her view on personal development is informed by a four year training in ‘Zijnsgeoriënteerde’ psychotherapy and awareness. Hella’s work style is clear, joyful, intimate and precise.

This workshop is for Intermediate and Advanced members and focuses on putting theory into practice, when to use different interventions, reviewing and exploring more deeply the current protocols. The work will focus on the understanding of the system developmental goal, vector and function of each protocol, particularly the newer additions.

Prerequisite: Completion of Mentor Training and in active consultation.

Note: Participation in intermediate level training requires actively receiving consultation from an SCT Licensed Practitioner.

Learning Objectives

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

• Apply an understanding of the goal and vector of a protocol to the specific steps
• Apply an understanding of the theoretical context for the use of SCT protocols
• Apply an understanding of the Phases of System Development to the use of SCT protocols
• Describe the relationship of Structural, Functional and Vectoring interventions to System development
• Describe the hierarchy of defense modification and its relationship to the Phases of System Development
• Describe the importance of the sequence of defense modification outlined in the Hierarchy

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. 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 20 years, presented in approximately 30 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. (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. (2014). Systems-centered training with couples: Building marriages that work. Systemic Thinking & Psychotherapy, 5.

Armington, R. (2012). Exploring the convergence of systems-centered therapy’s functional subgrouping and the principles of interpersonal neurobiology. Journal of Interpersonal Neurobiology Studies, 1, 51-55.

Bateson, G. (1972). Steps to an ecology of mind. New York, NY: Ballantine Books.

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

Agazarian, Y.M. (2010). Systems-centered theory and practice: The contribution of Yvonne Agazarian (Edited by SCTRI). Livermore, CA: WingSpan Press. Reprint (2011). London, UK: Karnac Books.

Whitcomb, K., O’Neill, R., Burlingame, G., Mogle, J., Gantt, S., Cannon, J., & Rooney, T. (2018). Measuring how systems-centered® members connect with group dynamics: FSQ-2 construct validity. International Journal of Group Psychotherapy, 68(2), 163-183. doi: 10.1080/00207284.2017.1381024

Presenters

Frances Carter, MSS, LSW, CGP. Frances Carter, MSS, LSW, CGP, 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, and a Board Member and 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.

Annie MacIver, MA, CQSW. Annie MacIver, MA, CQSW, is a Social Worker who specialises in working with children and their families. Annie is Director of Family Operations for a large local authority in England and is engaged in applying systems-centred theory and methods to enhancing leadership capacity and capability in complex organisational contexts. She is a licensed Systems-Centered Practitioner and Board Member.

This is a continuation of the 7-day training beginning in the Institute. Members continue to practice applying the SCT protocols related to Modules I and II of the Hierarchy of Defense Modification. Each day will cover a theory component, videotaped practice sessions, and a force field review of the videotapes.

By application to assess your readiness for this training (see link below). Send application to both Susan Beren and Madeline O'Carroll.

APPLICATION DEADLINE: February 10, 2019

7-day group, meets on Institute weekend and continues Mon - Fri mornings.

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 be consulted as to your readiness for this training. This is the first of the core Intermediate SCT trainings.

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
• Prepare 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. The 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 evidenced 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. (1999). Phases of development in the systems-centered group. Small Group Research, 30(1), 82-107. doi: 10.1177/104649649903000105

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., & Byram, C. (2009). First build the system: The systems-centered approach to combined psychotherapy. GROUP: The Journal of the Eastern Group Psychotherapy Society, 33(2), 129-148.

Agazarian, Y.M., & Gantt, S.P. (2003). Phases of group development: Systems-centered hypotheses and their implications for research and practice. Group Dynamics: Theory, Research and Practice, 7(3), 238-252. doi: 10.1037/1089-2699.7.3.238

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), 514-545. doi: 10.1521/ijgp.2010.60.4.515

Gantt, S.P. (1996). Defense analysis: Linking SCT theory and practice - cognitive defenses. SCT Journal: Systems-Centered Theory and Practice, 1, 35-40.

Presenters

Susan Beren, Ph.D.. Susan Beren, Ph.D., is a licensed clinical psychologist who has worked in multiple city hospitals and been in private practice in New York City for the last 20 years, doing therapy with individuals, couples and groups and providing supervision and consultation. Susan has taught, done research on and co-authored several papers on the multiple causes and treatment of eating disorders and obesity. She is a licensed Systems-Centered Training practitioner.

Madeline O'Carroll, MSc, PGDip, RMN, SFHEA. Madeline O'Carroll, MSc, is a Licensed Systems-Centered Practitioner, a Senior Lecturer in Mental Health Nursing at City, University of London and a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. She has worked in mental health for thirty years as a clinician and an educator. Madeline is a qualified teacher with extensive experience of developing and delivering education and training and she also runs therapy groups for people with psychosis.

This intermediate level training combines experiential work, focusing on crossing the boundary from person to member system, with in-depth theory and force field work on the phases of system development (diagnosis, dynamics, driving and restraining forces). This 3-year course is open to be repeated as long as members find it meets their goals. Membership requires a commitment to attend all three yearly sessions in any one cycle. SCT Conference 2018 began the current cycle of this 3-year group. The group is now closed to new members. In 2021, a new cycle will open to all intermediate level attendees.

Development of a force field will be due prior to each conference meeting. Details to be sent in early to mid-January.

Questions: Contact Heather Twomey or Robert Hartford

Note: Participation in intermediate level training requires actively receiving consultation from an SCT Licensed Practitioner.

Learning Objectives

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

• Demonstrate (with data) the ability to discriminate when a behavior is driving/restraining toward subgroup and group-as-a-whole goals
• List in descriptive terms behaviors that are outputs of either person system versus member system roles
• Practice containing person system experience to bring into inter-person relationship as potential resource for group development
• Apply SCT methods and techniques to reduce restraining forces in group development
• Use observational skills to identify driving and restraining forces for a force field evaluation of the experiential work
• Assess group implicit goals and phase of development from force field data

Presentation Content

The systems-centered approach to group and organizational work has been in the field for over 20 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.

Supporting References

Agazarian, Y.M. (1994). The phases of development and the systems-centered group. In M. Pines, & V. Schermer (Eds.), Ring of fire: Primitive object relations and affect in group psychotherapy. London, UK: Routledge, Chapman & Hall.

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. (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. (2005). The systems perspective. In S. Wheelan (Ed.), Handbook of group research and practice (pp. 187-200). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Bennis, W.G., & Shepard, H.A. (1956). A theory of group development. Human Relations, 9(4), 415-437.

Brabender, V., & Fallon, A. (2008). Group development in practice: Guidance for clinicians and researchers on stages and dynamics of change. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

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

Gantt, S.P., & Agazarian, Y.M. (2007). Phases of system development in organizational work groups: The systems-centered approach for intervening in context. Organisational & Social Dynamics, 7(2), 253-291.

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, pp. 514-545. doi: 10.1521/ijgp.2010.60.4.515

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

Presenters

Heather Twomey, Ph.D.. Heather B. Twomey, Ph.D., is a Clinical Psychologist who has trained in Systems-Centered Therapy (SCT) steadily since 1996. She is currently a licensed SCT Practitioner who leads and co-leads in various SCT training contexts including conferences, workshops, and training groups. Additionally, she practices as an SCT licensed practitioner in private practice where she conducts group, individual, and couples therapy.

Robert Hartford, LICSW. Robert Hartford, LICSW, is a licensed psychotherapist in Washington, DC, California and New York 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.

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 the 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 (see SCT Training Curriculum for details). Joining this group means committing to twice yearly meetings for the duration of the group.

This is a closed group. 7-day group, meets on Institute weekend and continues Mon - Fri mornings.

Note: Participation in intermediate level training requires actively receiving consultation from an SCT Licensed Practitioner.

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
• Practice 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. The 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 evidenced 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. (1994). The phases of development and the systems-centered group. In M. Pines, & V. Schermer (Eds.), Ring of fire: Primitive object relations and affect in group psychotherapy (pp. 36-85). London, UK: Routledge, Chapman & Hall.

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. (1999). Phases of development in the systems-centered group. Small Group Research, 30(1), 82-107.

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

Armington, R. (2012). Exploring the convergence of systems-centered therapy’s functional subgrouping and the principles of interpersonal neurobiology. Journal of Interpersonal Neurobiology Studies, 1, 51-55.

Brabender, V., & Fallon, A. (2008). Group development in practice: Guidance for clinicians and researchers on stages and dynamics of change. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

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

Moreno, J.K. (2007). Scapegoating in group psychotherapy. International Journal of Group Psychotherapy, 57(1), 93-104.

Presenters

Susan P. Gantt, Ph.D., CGP, ABPP, DFAGPA, FAPA. Susan P. Gantt, Ph.D., ABPP, CGP, DFAGPA, FAPA, is a psychologist in private practice in Atlanta and Emerita faculty at Emory University School of Medicine, Psychiatry department, where she taught and coordinated group psychotherapy training for 29 years. She is the Chair of the Systems-Centered Training and Research Institute, which was recognized 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. She trains, supervises and consults in the practice of SCT in the US and Europe and leads ongoing training groups for therapists and consultants in Atlanta, San Francisco and the Netherlands. She has published numerous journal articles and co-authored the texts Autobiography of a Theory, SCT in Action, and Systems-Centered Therapy: Clinical Practice with Individuals, Families & Groups with Yvonne Agazarian. She co-edited the book The Interpersonal Neurobiology of Group Psychotherapy and Group Process with Bonnie Badenoch in 2013. She was awarded the 2011 Alonso Award for Excellence in Psychodynamic Group Psychotherapy by the Group Psychotherapy Foundation for her work in editing (with Paul Cox) the special issue of the International Journal of Group Psychotherapy on “Neurobiology and Interpersonal Systems: Groups, Couples and Beyond.”

Ray Haddock, MBChB, M.MedSc, FRCPsych. Ray Haddock, MBChB, M.MedSc, FRCPsych, Member of Institute of Group Analysis, Licensed Systems-Centered Practitioner. He qualified in medicine in 1982, trained in Psychiatry then in Psychotherapy in Leeds (UK). He has wide experience of leading SCT training groups and workshops in UK, Europe and the USA. He has practiced as a Consultant Medical Psychotherapist in the UK for over 20 years and has also had a number of management roles in the NHS, including service development and implementation of training programs for psychiatry trainees. He taught psychotherapy based on SCT to junior psychiatrists and psychotherapy trainees for over 20 years. Clinically he uses SCT in individual and group therapy and has developed a manual to support this work. He uses the Theory of Living Human Systems in day-to-day organizational work, consultation and leadership.

This training observes the Authority Issue Group to track group dynamics, phase of system development, communication patterns that support the phase, leadership interventions linking interventions to theory and group functioning. Goal: To learn through observation to collect data about the impact of leader interventions in each phase of development and, through experience, to collect data about system isomorphy.

Prerequisite: Completion of the Authority Issue Group

This is a closed group. 7-day group, meets on Institute weekend and continues Mon - Fri mornings.

Learning Objectives

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

• Analyze the leaders' SCT interventions and relate them to driving and restraining forces in the phases of system development
• Identify a predictable hierarchy of defense modification
• Describe observations and apply experience to a Theory of Living Human Systems and systems-centered practice
• Compare isomorphy between group being observed and observing group
• Assess effectiveness of functional subgrouping in advanced training group (Authority Issue Group)
• Demonstrate development of advanced training skills in the training group context

Presentation Content

Learning methods: Systems-centered practice and training was developed by Yvonne Agazarian over a number of decades. This training is offered from foundation level to licensing and more recently the Systems-Centered Training and Research Institute (SCTRI) has pioneered advanced training for trainers and leaders, a training group for advanced practitioners who who wish to enhance their skills as trainers. This training is a twice yearly training observing the training and development of the Authority Issue Group (AIG). 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. The training consists of observation of the AIG training group led by Susan Gantt and Ray Haddock. Discussion and exploration, using the observations to provide data for tracking group dynamics, phase of system development, communication patterns that support the phase, leadership interventions to member, subgroup and group-as-a-whole, while linking interventions to theory and group functioning. Skills practice: using the group to practice and build on skills of giving and taking authority in training roles.

Supporting References

Armington, R. (2012). Exploring the convergence of systems-centered therapy’s functional subgrouping and the principles of interpersonal neurobiology. Journal of Interpersonal Neurobiology Studies, 1, 51-55.

Brabender, V., & Fallon, A. (2009). Group development in practice. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

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

O'Neill, R.M., Smyth, J.M., & MacKenzie, M.J. (2011). Systems-centered functional subgrouping links the member to the group dynamics and goals: How-to and a pilot study. GROUP: The Journal of the Eastern Group Psychotherapy Society, 35(2), 105-121.

O’Neill, R.M., Constantino, M.J., & Mogle, J. (2012). Does Agazarian’s systems-centered functional subgrouping improve mood, learning and goal achievement?: A study in large groups. Group Analysis, 45, 375-390. doi: 10.1177/0533316412448287

Presenters

Dorothy Gibbons, MSS, LCSW. Dorothy Gibbons, MSS, LCSW, is a licensed Systems-Centered Practitioner. She is in private practice in Philadelphia, PA. She works with individuals, groups, and couples. She also works 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.

Juliet Koprowska, MSW. Juliet Koprowska, MSW, Diploma in Counselling, has extensive experience of systems-centered training at an advanced level, most recently as a member of the group observing the last Authority Issue/Licensing Group. She is Senior Lecturer in Social Work at the University of York where her main roles are teaching qualifying and registered social workers. Her main areas of expertise are communication, family work, group work, and field education. She researches communication in social work practice and is author of "Communication and Interpersonal Skills in Social Work" (4th edition). London: Sage Learning Matters, a book widely used on social work programmes in the UK. She organises the annual SCT event held in York, England.

Most survival alerts indicate the triggering of old defenses that are out of sync with the present, and interfere with attunement, empathy, and energy flow. This experiential workshop will explore ways to identify survival alerts, rekindle curious observer energy, and work toward developing more rewarding inter-person role systems—particularly useful in times of upheaval and uncertainty, although also useful in therapy, consultation, and everyday life.

Learning Objectives

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

• Name three inner person survival alerts to look for in ourselves, or our clients, that let us know survival energy has been triggered
• Describe three interventions to increase a client’s, therapist's, or consultant’s capacity to explore and come out of a survival mode once an alert has been identified
• Articulate how to use the concepts of role, goal, and context to help decide whether to intervene, or not, when a survival alert has been identified

Presentation Content

This presentation focuses on helping participants understand one of the most recent developments in the theory of living human systems (TLHS), the introduction of role systems into the theory (inner person, inter-person, and person-as-a-whole), and on gaining experience with some ways the theory can be applied through the use of experiential exercises involving commonly used systems-centered therapy (SCT) techniques. SCT has initial empirical support in the psychotherapy context (Ladden, Gantt, Rude & Agazarian, 2007; Ganley & Mogle, submitted for publication) and its methods were recognized by the National Registry of Certified Group Psychotherapists as making a significant contribution to the field of group therapy. Multiple SCT seminars have also been presented on a yearly basis at the American Group Psychotherapy Association (AGPA) Annual Conference. Two recent AGPA presentations focused on an important area for therapy in our current world, PTSD (Agazarian, Gantt, Goltra & Green, 2016, 2017). These presentations also provided updates on the centrality of role systems in SCT, which is one of the central foci of the current seminar. 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 Press. Re-printed in paperback (2004). London, UK: Karnac Books.

Agazarian, Y.M., & Gantt, S.P. (2005). The systems perspective. In S. Wheelan (Ed.), Handbook of group research and practice (pp. 187-200). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Agazarian, Y.M., & Gantt, S.P. (2014). Systems-centered training with couples: Building marriages that work. Systemic Thinking & Psychotherapy, 5. Downloaded from: http://www.hestafta.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=106:systems-centered-training-with-couples-building-marriages-that-work&catid=24&Itemid=105

Agazarian, Y.M., Gantt, S.P., Goltra, P.H., & Greene, L. (2016). A systems-centered view of trauma and annihilation anxiety in the systems of person, group, and large groups. Presented at the annual meeting of the American Group Psychotherapy Association, New York.

Agazarian, Y.M., Gantt, S.P., Goltra, P.H., & Greene, L. (2017). The systems-centered view of trauma and annihilation anxiety in the systems of person, small groups, and large groups. Presented at the annual meeting of the American Group Psychotherapy Association, New York.

Ganley, R.M., & Mogle, J.A. (in press). Answering the call for a more comprehensive model of PTSD: A systems-centered therapy (SCT) approach. Submitted to Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice and Policy.

Ladden, L.J., Gantt, S.P., Rude, S., & Agazarian, Y.M. (2007). Systems-centered therapy: A protocol for treating generalized anxiety disorder. Journal of Contemporary Psychotherapy 37, 61-70. doi: 10.1007/s10879-006-9037-6

Presenters

Dick Ganley, Ph.D.. Dick Ganley, Ph.D., is a licensed SCT practitioner, Research Director for SCTRI, and in private practice just outside of Philadelphia. He is involved in bringing SCT into the larger world through psychotherapy research, especially therapy focused on PTSD, and has submitted a single-case studies in this area for publication, with Jacquie Mogle, Ph.D., from Penn State University. Dick hopes to extend the research to doing groups with veterans who have combat-related PTSD. He holds a doctoral degree in clinical psychology from Temple University, and is a certified group psychotherapist. He has given six previous workshops/presentations at the annual SCT conferences, and has presented at national conferences for the American Psychological Association, and the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy, as well as at numerous state and local conferences.

Stress emerges when important decisions must be made with limited time, limited information, and uncertainty about goals. This stress makes communication within and between systems more difficult. This workshop will use a series of role plays to explore how building empathy through functional subgrouping can open communication within stressful situations. The role plays will address making emergency medical decisions for an incapacitated loved one.

Learning Objectives

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

• Describe at least one way that empathic responses improve communication flow in stressful situations
• Use functional subgrouping in stressful situations to build empathy and open communication
• Apply force field analysis to identify driving and restraining forces to building empathy in stressful situations

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 evidenced 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 20 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. Functional subgrouping is the core methodology of SCT.

In separate books and articles, Atul Gawande (2014), Nordby Halvor and Nøhr Øyvind (2008), Naim Kapucu (2011), and Danielle McCarthy, M.D. (2013) describe the limits of communication patterns between medical professionals, patients and families in stressful situations such as encounters with paramedics, emergency rooms, and natural disasters. They have each suggested that alternative communication patterns that de-emphasize hierarchies, allow for uninterrupted talk, and convey respect for views expressed would help improve the flow of communication and lead to more effective decision-making. This workshop applies functional subgrouping to stressful situations as one method to create such alternative communication patterns.

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.

Cooper-White, P. (2004). Shared wisdom: Use of the self in pastoral care and counseling. Minneapolis, MN: Augsburg Fortress.

Gawande, A. (2014). Being mortal: Medicine and what matters in the end. New York, NY: Metropolitan Books, Henry Holt.

Kapucu, N. (2011). Collaborative decision-making in emergency and disaster management. International Journal of Public Administration, 36(6), 366-375.

McCarthy, D.M., et. al. (2013). Emergency Department team communication with the patient: The patient's perspective. The Journal of Emergency Medicine, 45,(2), 262-270.

Nordby, H., & Nøhr, Ø. (2008). Communication and empathy in an emergency setting involving persons in crisis. Scandinavian Journal of Trauma, Resuscitation & Emergency Medicine, 16(5).

Presenters

Brian Conley, MBA, MA, M.Div., ACPE Certified Educator. Brian Conley, MBA, MA, M.Div., has more than 20 years experience as a hospital chaplain in academic medical centers. He received certification as an Association for Clinical Pastoral Education (ACPE) Certified Educator in 2006. As a chaplain, he has responded to hundreds of medical emergencies in support of patient families and friends. Brian has earned an MBA, an MA in Philosophical Resources, and a Masters in Divinity. He has served for fifteen years on hospital ethics committees.

An organization that operates with contradictory messages, which has multiple set targets and is under constant scrutiny generates a high stress environment. To cope in such a context members go into survival roles. Using SCT to underpin leadership helps hold others to their functional roles, influence the system-as-a-whole to deal with reality, and not take it all just personally. This workshop will explore the experience of operating in this environment, as leader and consultant using material from participants.

Learning Objectives

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

• Describe leadership behaviours that contain anxiety
• Apply leadership interventions in contexts in survival
• Describe a typical survival role that is induced in me in high-stress organizational contexts

Presentation Content

Systems-centered practice in groups has been developed from the application of the Theory of Living Human Systems to weaken the restraining forces to system development. 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 in both clinical and organisational contexts.

Supporting References

Agazarian, Y.M. (2010). Systems-centered theory and practice: The contribution of Yvonne Agazarian (Edited by SCTRI). Livermore, CA: WingSpan Press. Reprint (2011). London, UK: Karnac Books.

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., & 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, BA, DipSW, MA. Annie MacIver, BA, DipSW, MA, is a Social Worker who specialises in working with children and their families. Annie is Director of Children's Services for a large local authority in England and is engaged in applying systems-centred theory and methods to enhancing leadership capacity and capability in complex organisational contexts. She is a licensed Systems-Centered Practitioner and SCTRI Board Member.

How can we transcend bias / isms and create a village that honors everyone? So many of our efforts have been conceptual—and have failed. During the "Village Dance"exercise we will redirect our attention from thoughts to engage our sense perceptions, noticing choices we make in our relationships. We will investigate spatial distance, direction, initiating, following, supporting, including, excluding, etc. Similarities between SCT’s "Functional Subgrouping" and Social Presencing Theater's (SPT) “Village Dance” will be explored.

Learning Objectives

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

• Describe at least one bias, with the underlying difference it manages, that could be used as a resource to develop and transform
• Explain one practical application of using the "Village Dance" exercise for discriminating and integrating differences
• Describe three similarities and three differences between SCT's "Functional Subgrouping" and SPT's "Village Dance"

Presentation Content

Social Presencing Theater (SPT) is one of the most important and effective methods developed by the Presencing Institute, an awareness-based action-research community for profound individual and institutional renewal. Over the past two decades, the Presencing Institute has developed Theory U and Social Presencing Theater as social technologies used to lead cross-sector change initiatives worldwide. SPT was developed under the leadership of Arawana Hayashi, and has been used effectively for over ten years in business, government, and civil society settings, in places including Brazil, Indonesia, China, Europe and the United States.

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 evidenced 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

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

Menakem, R. (2017). My Grandmother's hands. Las Vegas, NV: Central Recovery Press. Scharmer, C.O. (2009). Theory U: Leading from the future as it emerges. San Francisco, CA: Berrett-Koehler.

Van der Kolk, B. (2014). The body keeps the score: Brain, mind, and body in the healing of trauma. New York, NY: Viking Penguin.

Presenters

Ivette Guillermo-McGahee, MA, MHC, LPC, ACS. Ivette Guillermo-McGahee, MA, MHC, LPC, ACS, is the founder and CEO of Allies In Caring, Inc., a New Jersey nonprofit providing mental health counseling and educational services for Latino, Deaf and other under-served populations. Her experience as a Mexican-born child of Deaf parents has provided profound understanding of the potential for growth that lies within the hardships that are a part of the human experience. Ivette founded Allies In Caring in 2012, determined to tend to the abilities and strength in people rather than focusing only on their deficits or illnesses. AIC helps families thrive and develop into more skillful, mindful, and compassionate human beings while working through the adversity in their lives. Her professional training includes a Master in Mental Health Counseling from Gallaudet University, Washington D.C. She has had extensive post-graduate training in Multicultural Therapy, Systems-Centered Training (SCT), Trauma Focus - CBT, and in Mindfulness Based Interventions. Additionally, she studies and practices Theory U and Social Presenting Theater.

What happens when we combine the Theory of Living Human Systems with economics? Nina Klebanoff will lead a discussion with Jared Bernstein, Senior Fellow at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, former Economic Adviser to Vice President Joseph Biden. Workshop participants will learn the ideas Bernstein presents in his book “All Together Now: Common Sense for a Fair Economy” and explore the parallel ideas in Systems-Centered theory. We will focus on shifting out of our survival roles and into membership as isomorphic to the challenge of moving from person to citizen.

Learning Objectives

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

• Describe how survival roles contribute to a “You’re on Your Own" (YOYO) economic approach
• Discuss one driving force to moving out of a personal survival role in relation to money
• Describe the economic philosophy of “We’re in this Together" (WITT) and how it's related to SCT’s concept of member role

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 evidenced 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.

Jared Bernstein is a recognized expert in economics, serving in advisory positions such as Senior Fellow at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, and former Economic Adviser to Vice President Joseph Biden. He is a published author of numerous articles and books, and has taught economic policy at Howard University, Columbia University and New York University.

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. (2010). Systems-centered theory and practice: The contribution of Yvonne Agazarian (Edited by SCTRI). Livermore, CA: WingSpan Press. Reprint (2011). London, UK: Karnac Books.

Bernstein, J. (2006). All together now: Common sense for a fair economy. San Francisco, CA: Berrett-Koehler.

Brabender, V., & Fallon, A. (2008). Group development in practice: Guidance for clinicians and researchers on stages and dynamics of change. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

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

Presenters

Nina Klebanoff, Ed.M., LCSW, CGP. Nina Klebanoff, Ed.M., LCSW, CGP, 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. She is the Treasurer and member of the Board of Directors of the Systems-Centered Training and Research Institute.

Jared Bernstein, Ph.D.. Jared Bernstein, Ph.D., is Senior Fellow at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, former Chief Economist and Economic Adviser to Vice President Joseph Biden, and frequent contributor to panel discussions on news media. Dr. Bernstein earned a master's degree in Social Work from the Hunter College School of Social Work, and received a master's degree in Philosophy and a Ph.D. in Social Welfare from Columbia University. Dr. Bernstein's books include "All Together Now: Common Sense for a Fair Economy" and "Crunch: Why Do I Feel So Squeezed? (And Other Unsolved Economic Mysteries)."

Artistic expression has served us as a way to contain and explore the experience we face in times of uncertainty. In this workshop members will explore uncertainty using the form of collage. Attendees will be asked to identify an experience at the edge of the unknown in their lives, bringing that experience to mind as they use scissors and glue to access the apprehensive experience stirred by uncertainty.

Learning Objectives

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

• State a restraining force from my survival role to taking up creative expression
• State how creative expression impacts my survival role
• Describe how creative expression impacts my experience on 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. The theory of living human systems has defined theoretical constructs and operational definitions that implement and test the theoretical hypotheses in its practice. We will use this theory and method to test the hypotheses that SCT methods can reduce the restraining forces to creative expression.This theory and its methods are accepted among group practitioners as evidenced 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. There is also reference to SCT methods in The Improv Handbook for Modern Quilters demonstrating the use of SCT in improvisational quilting.

The systems-centered approach to group and organizational work has been in the field for over 20 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.

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. (1999). Phases of development in the systems-centered group. Small Group Research, 30(1), 82-107.

Agazarian, Y.M., & Gantt, S.P. (2005). The systems perspective. In S. Wheelan (Ed.), Handbook of group research and practice (pp. 187-200). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Brabender, V., & Fallon, A. (2008). Group development in practice: Guidance for clinicians and researchers on stages and dynamics of change. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

Gantt, S.P., & Agazarian, Y.M. (2007). Phases of system development in organizational work groups: The systems-centered approach for intervening in context. Organisational & Social Dynamics, 7(2), 253-291.

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), 514-545. doi: 10.1521/ijgp.2010.60.4.515

Moreno, J.K. (2007). Scapegoating in group psychotherapy. International Journal of Group Psychotherapy, 57(1), 93-104.

O’Neill, R.M., & Constantino, M.J. (2008). Systems-centered training groups’ process and outcome: A comparison with AGPA institute groups. International Journal of Group Psychotherapy, 58(1), 77-102. doi: 10.1521/ijgp.2008.58.1.77

O’Neill, R.M., Constantino, M.J., & Mogle, J. (2012). Does Agazarian’s systems-centered functional subgrouping improve mood, learning and goal achievement?: A study in large groups. Group Analysis, 45, 375-390. doi: 10.1177/0533316412448287

Wood, S.L. (2015). Improv handbook for modern quilters. New York, NY: Abrams.

Presenters

Norma Safransky, MD. Norma Safransky, MD, is a psychiatrist and psychotherapist in private practice in Chapel Hill, NC. She has worked since 2011 as an SCT clinician. She began work with Yvonne Agazarian in 2002. She is a licensed Systems-Centered Practitioner. She has led Systems-Centered training events in Chapel Hill, NC, San Francisco, CA, Philadelphia, PA and New York, NY. She has been painting, knitting, sewing, making sculptures and dancing since she was seven years old and has recently picked up the ukelele. She has found SCT practices facilitate her artistic process.

Systems-centered practice is derived from the Theory of Living Human Systems, inviting us to explore what is different if we look at humans from a systems perspective. The four SCT methods of contexualizing, boundarying, vectoring and subgrouping are tools that both implement these ideas and test their usefulness: in this workshop we will explore what that means where the rubber meets the road, in practice.

Learning Objectives

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

• Name one hypothesis derived from one of the following constructs: hierarchy, structure, energy or function
• Describe how the method associated with that construct operationalizes the definition
• Describe one system pattern that signals use of that method and one behavior to look for to assess effectiveness

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 workshop focuses on linking the theory to practice, the foundation of this method. The techniques on their own, without this link, may be useful but can also be used ineffectively.

This theory and its methods are accepted among group practitioners as evidenced 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 20 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.

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. (2017). Use our systems-centered pictures as a map. Systems-Centered News 25(1). 3-9.

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.

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. (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., & Agazarian, Y.M. (2011). The group mind, systems-centred functional subgrouping, and interpersonal neurobiology. In E. Hopper & H. Weinberg (Eds.), The social unconscious in persons, groups, and societies: Volume 1: Mainly theory (pp. 99-123). London, UK: Karnac Books.

Haines, S., & Standing, S. (2016). Trauma is really strange. London, UK: Singing Dragon.

Siegel, D. (2010). Mindsight: The new science of personal transformation. New York, NY: Bantam Books.

Presenters

Claudia Byram, Ph.D., CGP. Claudia Byram, Ph.D., CGP, is a licensed Systems-Centered Practitioner with a clinical practice in Philadelphia. She leads Systems-Centered training events, as well as communications training and consultation in the SAVI (System for Analyzing Verbal Interaction) model. She has worked since 1980 as a clinician and trainer, with a doctorate in developmental and clinical psychology from Bryn Mawr College. She began work with Yvonne Agazarian in the early 80s, shifting from psychoanalytic practice toward systems as systems-centered therapy developed.

At what point are our survival roles no longer just ours? Survival roles are often rooted not only in our own personal history but the history of family generations before us and the history of our cultures. Traumatic experiences within a family or in the larger culture induce survival roles of victimization and dominance. Through functional subgrouping, we will explore the interface between survival roles, trauma, collective suffering, and prejudice.

Learning Objectives

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

• Describe at least one person system restraining force to exploring my history of collective victimization, dominance, and prejudice
• Describe at least one learning about how my survival roles connect to collective patterns of victimization, dominance, and prejudice
• Describe at least one group-as-a-whole driving force to the exploration of collective victimization, dominance, and prejudice

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 evidenced 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 20 years, presented in approximately 30 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 multigenerational trauma and social justice.

Supporting References

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

Brewster, F. (2017). African-Americans and Jungian psychology: Leaving the shadow. London, UK: Routledge.

Dunlap, P. (2008). Awakening our faith in the future: The advent of psychological liberalism. London, UK: Routledge.

Dunlap, P. (2017). How do we transform our large-group identities? Journal for Jungian Scholarly Studies, 12, 126-149.

Gudaite, G. (2014). Restoration of continuity: Desperation or hope in facing the consequences of cultural trauma. In G. Gudaite & M. Stein (Eds.), Confronting cultural trauma: Jungian approaches to understanding and healing (pp. 227-242). New Orleans, LA: Spring Journal Books.

Volkan, V. (2017). Immigrants and refugees. London, UK: Karnac Books.

Presenters

Peter Dunlap, Ph.D.. Peter T. Dunlap, Ph.D., is a psychologist working in private and political practice. Peter is engaged in research at the interface between SCT group theory, Jungian cultural theory and emotion-centered psychotherapy. He leads a weekly Hope and Leadership group for community leaders. He has published his research in a book entitled "Awakening Our Faith in the Future" (Routledge, 2008). He has also published several book chapters, journal papers, and magazine articles at the interface between Jungian theory, group work, and politics. He has presented at numerous conferences revolving around psychology, politics, and group work.

We will use the SAVI map to explore new territory - What contributes to Surviving? to Thriving? We will experiment with new communication patterns in familiar situations. What is the impact of these patterns on the various systems that are a part of our lives? In this workshop we will work with role play, discussion and exploration to learn to truly thrive in communications.

Learning Objectives

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

• Demonstrate one communication pattern that contributes to survival
• Demonstrate one communication pattern that contributes to thriving
• Describe how changing communication behavior changes the system's potential for information transfer

Presentation Content

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 & Weaver), 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. (2008). Autobiography of a theory. London, UK: Jessica Kingsley.

Bedwell, W.L., Wildman, J.L., DiazGranados, D., Salazar, M., Kramer, W.S., & Salas, E. (2012). Collaboration at work: An integrative multilevel conceptualization. Human Resource Management Review, 22(2), 128-145.

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

Brooks, A.B., & John, L.K. (2018). The surprising power of questions. Harvard Business Review, May-June, 60-67.

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

Claudia Byram , Ph.D., CGP. Claudia Byram, Ph.D., CGP, is a licensed Systems-Centered Practitioner with a clinical practice in Philadelphia. She leads Systems-Centered training events, as well as communications training and consultation in the SAVI (System for Analyzing Verbal Interaction) model. She has worked since 1980 as a clinician and trainer, with a doctorate in developmental and clinical psychology from Bryn Mawr College. She began work with Yvonne Agazarian in the early 80s, shifting from psychoanalytic practice toward systems as systems-centered therapy developed.

Frances Carter, MSS, LSW, CGP. Frances Carter, MSS, LSW, CGP, 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, and a Board Member and 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.

Adverse childhood experiences (“ACE”s) necessitate the development of functional survival roles for children. Children then placed in foster care and acting from these old roles impact and trigger survival behaviors in their care givers and wider system. Using examples from foster care in the UK we will explore how using System-Centered interventions can create space for curiosity in the isomorphic systems of individual children, their care givers and their wider care systems.

Learning Objectives

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

• Describe the impact of adverse childhood experiences on child development and the emergence of functional survival roles
• Describe children’s “challenging” behavior in terms of survival role outputs
• Use Systems-Centered Theory to intervene to enable children who have experienced developmental trauma and their care givers to move from survival to curiosity

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 evidenced 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 proposed diagnosis of "Developmental Trauma" (van der Kolk, 2005) suggests that the survival adaptations that children make in abusive and neglectful early contexts have far reaching consequences for them as children, adolescents and adults and will impact many domains of their functioning. The original Adverse Childhood Experiences study (Felleti et al, 1998) makes the links between early trauma and the impact on emotional and physical health outcomes.

Supporting References

Agazarian, Y.M. (2015). Using the role system map. Systems-Centered News, 23(2), 5-8.

Blaustein, M.E., & Kinniburgh, K.M (2010). Treating traumatic stress in children and adolescents. New York, NY: Guilford Press.

Feletti, V.J., Anda, R.F., Nordenberg, D., Williamson, D.F., Spitz, A.M., Edwards, V., Koss, M.P., & Marks, J.S. (1998). 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 Preventative Medicine, 14(4), 245-248.

Hughes, D. (2017). Building the bonds of attachment: Awakening love in deeply traumatized children. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield.

van der Kolk, B. (2005). Developmental trauma disorder: Toward a rational diagnosis for children with complex trauma histories. Psychiatric Annals, 35(5) 401-408.

Presenters

Kati Taunt, MA Social Work, PGDip Systemic Therapy, PGDip Cognitive Behavioural Therapy. Kati Taunt, MA, is a trauma therapist, managing a psychological trauma and bereavement service for children in Bedfordshire UK. She has worked for the NHS 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.

Co-leading a group can be painful or, like a piece of ice on a hot stove, it can ride on its own melting. This workshop will explore the factors which make it more or less likely to be a successful experience. The workshop will be co-led and will involve an in-vivo examination of a developed co-leading system.

Learning Objectives

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

• Describe one driving force for effective co-leadership
• Describe one restraining force for co-leadership
• Describe three criteria for choosing a co-leader

Presentation Content

Systems-centered practice in groups has been developed from the application of the Theory of Living Human Systems to weaken the restraining forces to system development. 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.

Supporting References

Agazarian, Y.M. (2010). Systems-centered theory and practice: The contribution of Yvonne Agazarian (Edited by SCTRI). Livermore, CA: WingSpan Press. Reprint (2011). London, UK: Karnac Books.

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

Presenters

Nina Klebanoff, Ed.M., LCSW, CGP. Nina Klebanoff, Ed.M., LCSW, CGP, 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, MA, PGCE, is a psychotherapist, trainer and organizational consultant. He is a Licensed SCT Practitioner and Director of SCTRI and leads three ongoing SCT training groups. He was Deputy Director in a Therapeutic Community and subsequently he has developed a specialism in working with staff who work with client groups - adolescents and adults - characterised by their challenging natures. He has written papers and book chapters in working with staff groups, organisational issues in mental health reform, managing self-harm behaviours and other subjects, and has presented at many national and international conferences.

By stereotyping, humans attack, scapegoat, or avoid differences. Stereotyping can be attractive because analytical thinking is not necessary. However, authentic connection is sabotaged by stereotyping. Honest appraisal, though more energy intensive, leads to an accurate knowledge of reality. This approach requires one to acknowledge not knowing, and risk getting it wrong, in the hope of accurate discovery. This workshop will explore these concepts through an SCT lens by using didactics, and both small and large experiential exploration.

Learning Objectives

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

• Describe the difference between stereotyping and prejudice
• Apply the systems-centered method of functional subgrouping to explore one's responses to differences
• List three driving and three restraining forces of stereotyping towards the goal of survival

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 hypotheses in its practice. This theory and its methods are accepted among group practitioners as evidenced 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 20 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. The Theory of Living Human Systems states that living human systems survive, develop and transform from simple to complex by discriminating and integrating differences. Stereotyping and prejudicial thinking are some of the ways that humans discriminate differences. Frequently, differences are attacked, scapegoated, or avoided by us as humans. The awareness of one’s impulse to scapegoat, attack or avoid differences, e.g., by thinking “us vs. them,” gives us data which can lead to insight and alternative choices when we respond to differences.

Supporting References

Burkley, E., Durante, F., Fiske, S.T., Burkley, M., & Andrade, A. (2017). Structure and content of Native American stereotypic subgroups: Not just (ig)noble. Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology, 23(2), 209-219. doi.org/10.1037/cdp0000100

Fiske, S.T. (2015). Intergroup biases: A focus on stereotype content. Current Opinion in Behavioral Sciences, 3, 45-50. doi.org/101016/j.cobeha.2015.01.010

Gantt, S.P., & Adams, J.M. (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

Hammond, M.D., & Cimpian, A. (2017). Investigating the cognitive structure of stereotypes: Generic beliefs about groups predict social judgments better than statistical beliefs. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General 146(5), 607-614. doi.org/10.1037/xge0000297

Lamont, R.A., Swift, H.J., & Abrams, D. (2015). A review and meta-analysis of age based stereotype threat: Negative stereotypes, not acts, do the damage. Psychology and Aging, 30(1), 180-193. doi.org/10.1037/a0038586d

Roth, J., Deutsch, R., & Sherman, J.W. (2018). Automatic antecedents of discrimination. European Psychologist, 1-12. doi:10.1027/1016-9040/a000321

Zhang, S., & Deng, D. (2009). Stereotypes communication. International Education Studies, 2(4), 25-27.

Presenters

Verena Murphy, Ph.D., LCSW-C, LISW. Verena Murphy, Ph.D, LCSW-C, LISW, began training with Yvonne Agazarian in Philadelphia 1993, and has used SCT theory and practice in her personal development, as a partner, mother and grandmother, as a clinical Social Worker in inpatient and outpatient settings, as assistant professor in Management and Information Systems, and as trainer in Portugal and Switzerland. She resides in Oregon, where she has a private, systems oriented practice online.

Dayne Narretta, LCSW, CGP, BCD, FAGPA . Dayne Narretta, LCSW, CGP, BCD, FAGPA, is a clinician in private practice and has been facilitating groups since 1992. She has done most of her group training through Systems-Centered Training and Research Institute, American Group Psychotherapy Association and its local affiliates including Louisiana Group Psychotherapy Association. She was introduced to Systems-Centered group work in 2004 and continues her training in the Systems-Centered Training and Research Institute. Attachment Theory and Modern Analytic Theory have also influenced her. She is a clinician and runs systems oriented groups. She has presented workshops and trainings on SCT and Functional Subgrouping.

Debbie Woolf, MS, MSS, LCSW, PHR, SHRM-CP . Deborah Woolf, MS, MSS, LCSW, PHR, 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 20o1 and has presented workshops and trainings on Diversity, Mentoring and SCT.

Teams are often under pressure to collaborate and achieve goals. When work teams struggle to thrive and survive in stressful conditions, how can we help them quickly regroup and re-deploy themselves while avoiding traps like taking things personally? Assessment tools are used commonly by OD practitioners to help reframe team member behaviors, as individuals learn about their own – and their colleagues’ – behavioral preferences, all of which have strengths and challenges.

This workshop will look at assessments as a starting point in an exploration of ways to increase the success of work teams by uncovering and reframing similarities and differences, so that members can be more fully themselves and step more easily into their member roles. Presenters will share case studies where team members identified person-system behaviors that could be driving and restraining forces to taking up team membership – for themselves and/or others. Participants will explore cases, share experiences, and discuss benefits and costs of making person systems transparent in team contexts using assessments and other tools common to OD practitioners.

Learning Objectives

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

• Describe three benefits of making person-system behaviors and motivations transparent to the system
• Discuss the use of assessment tools as a map to facilitate the move from person to member
• Discuss two methods to support teams learning to distinguish between person and member and managing inner person energy in service of member and group goals

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. 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 20 years, presented in approximately 30 articles in peer-reviewed professional journals.

The theory of living human systems defines a hierarchy of isomorphic systems that are energy organizing, goal directed, 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 enhancing a team’s member system by exploring and framing contexts for the team members’ person systems below it.

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. (2014). Emerging theory. Systems-Centered News, 22(1), 3-9.

Agazarian, Y.M. (2015). De-personalizing “personalizing.” Systems-Centered News, 23(1), 4-6.

Agazarian, Y.M. (2015). Our person-as-a-system revisited. Systems-Centered News, 23(1), 7-13.

Agazarian, Y.M. (2018). The nuts and bolts of systems-centered practice. Systems-Centered News, 26(1), 5-9.

Gantt, S.P., & Agazarian, Y.M. (Eds.) (2005). SCT in action: Applying the systems-centered approach in organizations. Lincoln, NE: iUniverse. Reprint (2006). London, UK: Karnac Books.

Presenters

Allan Rubin, BS, MBA. Allan Rubin, BS, MBA, has been an organizational consultant for the past 27 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 15 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 in his fourth year as a member of an SCT training group. 

Michelle C. Lynskey, BA, Ph.D.. Michelle Lynskey, BA, MBA, has been an executive coach and organization development consultant for over 25 years, specializing in leadership and team development with an emphasis on communications effectiveness. In all her practice areas, she works at diagnosing system-wide contributing factors and providing responsive solutions. She is licensed as a Psychologist in the State of Texas, a graduate of Hamline University and has a Ph.D. in Industrial and Organizational Psychology from Rice University. She is certified in the System for Analyzing Verbal Interactions (SAVI) and has been studying the method of Functional Subgrouping through the Systems-Centered Training & Research Institute for 10 years. She actively uses Functional Subgrouping and SAVI with clients in her role as coach and consultant.

This workshop ends the Conference with a focus on leading edges in SCT. This year we are focusing on using SCT’s role-systems map in the context of findings from neuroscience that deepen our understanding of the impact of our “human brain” in living human systems.

Learning Objectives

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

• Describe how using functional subgrouping for lowering reactivity to difference develops inter-person resources and lowers the neurobiological activation of survivor role-systems
• Apply the theory of functional subgrouping to develop role-systems at all system levels and potentiate greater neural integration within and between system levels
• Differentiate between role system outputs of explaining, which activate left-centric and top down invariant experience, and exploring, which orients to right-centric and bottom up or spontaneous experience, along with the corresponding role-systems signaled by the outputs

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 evidenced 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 Press.

Armington, R. (2012). Exploring the convergence of systems-centered therapy’s functional subgrouping and the principles of interpersonal neurobiology. Journal of Interpersonal Neurobiology Studies, 1, 51-55.

Cozolino, L. (2017). The neuroscience of psychotherapy: Healing the social brain. New York, NY: Norton.

Gantt, S.P. (2011). Functional subgrouping and the systems-centered approach to group therapy. 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., & 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. (2013). Developing the group mind through functional subgrouping: Linking systems-centered training (SCT) and interpersonal neurobiology. In Gantt, S.P., & Badenoch, B. (Eds.), The interpersonal neurobiology of group psychotherapy and group process (pp. 73-102). 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

Gantt, S.P. & Badenoch, B. (in press). 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. London, UK: Routledge.

Schore, A.N. (2013). Affect dysregulation and disorders of the self. (Norton series on interpersonal neurobiology). [Kindle version]. New York, NY: Norton.

Siegel, D.J. (2012). The developing mind (2nd ed.). New York, NY: Guilford Press.

Presenters

Susan P. Gantt, Ph.D., CGP, ABPP, DFAGPA, FAPA. Susan P. Gantt, Ph.D., CGP, ABPP, DFAGPA, FAPA, is a psychologist in private practice in Atlanta and Emerita faculty at Emory University School of Medicine, Psychiatry department, where she taught and coordinated group psychotherapy training for 29 years. She is the Chair of the Systems-Centered Training and Research Institute, which was recognized 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. She trains, supervises and consults in the practice of SCT in the US and Europe and leads ongoing training groups for therapists and consultants in Atlanta, San Francisco and the Netherlands. She has published numerous journal articles and co-authored the texts Autobiography of a Theory, SCT in Action, and Systems-Centered Therapy: Clinical Practice with Individuals, Families & Groups with Yvonne Agazarian. She co-edited the book The Interpersonal Neurobiology of Group Psychotherapy and Group Process with Bonnie Badenoch in 2013. She was awarded the 2011 Alonso Award for Excellence in Psychodynamic Group Psychotherapy by the Group Psychotherapy Foundation for her work in editing (with Paul Cox) the special issue of the International Journal of Group Psychotherapy on “Neurobiology and Interpersonal Systems: Groups, Couples and Beyond.”

Claudia Byram, Ph.D., CGP. Claudia Byram, Ph.D., CGP, is a licensed Systems-Centered Practitioner with a clinical practice in Philadelphia. She leads Systems-Centered training events, as well as communications training and consultation in the SAVI (System for Analyzing Verbal Interaction) model. She has worked since 1980 as a clinician and trainer, with a doctorate in developmental and clinical psychology from Bryn Mawr College. She began work with Yvonne Agazarian in the early 80s, shifting from psychoanalytic practice toward systems as systems-centered therapy developed.

Frances Carter, MSS, LSW, CGP. Frances Carter, MSS, LSW, CGP, 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 Systems-Centered Training and Research Institute, a current Board Member and System Mentor. 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 principal in SAVI Communications and the SAVI Network where she works with others to develop training in the SAVI approach to communication.