SCT Conference 2025 Program

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

Learning Objectives

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

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

Presentation Content

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

TLHS and its methods are accepted among group practitioners as 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.

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

Supporting References

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

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

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

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

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

Presenters

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

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

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

Coaches: The SAVI Weekend Institute, “Introduction to SAVI - Observing Behavior, Seeing Systems: At Work, In Therapy, At Home,” is approved by the International Coach Federation for Coach Continuing Education credits. A total of 12 CCE’s will be awarded to participants who attend the entire weekend (10 Core Competency and 2 Resource credits). There is no fee for these credits. Please contact Alida Zweidler-McKay (Alida@zmcoach.net) before or at the start of the session if you are interested.

Learning Objectives

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

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

Presentation Content

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

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

Supporting References

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

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

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. doi: 10.1016/j.hrmr.2011.11.007

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. https://hbr.org/2018/05/the-surprising-power-of-questions

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

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.

Wheelan, S. (2016). Creating effective teams: A guide for members and leaders (5th ed). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Presenters

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

Kande Culver McDonald, MFA. Kande Culver McDonald has a BFA in Dance Performance and an MFA in Creative Writing; her first career was as modern dancer/yoga and pilates instructor/aspiring short story writer/waitress. She stumbled (gracefully, of course) into an HR career in 2002, which laid the groundwork for her second career as an executive and team coach, facilitator and trainer. She discovered SCT in 2014 by attending Yvonne Agazarian's Monday night training group upon a coach friend’s suggestion that she check out a powerful and brilliant woman in action. In 2019, she began studying SAVI with Claudia Byram and Fran Carter and completed trainer certification in Fall 2023. In 2022, she joined Susan Lange’s SCT group. She uses SAVI and principles of SCT with individual and team coaching clients, as well as in her roles as parent, spouse and daughter of aging parents.

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

Learning Objectives

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

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

Presentation Content

Agazarian’s (1997) theory of living human systems, with its systems-centered approach to group practice, represents a developed and comprehensive systems theory applied to groups, individuals and couples. The theory of living human systems has defined theoretical constructs and operational definitions that implement and test the theoretical hypotheses in its practice. This theory and its methods are accepted among group practitioners as 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 collective patterns of victimization and prejudice.

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

Supporting References

Agazarian, Y. M. (1997). Systems-centered therapy for groups. New York, NY: Guilford. Reprint (2004). London, UK: Karnac. (Introduction and Chapters 1-2, pp. 1-61).

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

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

Gudaite, G. (2014). Restoration of continuity: Desperation or hope in facing the consequences of cultural trauma (Chapter 14). In Gudaite, G. & Stein, M. (Eds.), Confronting cultural trauma: Jungian approaches to understanding and healing. New Orleans, LA: Spring Journal.

Kegan, R. (1994). In over our heads: The mental demands of modern life. Cambridge, MA: Harvard Univerity Press. 

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

de Maré , P.B, Piper, R., & Thompson, S. (1991). Koinonia: From hate through dialogue to culture in the larger group. Kindle version 5. London, UK: Karnac Books.

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

Presenters

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

This institute offers an opportunity to explore the Authority Issue from an SCT perspective, using real life examples to recognise ways in which authority issues inevitably get activated in oneself, and others, when taking up leadership and membership at work. A Theory of Living Human Systems, SCT maps, methods and tools, will guide us in experimenting with different strategies and behaviours towards regaining functional roles.

Learning Objectives

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

• Describe the three subphases of the authority issue phase of development in work groups
• Identify at least one drivingforce and restraining force in relation to giving and taking authority
• Describe one compliant authority issue behaviour and one defiant authority issue behaviour
• Describe one survival role that gets triggered in relation to authority and one action to take to regain self-regulation
• Describe the function of a system role lock
• Describe how the Person-as-a-System (PAAS) Theory Map relates to the phases of the System Development Map and provide one example of this relationship

Presentation Content

Agazarian’s (1997) theory of living human systems, with its systems-centered approach to group practice, represents a developed and comprehensive systems theory applied to groups, individuals and couples. A theory of living human systems has defined theoretical constructs and operational definitions that implement and test the theoretical hypotheses in its practice. This theory and its methods are accepted among group practitioners as 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 development work has been in the field for over 25 years, presented in more than 30 articles in peer-reviewed professional journals. Its methods incorporate techniques linked to successful strategies for improvement in group, organizational and workplace functioning, 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. Re-printed in paperback (2004). London, UK: Karnac Books.

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

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

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

Gantt, S.P., & 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.A. (2016). Creating effective teams: A guide for members and leaders. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE.

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

Presenters

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

Patricia Aerts, BA. Patricia Aerts is a Licensed Systems-Centered Practitioner, co-leads international SCT trainings and runs an SCT in Organizations group in the Netherlands. Patricia has over 30 years of experience in coaching and training teams and leaders and held management positions. She is partner & founder of TopTeamWerk, an OD agency. Besides an SCT and OD background, she graduated and trained in a 6-year integrative Buddhist/Psychological training. The systems lens reminds her to see and take things not so personally. She is inspired by learning how to unlock the wisdom and potential in our human interdependence, which comes alive when we work, love and play together. Patricia was Conference Co-Director of the 2024 SCTRI OD Online Conference. She has been a member of the Dutch SCT Board for 4 years. Bachelor in Communications (BA), Licensed SCT Practitioner, Registered LVSC Coach & Registered LVSC Organizational Development Coach.

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

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

By application to assess your readiness for this training (see link below). Send application form with force fields to both Ros Wood and Berry Trip.

APPLICATION DEADLINE: Sunday, April 27, 2025

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

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

See the SCT Training Curriculum Intermediate page for more information

Please download, complete and return this application form

Learning Objectives

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

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

Presentation Content

Agazarian’s (1997) theory of living human systems, with its systems-centered approach to group practice, represents a developed and comprehensive systems theory applied to groups, individuals and couples. A theory of living human systems has defined theoretical constructs and operational definitions that function as hypotheses to test both the validity of the theory and the reliability of its practice.

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

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

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

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

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

Presenters

Ros Wood, BSc (Hons), MBChB, MRCPsych. Ros Wood is a Consultant Psychiatrist and Licensed Systems-Centered Practitioner who worked in the UK for the National Health Service for 20 years before moving into private practice. She has previously led multi-disciplinary community mental health teams in South Yorkshire and North Lincolnshire. She has worked with adults who suffer from mental illnesses and disorders including anxiety disorders, OCD, mood disorders, trauma and stress related disorders, eating disorders, personality disorders, comorbid addiction, and neurodevelopmental disorders such as ADHD and Autistic Spectrum Conditions. She has a particular interest in the impact of complex childhood trauma in adulthood. She has taught psychiatrists, primary care physicians, therapists, nurses, social workers, junior doctors and medical students on a wide variety of clinical topics, including didactic teaching and experiential workshops. She has now retired from the NHS and works in private practice.

Berry Trip, BSc, BIG, AGB. Berry Trip has worked for 31+ years in healthcare in a CBT/psychosomatic context with group therapy and in interdisciplinary teams that were self-organized. He is specialized in clients with medically unexplained physical complaints (MUPS), chronic fatigue, depression, burn out and lately post-covid. Next to that he is a teamcoach, starting his practice in couples therapy and is lately ignited to serve groups that are involved in transition of agriculture (forestry), climate change and transdisciplinary working groups. He works in an experience-oriented way, alternating theory with current psychophysical experiences in the group. For me, the here and now is the most important entry point to work with what is going on in the group, which often takes us on surprising paths. Seeing systems can helps us to start to understand and surf the dramas and wonders we all encounter. Berry is a physical therapist and in a SCTRI licensing process. Member of SCTRI, KNGF, NVGP.

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

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

This is a closed group.

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

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

Learning Objectives

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

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

Presentation Content

Agazarian’s (1997) theory of living human systems, with its systems-centered approach to group practice, represents a developed and comprehensive systems theory applied to groups, individuals and couples. A theory of living human systems has defined theoretical constructs and operational definitions that function as hypotheses to test both the validity of the theory and the reliability of its practice. This theory and its methods are accepted among group practitioners as 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. (2016). Contrasting interpersonal and systems-centered approaches using two observation systems to analyze the communication patterns in two videotapes of the interpersonal approach to group psychotherapy. GROUP: The Journal of the Eastern Group Psychotherapy Society, 40(1), 71-88. doi:10.13186/group.40.1.0071

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

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

Gantt, S.P., & 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.

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

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

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

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.

Prerequisite: Completion of Mentor Training.

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

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

Learning Objectives

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

• Describe one leader intervention to reduce flight dynamics in an SCT group
• Describe a leader intervention that reduces the restraining forces to exploring fight energy
• 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)
• Describe one leader intervention in terms of its theoretical roots in a Theory of Living Human Systems
• Give one example of a leader intervention directed towards the group-as-a -whole
• Give an example of a leader intervention that supported a member moving from inner-person to inter-person

Presentation Content

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

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

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

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

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

O’Neill, R.M. (2014). Systems-centered management: A brief review of theory, practice and research. Review of Public Administration and Management, 2(1). doi:10.4172/2315-7844.1000144

Presenters

A. Meigs Ross, MDiv, LCSW-R. Meigs Ross is a psychotherapist and consultant in private practice working with individuals, couples, groups and organizations. She is also a certified clinical pastoral educator with the Association for Clinical Pastoral Education, an Episcopal priest and a Licensed SCT Practitioner with SCTRI.

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

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

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 system development and, through experience, to collect data about system isomorphy.

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

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

Participation in advanced level training requires membership in SCTRI.

See the SCT Training Curriculum Advanced page for more information

Learning Objectives

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

• Analyze the leader's SCT interventions as they relate to the system's phase of development
• Describe a predictable hierarchy of defense modification in the service of developing an SCT work phase group
• Relate observations to a Theory of Living Human Systems and systems-centered practice
• Develop a force field to identify the driving and restraining forces towards building a systems-centered group
• Assess effectiveness of functional subgrouping in an advanced training group (Authority Issue Group)
• Discuss examples of isomorphy between group being observed and observing group

Presentation Content

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

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

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

Supporting References

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

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

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

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

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

Gantt, S.P., Carter, F.B., Gibbons, D., & Hartford, R. (2021, October 24). Systems-centered training & therapy: Seeing the system, not just people. Commemorating the work of Yvonne Agazarian. [Online event.] Systems-Centered Training & Research Institute.

Presenters

Dorothy Gibbons, MSS, LCSW. Dorothy Gibbons 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 is a Licensed Systems-Centered Practitioner. She is Honorary Fellow at the University of York where for many years she taught qualifying and registered social workers. She leads and co-leads SCT workshops and training, both online and in person. She is author of "Communication and Interpersonal Skills in Social Work" (6th edition, 2024). London: Sage Learning Matters, a book widely used on social work programmes in the UK. She is co-editor with Juhila, K., Dall, T. & Hall, C. (2021), of "Interprofessional Collaboration and Service User Participation: Analysing meetings in social welfare." Bristol: Policy Press, which includes her chapter on ‘Relational agency and epistemic justice in Initial Child Protection Conferences’. She co-organises the annual SCT event held in York, England.

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

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

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

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

Learning Objectives

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

• Describe the unique challenge of relating to the Large Group context
• Apply skills in relating to the Large Group context in a way that increases the potential to include (rather than exclude) diversities
• Demonstrate a practical understanding of the unique challenge of relating to the Large Group context
• 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. A theory of living human systems has defined theoretical constructs and operational definitions that implement and test the theoretical hypotheses in its practice. This theory and its methods are accepted among group practitioners as 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. (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., & Carter, F. (Eds.) (2021). Systems-centered training: An illustrated guide for applying a theory of living human systems. London, UK: Routledge.

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

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

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

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

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

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

O’Neill, R.M., & 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

Whitcomb, K.E., O’Neill, R.M., Burlingame, G.M., Mogle, J., Gantt, S.P., Cannon, J.A.N., & Roney, 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

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

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

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

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

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

Learning Objectives

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

• Apply the method of functional subgrouping to explore experience with others
• Apply the skill of centering
• Describe the difference between explaining and exploring
• Demonstrate the skill of undoing negative predictions
• Demonstrate the skill of undoing mindreads
• Demonstrate the skill of undoing tension

Presentation Content

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

Supporting References

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

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

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

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

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

Presenters

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

Patricia Aerts, BA. Patricia Aerts is a Licensed Systems-Centered Practitioner, co-leads international SCT trainings and runs an SCT in Organizations group in the Netherlands. Patricia has over 30 years of experience in coaching and training teams and leaders and held management positions. She is partner & founder of TopTeamWerk, an OD agency. Besides an SCT and OD background, she graduated and trained in a 6-year integrative Buddhist/Psychological training. The systems lens reminds her to see and take things not so personally. She is inspired by learning how to unlock the wisdom and potential in our human interdependence, which comes alive when we work, love and play together. Patricia was Conference Co-Director of the 2024 SCTRI OD Online Conference. She has been a member of the Dutch SCT Board for 4 years. Bachelor in Communications (BA), Licensed SCT Practitioner, Registered LVSC Coach & Registered LVSC Organizational Development Coach.

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.

Prerequisite: Completion of Intermediate Skills Training (IST) or by application to assess your readiness (see link below). If you have not yet completed IST, send application with details of your SCT training to date to Norma Safransky and Janneke Maas.

APPLICATION DEADLINE: Monday, May 5, 2025

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

See the SCT Training Curriculum Intermediate page for more information

Please download, complete and return this application form

Learning Objectives

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

• Describe one behavioral output of inner-person role-systems
• Describe one behavioral output of inter-person role-systems
• Describe one behavioral output of a whole system role
• Use functional subgrouping to explore survivor roles
• Describe the connection between curiosity and opening closed survival role boundaries
• Describe one behavior that supports moving from a closed survival role-system to an inter-person role

Presentation Content

The systems-centered approach to group and organizational work has been in the field for over 25 years, presented in more than 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., Gantt, S.P., & Carter, F. (Eds.) (2021). Systems-centered training: An illustrated guide for applying a theory of living human systems. London, UK: Routledge.

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

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

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

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

Presenters

Norma Safransky, MD. Norma Safransky is a Licensed SCT Practitioner in private practice in Chapel Hill, NC. Her work includes individual and group psychotherapy. She is a member of the Systems-Centered Training and Research Institute Board and the SCTRI Steering Group. She holds a Doctor of Medicine degree and completed a residency in psychiatry at the University of North Carolina. She holds a BS degree in zoology from Duke University.

Janneke Maas, MSc . Janneke Maas works as a teamcoach and leadership development trainer in the Netherlands. She works with teams, individuals, and organizations. The core of her work is freeing up energy for work and relations that support work and fun. She also educates people that want to become a teamcoach and learn the trade. Janneke is a Licensed SCT Practitioner, part of the SCT Conference system as Co-Director and leader of the Program Planning Group.

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

Prerequisite: Completion of Authority Issue Group (AIG).

Participation in advanced level training requires membership in SCTRI.

See the SCT Training Curriculum Advanced page for more information

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

Learning Objectives

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

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

Presentation Content

Systems-centered training has been widely accepted in group psychotherapy and organizational development contexts. Its methods link to conditions that correlate with successful outcomes in group work - functional subgrouping increases group cohesion and lowers scapegoating. Agazarian’s (1997) theory of living human systems, with its systems-centered approach to group practice, represents a developed and comprehensive systems theory applied to groups, individuals and couples. A theory of living human systems has defined theoretical constructs and operational definitions that implement and test the theoretical hypotheses in its practice. There is also significant peer-reviewed published support for the theory and its practice, including articles in the International Journal of Group Psychotherapy, Group Dynamics, Small Group Research, Organizational Analysis, and Group Analysis. The systems-centered approach to group and organizational work has been in the field for over 25 years, presented in more than 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. (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.

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

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

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

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

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

Gantt, S.P., & Agazarian, Y.M. (2013). Developing the group mind through functional subgrouping: Linking systems-centered training (SCT) and interpersonal neurobiology. In S.P Gantt & B. Badenoch (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

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

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

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

This training will explore participants’ experiences of applying the SCT protocols in their professional contexts: what’s working and what’s not. We will have different options (role plays, consultations, review of work samples) to explore the driving and restraining forces that inevitably occur as we apply the protocols with groups, clients, patients, students, and organizations. We will also have time for experiential work. 

Prerequisite: Completion of Intermediate Skills Training (IST).

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

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

Learning Objectives

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

• Identify and reduce one restraining force to applying the skills in one’s own practice
• Create a force field related to the context and the goals and based on observable behaviour
• Describe the difference between an opinion and a data-based conclusion
• Apply the force field to diagnose the phase of development of the system
• Link theory to observations to generate hypotheses and test them
• Apply one of the protocols to one of the SCT methods (contextualizing, boundarying, vectoring and functional subgrouping)

Presentation Content

Agazarian’s (1997) theory of living human systems, with its systems-centered approach to group practice, represents a developed and comprehensive systems theory applied to groups, individuals and couples. A theory of living human systems has defined theoretical constructs and operational definitions that implement and test the theoretical hypotheses in its practice. This theory and its methods are accepted among group practitioners as 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 25 years and presented in more than 30 articles in peer-reviewed professional journals as well as numerous books. Its methods and techniques weaken the restraining forces to the flow of energy/information across the boundaries of the system hierarchy.

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

Supporting References

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

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

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

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

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

Presenters

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

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

This training will give opportunities for advanced members to practise running a live SCT group. Over the 5 days members will opt to take on leading or co-leading groups; the group will then use subgrouping and force fields to explore the experience and learn about phase of development, including what interventions are more likely to work in the identified phase. Minimum of 10 members.

Prerequisite: Completion of Authority Issue Group (AIG). 

Participation in advanced level training requires membership in SCTRI.

See the SCT Training Curriculum Advanced page for more information

Learning Objectives

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

• Identify different phases of development
• Describe how different leadership interventions relate to different phases
• Identify and assess the different functional behaviours of members and leaders
• Apply learnings from force fields to my own leadership
• Identify driving and restraining forces relating to my leadership in a flight phase group
• Identify driving and restraining forces relating to my leadership in a fight phase group

Presentation Content

Systems-centered training has been widely accepted in group psychotherapy and organizational development contexts. Its methods link to conditions that correlate with successful outcomes in group work - functional subgrouping increases group cohesion and lowers scapegoating.

Agazarian’s (1997) theory of living human systems, with its systems-centered approach to group practice, represents a developed and comprehensive systems theory applied to groups, individuals and couples. A theory of living human systems has defined theoretical constructs and operational definitions that implement and test the theoretical hypotheses in its practice. There is also significant peer-reviewed published support for the theory and its practice, including articles in the International Journal of Group Psychotherapy, Group Dynamics, Small Group Research, Organizational Analysis, and Group Analysis. The systems-centered approach to group and organizational work has been in the field for over 25 years, presented in more than 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: A theory of living human systems and its systems-centered practice. GROUP: The Journal of the Eastern Group Psychotherapy Society, 36(1), 19-36. doi: jstor.org/stable/41719343

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

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

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

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

Presenters

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

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

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

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

Learning Objectives

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

• Describe how functional subgrouping helps systems to integrate, rather than split off differences
• Apply two behaviors that support functional subgrouping
• Describe how functional subgrouping helps to activate one's observing system

Presentation Content

The systems-centered approach to group and organizational work has been in the field for over 25 years, presented in more than 30 articles in peer-reviewed professional journals. Functional subgrouping has been shown to increase group cohesion and decrease scapegoating. Developing a functional subgroup requires a set of verbal behaviors/skills which, once learned, facilitate exploration and conflict resolution in any context. Joining with similarities includes identifying authentic resonance within oneself, matching or slightly increasing the intensity of affect, adding new bits to build the subgroup without bringing in too big a difference.

Supporting References

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

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

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

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

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

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

Brian Conley S.J., MBA, MAPR, ACPE Certified Educator. Brian Conley has over 20 years experience as a chaplain, chaplain educator, and Roman Catholic priest. He currently serves as Parochial Vicar at Our Lady of Hope Parish where he works with individuals and groups. He has been active in SCTRI since 2006 and recently completed the Authority Issue Group. He also serves as Chaplain to the faculty and staff at Cheverus High School in Portland, ME where he works with faculty to develop and integrate Ignatian spirituality into their personal and professional lives.

A. Meigs Ross, MDiv, LCSW-R, ACPE Educator. Meigs Ross is a psychotherapist and consultant in private practice working with individuals, couples, groups and organizations. She is a certified clinical pastoral educator with the Association for Clinical Pastoral Education, an Episcopal priest and a Licensed SCT Practitioner with SCTRI.

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

Introduction to the fundamentals of a Theory of Living Human Systems, including basic neurobiology and links to systems-centered methods.

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
• Summarize basic neurobiological concepts that link to the theory

Presentation Content

Agazarian’s (1997) theory of living human systems, with its systems-centered approach to group practice, represents a developed and comprehensive systems theory applied to groups, individuals and couples. A theory of living human systems has defined theoretical constructs and operational definitions that implement and test the theoretical hypotheses in its practice. This theory and its methods are accepted among group practitioners as 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 an increasing body of research and writing that is integrating neurobiology and human development to the theory and practice of working with groups.

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

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

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

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

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

Presenters

Norma Safransky, MD. Norma Safransky is a Licensed SCT Practitioner in private practice in Chapel Hill, NC. Her work includes individual and group psychotherapy. She is a member of the Systems-Centered Training and Research Institute Board and the SCTRI Steering Group. She holds a Doctor of Medicine degree and completed a residency in psychiatry at the University of North Carolina. She holds a BS degree in zoology from Duke University.

Janneke Maas, MSc. Janneke Maas works as a teamcoach and leadership development trainer in the Netherlands. She works with teams, individuals, and organizations. The core of her work is freeing up energy for work and relations that support work and fun. She also educates people that want to become a teamcoach and learn the trade. Janneke is a Licensed SCT Practitioner, part of the SCT Conference system as Co-Director and leader of the Program Planning Group.

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

Explaining is necessary for survival; it operates within a narrow, survival-enhancing range. It constructs the world for us; our survival roles and biases determines the kind of world we see. Explaining stabilises us by using what we already know. 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 and see what difference it makes and what we discover.

Learning Objectives

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

• Describe the fork-in-the-road as a method to vector energy
• Apply explaining versus exploring as a fork-in-the-road
• Demonstrate 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 25 years. More than 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.

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

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

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

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

Presenters

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

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

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

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

Learning Objectives

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

• State the connection between theory (TLHS) and practice (SCT)
• List examples of seeing systems and not just people
• Describe the essential 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. A theory of living human systems has defined theoretical constructs and operational definitions that function as hypotheses to test both the validity of the theory and the reliability of its practice. This theory and its methods are accepted among group practitioners as 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., Gantt, S.P., & Carter, F.B. (2021). Systems-centered training: An illustrated guide for applying a theory of living human systems. London, UK: Routledge.

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

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

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

Presenters

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

Dayne Narretta, LCSW, BCD, CGP, AGPA-F. Dayne Narretta is in private practice in Baton Rouge, LA. She has been facilitating groups since 1992. Most of her group training is through Systems-Centered Training Research and Institute, American Group Psychotherapy Association and its affiliates and learning from the groups she leads. She does workshops and experiential groups for SCTRI, AGPA and its affiliates, universities, treatment centers and other organizations. 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 a Co-Director for the Systems-Centered Training annual conference. She has served on the Board for American Group Psychotherapy Association, as an AGPA conference co-chair and on the Affiliate Society Assembly. In addition, she has served in numerous roles in the Louisiana Group Psychotherapy Society, including president.

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

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

Learning Objectives

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

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

Presentation Content

Agazarian’s (1997) theory of living human systems, with its systems-centered approach to group practice, represents a developed and comprehensive systems theory applied to groups, individuals and couples. A theory of living human systems has defined theoretical constructs and operational definitions that implement and test the theoretical hypotheses in its practice. This theory and its methods are accepted among group practitioners as 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 25 years, presented in more than 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., Gantt, S.P., & Carter, F. (Eds.) (2021). Systems-centered training: An illustrated guide for applying a theory of living human systems. London, UK: Routledge.

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

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

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

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

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

Presenters

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

Norma Safransky, MD. Norma Safransky is a Licensed SCT Practitioner in private practice in Chapel Hill, NC. Her work includes individual and group psychotherapy. She is a member of the Systems-Centered Training and Research Institute Board and the SCTRI Steering Group. She holds a Doctor of Medicine degree and completed a residency in psychiatry at the University of North Carolina. She holds a BS degree in zoology from Duke University.

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

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

Learning Objectives

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

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

Presentation Content

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

Supporting References

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

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

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

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

Janneke Maas, MSc. Janneke Maas works as a teamcoach and leadership development trainer in the Netherlands. She works with teams, individuals, and organizations. The core of her work is freeing up energy for work and relations that support work and fun. She also educates people that want to become a teamcoach and learn the trade. Janneke is a Licensed SCT Practitioner, part of the SCT Conference system as Co-Director and leader of the Program Planning Group.

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

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

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

Learning Objectives

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

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

Presentation Content

Agazarian’s (1997) theory of living human systems, with its systems-centered approach to group practice, represents a developed and comprehensive systems theory applied to groups, individuals and couples. A theory of living human systems has defined theoretical constructs and operational definitions that implement and test the theoretical hypotheses in its practice. There is also significant peer-reviewed published support for the theory and its practice (which includes the protocol for undoing distractions), as published in the International Journal of Group Psychotherapy, Group Dynamics, Small Group Research, Organizational Analysis, and Group Analysis. The protocol for undoing distractions is used most frequently at the beginning of a clinical session, as well as any point where distractions arise, to ensure that the client’s energy and focus is directed as far as possible towards the goal of the session. It is also useful in work groups for focusing the energy of the individual members on the task in hand.

Supporting References

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

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

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

Gantt, S.P., & 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.

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

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

Gantt, S.P., Carter, F.B., Gibbons, D., & Hartford, R. (2021, October 24). Systems-centered training & therapy: Seeing the system, not just people. Commemorating the work of Yvonne Agazarian. [Online event.] Systems-Centered Training & Research Institute.

Presenters

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

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

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

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

Learning Objectives

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

• Explain the phases of system development defined by SCT
• Describe at least one developmental challenge inherent in each phase
• 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. A theory of living human systems has defined theoretical constructs and operational definitions that function as hypotheses to test both the validity of the theory and the reliability of its practice. This theory and its methods are accepted among group practitioners as 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., & Carter, F. (Eds.) (2021). Systems-centered training: An illustrated guide for applying a theory of living human systems. London, UK: Routledge.

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

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

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

O’Neill, R.M., & 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

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

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

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

Learning Objectives

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

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

Presentation Content

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

Supporting References

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

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

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

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

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

Presenters

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

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

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

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

Learning Objectives

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

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

Presentation Content

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

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

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

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

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

Supporting References

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

Benjamin, B., Yeager, A., & Simon, A. (2012). Conversation transformation: Recognize and overcome the 6 most destructive communication patterns. 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. https://hbr.org/2018/05/the-surprising-power-of-questions

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

Howard, A., & Scott, R. (1965). A proposed framework for the analysis of stress in the human organism. Behavioral Science, 10(2), 141-160. doi: 10.1002/bs.3830100204

Lewin, K., Lippitt, R., & White, R.K. (1939). Patterns of aggressive behavior in experimentally created "social climates." The Journal of Social Psychology, 10(2), 271–299. https://doi.org/10.1080/00224545.1939.9713366

O’Neill, R.M., Gantt, S.P., Burlingame, G.M., Mogle, J., Johnson, J., & Silver, R. (2013). Developing the systems-centered functional subgrouping questionnaire-2. Group Dynamics: Theory, Research, and Practice, 17(4), 252-269. doi: 10.1037/a0034925

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

SAVI (n.d.) SAVI Grid. SAVI Communications. https://savicommunications.com/savi-grid/

Shannon, C.E., & Weaver, W. (1964). The mathematical theory of communication. Urbana, IL: University of Illinois Press.

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

Presenters

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

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

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

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

By application to assess your readiness for this training (see link below). Send application form with force fields to both Ros Wood and Berry Trip.

APPLICATION DEADLINE: Sunday, April 27, 2025

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.

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

See the SCT Training Curriculum Intermediate page for more information

Please download, complete and return this application form

Learning Objectives

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

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

Presentation Content

Agazarian’s (1997) theory of living human systems, with its systems-centered approach to group practice, represents a developed and comprehensive systems theory applied to groups, individuals and couples. A theory of living human systems has defined theoretical constructs and operational definitions that function as hypotheses to test both the validity of the theory and the reliability of its practice.

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

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

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

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

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

Presenters

Ros Wood, BSc (Hons), MBChB, MRCPsych. Ros Wood is a Consultant Psychiatrist and Licensed Systems-Centered Practitioner who worked in the UK for the National Health Service for 20 years before moving into private practice. She has previously led multi-disciplinary community mental health teams in South Yorkshire and North Lincolnshire. She has worked with adults who suffer from mental illnesses and disorders including anxiety disorders, OCD, mood disorders, trauma and stress related disorders, eating disorders, personality disorders, comorbid addiction, and neurodevelopmental disorders such as ADHD and Autistic Spectrum Conditions. She has a particular interest in the impact of complex childhood trauma in adulthood. She has taught psychiatrists, primary care physicians, therapists, nurses, social workers, junior doctors and medical students on a wide variety of clinical topics, including didactic teaching and experiential workshops. She has now retired from the NHS and works in private practice.

Berry Trip, BSc, BIG, AGB. Berry Trip has worked for 31+ years in healthcare in a CBT/psychosomatic context with group therapy and in interdisciplinary teams that were self-organized. He is specialized in clients with medically unexplained physical complaints (MUPS), chronic fatigue, depression, burn out and lately post-covid. Next to that he is a teamcoach, starting his practice in couples therapy and is lately ignited to serve groups that are involved in transition of agriculture (forestry), climate change and transdisciplinary working groups. He works in an experience-oriented way, alternating theory with current psychophysical experiences in the group. For me, the here and now is the most important entry point to work with what is going on in the group, which often takes us on surprising paths. Seeing systems can helps us to start to understand and surf the dramas and wonders we all encounter. Berry is a physical therapist and in a SCTRI licensing process. Member of SCTRI, KNGF, NVGP.

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

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

This is a closed group.

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

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

Learning Objectives

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

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

Presentation Content

Agazarian’s (1997) theory of living human systems, with its systems-centered approach to group practice, represents a developed and comprehensive systems theory applied to groups, individuals and couples. A theory of living human systems has defined theoretical constructs and operational definitions that function as hypotheses to test both the validity of the theory and the reliability of its practice. This theory and its methods are accepted among group practitioners as 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. (2016). Contrasting interpersonal and systems-centered approaches using two observation systems to analyze the communication patterns in two videotapes of the interpersonal approach to group psychotherapy. GROUP: The Journal of the Eastern Group Psychotherapy Society, 40(1), 71-88. doi:10.13186/group.40.1.0071

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

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

Gantt, S.P., & 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.

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

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

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

Participants will work in the Foundation group, exploring containing and using their own experience to support the work of the group. This is an important building block toward SCT leadership in any system. This experiential training is open by application for intermediate/advanced members. This training starts with containers working in the Foundation group. After the break, we will review and process our work. The process work provides a context to integrate one’s own learnings and development.

Prerequisite: Completion of Intermediate Skills Training (IST).

By application (see link below). Send application to both Dayna Burnett and Åsa Bergquist Håål.

APPLICATION DEADLINE: Friday, April 4, 2025

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

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

Please download, complete and return this application form

Learning Objectives

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

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

Presentation Content

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

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., & Carter, F. (Eds.) (2021). Systems-centered training: An illustrated guide for applying a theory of living human systems. London, UK: Routledge.

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

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

Gantt, S.P., & Agazarian, Y.M. (Eds.) (2005). SCT in action: Applying the systems-centered approach in organizations. Lincoln, NE: iUniverse. Reprint (2006). 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. (2020). Systems-centered group psychotherapy: Developing a group mind that supports right brain function and right-left-right hemispheric integration. In R. Tweedy (Ed.) The divided therapist: Hemispheric difference and contemporary psychotherapy (pp. 149-180). London, UK: Karnac Books.

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

Presenters

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

Åsa Bergquist Håål, MA. Åsa Bergquist Håål has worked as trainer, coach and teacher with adults and children since 2007. Åsa runs a private practice in individual coaching and group supervision in Sweden. She has has completed the SCT Authority Issue Group and is presently in the process of becoming a Licensed SCT Practitioner. She has led and co-led training groups and workshops many years. She uses systems orientation in all the work she does with individuals as well as groups and organizations.

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

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 system development and, through experience, to collect data about system isomorphy.

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

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

Participation in advanced level training requires membership in SCTRI.

See the SCT Training Curriculum Advanced page for more information

Learning Objectives

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

• Analyze the leader's SCT interventions as they relate to the system's phase of development
• Describe a predictable hierarchy of defense modification in the service of developing an SCT work phase group
• Relate observations to a Theory of Living Human Systems and systems-centered practice
• Develop a force field to identify the driving and restraining forces towards building a systems-centered group
• Assess effectiveness of functional subgrouping in an advanced training group (Authority Issue Group)
• Discuss examples of isomorphy between group being observed and observing group

Presentation Content

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

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

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

Supporting References

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

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

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

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

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

Gantt, S.P., Carter, F.B., Gibbons, D., & Hartford, R. (2021, October 24). Systems-centered training & therapy: Seeing the system, not just people. Commemorating the work of Yvonne Agazarian. [Online event.] Systems-Centered Training & Research Institute.

Presenters

Dorothy Gibbons, MSS, LCSW. Dorothy Gibbons 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 is a Licensed Systems-Centered Practitioner. She is Honorary Fellow at the University of York where for many years she taught qualifying and registered social workers. She leads and co-leads SCT workshops and training, both online and in person. She is author of "Communication and Interpersonal Skills in Social Work" (6th edition, 2024). London: Sage Learning Matters, a book widely used on social work programmes in the UK. She is co-editor with Juhila, K., Dall, T. & Hall, C. (2021), of "Interprofessional Collaboration and Service User Participation: Analysing meetings in social welfare." Bristol: Policy Press, which includes her chapter on ‘Relational agency and epistemic justice in Initial Child Protection Conferences’. She co-organises the annual SCT event held in York, England.

SCT teaches us to notice similarities in the apparently different and differences in the apparently similar. What happens when we internalize this understanding and see ourselves and each other as members of the same human race? What defenses do we use to distance ourselves from each other? What can we learn if we can approach each other from a humble place of curiosity? We’ll use functional subgrouping to explore this.

Learning Objectives

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

• Give 3 examples of the defenses that get in the way of our curiosity, which we use to distance ourselves from other humans
• Use the systems-centered method of functional subgrouping to open to curiousity and explore the connections we have as humans
• Give 3 examples of what helps us see ourselves and others as members of this diverse system of fellow human beings

Presentation Content

Agazarian’s (1997) theory of living human systems, with its systems-centered approach to group practice, represents a developed and comprehensive systems theory applied to groups, individuals and couples. A theory of living human systems has defined theoretical constructs and operational definitions that implement and test the hypotheses in its practice. This theory and its methods are accepted among group practitioners as 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 25 years, presented in approximately 30 articles in peer-reviewed professional journals. Its methods incorporate techniques linked to successful strategies for improvement in group and individual psychotherapy, for example, modifying cognitive distortions, increasing group cohesion, lowering scapegoating, and reducing somatic defenses.

A Theory of Living Human Systems states that living human systems survive, develop and transform from simple to complex by discriminating and integrating differences. Frequently, differences are attacked, scapegoated, or avoided by us as humans. The awareness of one’s impulse to scapegoat, attack or avoid differences is an important awareness to discover. We will use a tool called the Johari window to help facilitate that awareness and generate curiosity. Becoming more self and other aware can lead to insight and alternate choices (forks-in-the-road) when we respond to differences. Ultimately the ability to integrate differences leads to development, learning and transformation. The workshop seeks to facilitate an embodied experience that we are all part of the human race, and then explore what we do to take up membership and what gets in the way for each of us.

Supporting References

Agazarian, Y.M. (1997). Systems-centered therapy for groups. New York, NY: Guilford Press.

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

Amadio, D.M. (2014). The neuroscience of prejudice and stereotyping. Nature/Neuroscience, 15, 670-682. doi:10.1038nrn3800

Banaji, M.R., & Greenwald, A.G. (2016). Blindspot: Hidden biases of good people. New York, NY: Bantam Books.

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

Fiske, S.T. (2015). Intergroup biases: A focus on stereotype content. Current Opinion in Behavioral Sciences, 3, 45-50. doi:10.1016/j.cobeha.2015.01.010

Ponsi, G., Panasiti, M.S., Rizza, G., & Aglioti, S.M. (2017). Thermal facial reactivity patterns predict social categorization bias triggered by unconscious and conscious emotional stimuli. Proceedings of the Royal Society B. 284: 20170908 https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/full/10.1098/rspb.2017.0908

Timman, R. (2023). Crowns of creation: Masterpieces and their stories/Museum of humanity. New York, NY: Common Good Coalition.

Presenters

Verena Murphy, PhD, LCSW-C. Verena Murphy began training in 1993 with Yvonne Agazarian in Philadelphia, 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. She is a re-certified SAVI Trainer and resides in Oregon, where she has a private, systems-oriented online practice.

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

Dayne Narretta , LCSW, BCD, CGP, AGPA-F. Dayne Narretta is in Private Practice in Baton Rouge, LA. She has been facilitating groups since 1992. Most of her group training is through Systems-Centered Training and Research Institute, American Group Psychotherapy Association, its affiliates and learning from the groups she leads. She does workshops and experiential groups for SCTRI, AGPA and its affiliates, universities, treatment centers and other organizations. 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 a co-director for the Systems-Centered Training annual conference. She has served on the Board for American Group Psychotherapy Association, as an AGPA conference co-chair and on the Affiliate Society Assembly. In addition, she is a past president for Louisiana Group Psychotherapy Society and has served in other leadership roles.

Eriko Kopp-Makinose, HPP, SEP, MHT. Eriko Kopp-Makinose works in Heidelberg, Germany and leads groups in personal development entitled: “The Sage Experience” and “Warrior with Heart.” She has been a coach and consultant in Organizational Development since 1996. Since 2015 she has had a Private Practice specialized in Trauma Healing. She founded and led a Montessori Primary and Secondary School as managing director for 12 years. In 1998 she was trained by Jane Elliot facilitating the “Blue Eye/Brown Eye” workshop. She got in touch with the work of Yvonne Agazarian in 2015 and has been a member of SCTRI since 2020. She is in SCT on an intermediate level, now a member of the AIG IX.

This workshop will describe a case study centered on the 12-year treatment of Trevor, who presented with debilitating anxiety and who is now free of chronic anxiety. The workshop will describe phases in the treatment and ask participants to engage in key forks-in-the-road for the therapist, inviting them to explore what interventions they might make at key points in the treatment.

Learning Objectives

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

• Describe the impact of the SCT undoing anxiety protocol applied over a sustained treatment
• Identify forks-in-the-road of a therapy treatment, and discuss alternatives
• Describe driving and retraining forces in the application of the SCT anxiety protocol in this case study

Presentation Content

Systems-centered training has been widely accepted in group psychotherapy and organizational development contexts. Its methods link to conditions that correlate with successful outcomes in group work - functional subgrouping increases group cohesion and lowers scapegoating.

Agazarian’s (1997) theory of living human systems, with its systems-centered approach to group practice, represents a developed and comprehensive systems theory applied to groups, individuals and couples. A theory of living human systems has defined theoretical constructs and operational definitions that implement and test the theoretical hypotheses in its practice. There is also significant peer-reviewed published support for the theory and its practice, including articles in the International Journal of Group Psychotherapy, Group Dynamics, Small Group Research, Organizational Analysis, and Group Analysis. The systems-centered approach to group and organizational work has been in the field for over 25 years, presented in more than 30 articles in peer-reviewed professional journals. Its methods incorporate techniques linked to successful strategies for improvement in work with groups and individuals.

Since case studies are a proven method of learning, this presentation will offer a front-row seat in the treatment of Trevor, who in the course of his treatment was freed from chronic anxiety.

Supporting References

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

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

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

Presenters

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

In SCT, we learn to notice shifts between our curious observer and survival self, as well as movements between inner- and inter-person roles. By increasing awareness of these shifts, we can choose behaviors that align with our goals. Using the Person-as-a-System map we will explore the impact of music and dance from different parts of the world on self-awareness and connections with others.

Learning Objectives

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

• Identify my in-the-moment location on the Person-as-a-System map developed by Yvonne Agazarian
• Describe the ways that music and dance impact how my curious observer explores my in-the-moment experience
• Describe my survival roles that are triggered by music and dance

Presentation Content

Agazarian’s (1997) theory of living human systems, with its systems-centered approach to group practice, represents a developed and comprehensive systems theory applied to groups, individuals and couples. A theory of living human systems has defined theoretical constructs and operational definitions that implement and test the theoretical hypotheses in its practice. This theory and its methods are accepted among group practitioners as 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. Most relevant to this workshop is Yvonne’s Person-as-a-System map, which is significant to a theory of living human systems because it provides a framework for understanding how individuals function within the broader context of systems.

Research on the connection between dance and self-awareness/emotional intelligence suggests that dance enhances embodied self-awareness by fostering a deep connection between the body and mind (Braun & Kotera 2021). In addition, in a systematic study of the connection between emotional intelligence and dance, San-Juan-Ferrer and Hípola (2019) suggest that dance enhances emotional intelligence by providing a medium for emotional expression and fostering empathy, self-awareness, and interpersonal communication skills.

Supporting References

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

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

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

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

Presenters

Michelle Lynskey, PhD. Michelle Lynskey is a licensed psychologist with over 25 years of coaching and consulting experience, 17 years' experience in SCT, and a lifelong passion for dance. As a leader in Philadelphia’s international folk dance community, she draws inspiration from the transformative power of global music and dance. Her curiosity about the connection between SCT, music, and dance led to a powerful experiment at the 2024 conference, revealing the deep, mutual benefits of blending these practices.

Are you Climate-Curious? Many of us avoid the topic or find that we fall into a survival role when we consider it. This workshop will offer a gentle and supportive way to undo common defenses and open person-system boundaries to awareness of restraining forces with subgrouping and discover whether new energy is released for action. We can work together to get our heads out of the sand!

Learning Objectives

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

• Identify one common defense against recognizing the reality of climate change and describe how that defense can be managed
• Identify one inner-person role that can be triggered by awareness of climate change and describe how that role might become permeable to new information
• Describe how functional subgrouping can be used to weaken the restraining forces to taking action to mitigate climate change

Presentation Content

Agazarian’s (1997) theory of living human systems, with its systems-centered approach to group practice, represents a developed and comprehensive systems theory applied to groups, individuals and couples. A theory of living human systems has defined theoretical constructs and operational definitions that implement and test the theoretical hypotheses in its practice. This theory and its methods are accepted among group practitioners as 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.

This workshop will explore common defenses (dread, flight, negative predictions) and roles triggered by consideration of climate change. We will work together to notice the defenses and roles and explore them apprehensively. Individual and group force fields will help us to identify driving and restraining forces around taking action to mitigate climate change. Our hypothesis is that reducing the restraining forces will release person-system energy to address climate goals.

Supporting References

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

Andreasen, A.R. (1994). Social marketing: Its definition and domain. Journal of Public Policy & Marketing, 13(1), 108–114.

de Vries, G. (2020) Public communication as a tool to implement environmental policies. Social Issues and Policy Review, 14(1), 244-272.

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

Meadows, D.H. (2008). Thinking in systems, A primer. White River Junction, VT: Chelsea Green Publishing.

Rodriguez-Sanchez, C. (2023). The role of social marketing in achieving the planet sustainable development goals (SDGs). International Review on Public and Nonprofit Marketing, 20, 559–571. doi: 10.1007/s12208-023-00385-3

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

Presenters

Mindy Lemoine, BS, MS. Mindy Lemoine is a former Sustainable Materials Management Project Manager at the US Environmental Protection Agency. She is Vice Chair of her municipal Shade Tree Commission, on the Board of Curtis Arboretum, and organizes tree-planting projects. She has an MS in Geography and a BS in Botany.

Juliet Koprowska, MSW. Juliet Koprowska is a Licensed Systems-Centered Practitioner. She is Honorary Fellow at the University of York where for many years she taught qualifying and registered social workers. She leads and co-leads SCT workshops and training, both online and in person. She is author of "Communication and Interpersonal Skills in Social Work" (6th edition, 2024). London: Sage Learning Matters, a book widely used on social work programmes in the UK. She is co-editor with Juhila, K., Dall, T. & Hall, C. (2021), of "Interprofessional Collaboration and Service User Participation: Analysing meetings in social welfare." Bristol: Policy Press, which includes her chapter on ‘Relational agency and epistemic justice in Initial Child Protection Conferences’. She co-organises the annual SCT event held in York, England. Juliet has changed her behaviour over the last 10 years to reduce her own carbon footprint and environmental impact. She also works with others to raise awareness of and promote a wide range of sustainable practices.

Norma Safransky, MD. Norma Safransky is a psychiatrist and a Licensed Systems-Centered practitioner in private practice in Chapel Hill, NC. Her work includes individual and group psychotherapy. She is a member of the Systems-Centered Training and Research Institute Board and the SCTRI Steering Group. She holds a Doctor of Medicine degree and completed a residency in psychiatry at the University of North Carolina. She holds a BS degree in zoology from Duke University.

Most of us are familiar with the feeling of being trapped in painful interaction patterns in our intimate relationships. SCT views these interaction patterns as the output of reciprocal role locks. This workshop will explore seeing systems and not just people in the context of the intimate relationship. It will also touch on what SCT has to offer in the context of relationship therapy.

Learning Objectives

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

• Describe relationships as systems containing goal-directed energy
• Describe the 4 subsystems of the intimate relationship and list the different goals of each subsystem
• Describe the difference between inner-person survival roles and functional roles in intimate relationships

Presentation Content

The focus of this workshop is SCT practise in the context of intimate partner relationships. It is open to anyone interested in applying SCT principles to the intimate relationships they are in, have been in, or want to be in! It is also open to those working as relationship therapists. Couples and relationship therapy is a well established field with orientations such as the Gottman Method, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Emotionally Focused Therapy and a range of other modes. Agazarian’s (1997) theory of living human systems, with its systems-centered approach to group practice, represents a developed and comprehensive systems theory that can be applied to groups, individuals and couples. A theory of living human systems has defined theoretical constructs and operational definitions that implement and test the theoretical hypotheses in its practice. The 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 has been in the field for over 25 years and presented in more than 30 articles in peer-reviewed professional journals as well as numerous books. Its methods incorporate techniques linked to successful strategies for improvement in group, couple 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. Re-printed in paperback (2004). London, UK: Karnac Books.

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

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

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

Herbine-Blank, T., Kerpelman D.M, & Sweezy, M.(2016). Intimacy from the inside out - Courage and compassion in couple therapy. New York, NY: Routledge.

Johnson, S.M (2004). The practice of emotionally focused couple therapy - Creating connection (2nd ed.). New York, NY & London, UK: Brunner-Routledge.

Presenters

Dan Tuffy, BSc, DipEd. Dan Tuffy has worked since 2017 as a relationship therapist, youth coach and organisational consultant. He was introduced to SCT in 2011 and is currently a member of the Authority Issue Group within the SCT training curriculum. He is an Australian citizen who lives in the Netherlands, and runs a joint relationship therapy and consulting practise with his wife, Lotte Paans.

This workshop introduces major concepts of Responsibility Charting (RACI) through exploring similarities and differences between RACI and a theory of living human systems (TLHS) concepts of structure, energy, function, and role. RACI defines structure, clarifies decision-making authority, while clarifying roles and responsibilities in any system. Participants will work experientially to apply RACI to their system of choice while considering structure, function, energy, and role.

Learning Objectives

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

• Describe the concepts of Responsibility Charting that clarify decision-making authority in any living human system
• Identify at least one similarity and one difference between the application of Responsibility Charting and the SCT concepts of structure, energy, function, and roles
• Using RACI, describe my role in functional decision-making and task implementation in a specific context

Presentation Content

Agazarian’s (1997) theory of living human systems, with its systems-centered approach to group practice, represents a developed and comprehensive systems theory applied to groups, individuals and couples. A theory of living human systems has defined theoretical constructs and operational definitions that implement and test the theoretical hypotheses in its practice. This theory and its methods are accepted among group practitioners as 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.

First introduced in organizational contexts in the 1950s, RACI was originally called the “Decision Rights Matrix” or the “Decision-making Authority Matrix." Most recently, RACI is referred to as “Responsibility Charting.” RACI, (an acronym standing for Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, and Informed) provides a simple and neutral language for persons at different levels in a hierarchy to talk with one another in precise ways about roles and responsibilities in a system. RACI is a valuable communication tool for discussing and integrating different perspectives. RACI can bring resolution of differences through negotiation about levels of responsibility and decision-making authority. The resulting clarity produces a systems change, releasing energy for living and for work, as well as increasing positive morale in relationships and productivity toward goals.

Supporting References

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

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

Soloman, C. (2020). RACI 2.0: Use RACI to avoid the 3 pitfalls that make it almost impossible for teams to perform [whitepaper]. The New Group Consulting, Inc. www.RACISolutions.com

Trey, B. (2024). Memorandum: A guide to RACI. https://www.vectorgroupconsulting.com/publications

Trey, B. (1996). Managing interdependence on the unit. Health Care Management Review, 21(3), 72-82. doi: jstor.org/stable/44950783

Presenters

Beulah Trey, PhD. Beulah Trey is the founder of Vector Group Consulting and is a licensed psychologist. She is expert at transforming organizations, leaders, and teams to navigate the unpredictable, informal side of organizational life through a values-based approach. Her work consistently leads to stronger, more effective leaders and teams with sophisticated relationship skills - who together are more effective at creating innovative approaches to achieving their goals. Beulah leads workshops and retreats throughout the nation. She is a Team STEPPS Master Trainer and has taught in Wharton’s MBA program, the Aresty Institute, and the Medical College of South Carolina. She is an Adjunct Assistant Professor of Anesthesiology and Critical Care at University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine. In 2005, she co-founded Mussar Pathways Institute to promote ethical character development. Beulah is a member of the SCTRI Board of Directors, an ICF-certified Coach, earned a Certificate in Positive Psychology and holds a PhD from the University of Pennsylvania and a BA from Swarthmore College.

Michelle Lynskey, PhD. Michelle Lynskey is a licensed psychologist with over 25 years of coaching and consulting experience, and 17 years' experience in SCT.

Action research is an emergent process of collaborative inquiry into the impact of our actions as leaders, members and consultants in organizations. It emerged from Kurt Lewin’s work and was at the heart of how Agazarian developed a Theory of Living Human Systems and SCT. We will apply the Action Research cycle of Planning, Acting, Observing and Reflecting to a real-life case, hoping to have fun and to learn how we might apply it in practice.

Learning Objectives

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

• Define the Action research cycle
• Define one driving and one restraining force for using Action research to reflect on Organizational Development practice
• Plan one next step for an Action research project

Presentation Content

Action research is ‘a family of approaches to inquiry which are participative, grounded in experience and action-oriented’ (Reason & Bradbury, 2001). It was at the heart of Agazarian’s development of a Theory of Living Human Systems and Systems-Centered Training, as she iterated through cycles of Planning, Acting, Observing and Reflecting. The Systems-Centered approach to group and organizational work has been in the field for over 20 years, presented in approximately 30 articles in peer-reviewed professional journals. Following an input defining Action Research and its applications, participants will apply the concepts to a context they are curious about exploring.

Supporting References

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

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

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

Bradbury-Huang, H. (2015). The SAGE handbook of action research. London, UK & Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

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.

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

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

Presenters

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

Negotiating during subgrouping is a norm in systems-centered groups. There is not currently a Functional Subgrouping Negotiation Protocol in the SCT Foundation Manual and little to no documentation about it elsewhere in our system. This workshop will continue the work done by 2023 and 2024 Annual Conference Negotiation Workshop participants.

Learning Objectives

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

• Describe 2 challenges in negotiating who speaks next in a group
• Describe at least one example of a criterion for a group-as-a-whole
• Describe at least one driving force of negotiating criteria
• Identify at least one restraining force to negotiating to reduce

Presentation Content

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

A theory of living human systems defines a hierarchy of isomorphic systems that are energy-organizing, goal-directing, and self-correcting. Every system exists in the context of the system above it and is the context for the system below it. This workshop will explore negotiating, using inner-person, inter-person, group-as-a-whole, and SAVI perspectives.

Supporting References

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

Agazarian, Y.M., & Simon, A. (1966, September). Sequential analysis of verbal interaction, Concepts I. [Paper presentation].Part I of a series of three papers presented at the Annual Convention of the American Association of Humanistic Psychology, New York, NY.

Agazarian, Y.M., & Simon, A. (1966, September). Sequential analysis of verbal interaction, Mechanics I. [Paper presentation]. Part II of a series of three papers presented at the Annual Convention of the American Association of Humanistic Psychology, New York, NY.

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

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

Simon, A., & Agazarian, Y.M. (1966, September). Sequential analysis of verbal interaction, Applications I. [Paper presentation].Part III of a series of three papers presented at the Annual Convention of the American Association of Humanistic Psychology, New York, NY.

Presenters

Allan Rubin, BS, MBA. Allan Rubin has been an organizational consultant for the past 33 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 21 years as an internal OD consultant focusing on analyzing and diagnosing business systems and designing and executing interventions that maximize individual and team performance. He is an Intermediate Level practitioner in his eighth year as a member of an SCT training group, and a SAVI certified trainer.

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

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

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

Learning Objectives

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

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

Presentation Content

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

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

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

Supporting References

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

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

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

Csikszentmihalyi, M., Abuhamdeh, S., & Nakamura, J. (2014). Flow. In M. Csikszentmihalyi (Ed.), Flow and the foundations of positive psychology (pp. 227-238). Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-9088-8_15 

Gutheil, T., Bursztajn, H., & Brodsky, A. (1986). The multi-dimensional assessment of dangerousness: Competence assessment in patient care and liability prevention. Bulletin of the American Academy of Psychiatry & the Law, 14(2), 123–129.

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

Shah P., Thornton I., Turrin D, et al. Informed Consent. [Updated 2023 Jun 5]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2024 Jan-. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK430827/

Presenters

Richard O’Neill, PhD, FAClinP, CGP, ABPP. Rich O'Neill has been a psychotherapist working frequently with clients in danger for 40 plus years and has never been sued. He has presented in the media since 1985 including 10 years with his "Checkup from the Neckup" brief radio and YouTube spots, 5 years with his "Healthy Decisions" weekly TV segment, 17 seasons with the PBS-affiliated TV show he launched, hosts and co-produces--"Cycle of Health" (wcny.org/cycleofhealth), and for 2 years has done a half-hour "Checkup from the Neckup" radio show (wcny.org/communityfm) on using psychology to improve everyday life. He consults now with individuals, partners, and groups on achieving greater health, happiness, and success.

What’s going on in your group? Are you sometimes lost or confused as members seem to be avoiding their explicit goals or forgetting how to effectively connect? The System for Analyzing Verbal Interaction (SAVI) offers group leaders an invaluable tool to make sense out of communication behaviors and patterns, and in turn to clarify a group’s particular phase of development. A group communicates differently when they are in “flight” versus in “fight” versus in a productive, interconnected phase of “work.” Identifying the group’s phase can guide the leader’s next step toward supporting a functioning group.

Learning Objectives

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

• Define the concept of communication “noise” in groups through a SAVI lens
• Identify three communication behaviors related to each phase of group development
• Plan one leadership intervention for each group phase, to reduce ineffective communication

Presentation Content

Scholars of group process and group therapy have long established the observation that groups tend to move through predictable phases of development, a concept widely supported in the literature (Tuckman, 1965; Wheelan, 2005). Our presentation will build on this body of theoretical and empirical research, integrating the communication tool, SAVI (the System for Analyzing Verbal Interaction). SAVI was developed as an observational research tool, and has decades of application, used as both a classroom and group observation tool and also an intervention technique. Studies have consistently demonstrated the efficacy of SAVI in addressing communication challenges in clinical, organizational, and educational contexts (Agazarian & Simon, 1975)

Supporting References

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

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

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

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

Hovey, J. (2019). Communicating About Politics in Group: Is There Room for a Difference? GROUP: The Journal of the Eastern Group Psychotherapy Society, 43(2-4), 113-126.

Kaklauskas, F.J., & Greene, L.R. (2020). Group Development. In F.J. Kaklauskas & L.R. Greene (Eds.), Core principles of group psychotherapy: An integrated theory, research, and practice training manual (pp. 101-108). New York, NY: Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780429260803

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

Joseph Hovey, LCSW, CGP. Joseph Hovey is a psychotherapist and supervisor in Brooklyn, NY. He provides individual and relationship therapy through his private practice, runs a gay men’s therapy group, and serves on the faculty of the Eastern Group Psychotherapy Society (EGPS) Group Therapy Training Program. He has been training in SCT since 2015, and is a Certified SAVI Trainer. He serves as the treasurer and is the president-elect of EGPS.

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

This workshop will seek to identify and undo defensive behaviors - flight, survival roles - to help make a sustainable change in how we respond to racism. Raising awareness of microaggressions and the subtlety of racism in our society is an essential element of creating sustainable change in our lives and society and becoming anti-racist. We will experiment together using SCT tools to help create this change.

Learning Objectives

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

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

Presentation Content

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

Agazarian’s (1997) theory of living human systems, with its systems-centered approach to group practice, represents a developed and comprehensive systems theory applied to groups, individuals and couples. A theory of living human systems has defined theoretical constructs and operational definitions that implement and test the theoretical hypotheses in its practice. This theory and its methods are accepted among group practitioners as 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 25 years and presented in more than 30 articles in peer-reviewed professional journals as well as numerous books. Its methods incorporate techniques linked to successful strategies for improvement in group and individual psychotherapy, for example, modifying cognitive distortions, increasing group cohesion, lowering scapegoating, and reducing somatic defenses.

Supporting References

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

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

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

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

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

Presenters

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

Bertha Genna Kondrak, LCSW, ACSW, CHWI. Bertha Genna Kondrak is faculty at a college teaching social work, human services, and substance related and addictive disorders courses. She is active in working with faculty organizations within the college. She worked with children and adolescents and their families in a residential treatment center for nineteen years. She has led groups in psychiatric and school settings, as well as other community organizations. She maintains her private practice, which focuses on complex trauma in individuals and families. Bertha has been a member of SCTRI since 1995 and was on the Board of the now disbanded, SCTRI-Austin, and was in the role of workshop coordinator for several Austin workshops. She is a member of a SCT Special Interest Group (SIG), SCT & Race, since its inception.

Brian J. Conley S.J., MBA, MA, ACPE Certified Educator. Brian has over 20 years experience as a chaplain, chaplain educator, and Roman Catholic priest. He currently serves as teacher of theology and chaplain to the faculty and staff at Cheverus High School in Portland, ME where works with faculty to develop and integrate Ignatian spirituality into the personal and professional lives of faculty and staff.

Survival Roles are the default places we go under sustained stress. They impact on our energy and problem-solving capacity as leaders and members. This workshop offers an opportunity to learn more about our reactions and behaviors when triggered into Survival Roles. We will introduce ideas to regain self-regulation and to support others to regulate with the overall goal of taking up our context roles functionally.

Learning Objectives

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

• Describe the origin and function of Survival Roles
• Identify one question to ask oneself in order to move from Inner- to Inter-Person
• Apply the model of Role, Goal and Context to take up one’s functional 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. A theory of living human systems has defined theoretical constructs and operational definitions that implement and test the theoretical hypotheses in its practice. This theory and its methods are accepted among group practitioners as 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 25 years and presented in more than 30 articles in peer-reviewed professional journals as well as numerous books. 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 presentation focuses upon the most recent theoretical development - the Person-as-a-System as outlined in 'Agazarian, Y.M., Gantt, S.P., & Carter, F. (Eds.) (2021). Systems-centered training: An illustrated guide for applying a theory of living human systems. London, UK: Routledge'. Focusing upon survival roles that become activated in organisational contexts, the impact upon functional role-taking in the inter-person and on the system-as-a-whole.

Supporting References

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

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

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

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

Gantt, S.P., & 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.A. (2016). Creating effective teams: A guide for members and leaders. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE.

Presenters

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

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

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

Learning Objectives

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

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

Presentation Content

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

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

Supporting References

Brandt, A. (2017). Mindful aging: Embracing your life after 50 to find fulfillment, purpose, and joy. United States: PESI Publishing & Media.

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

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

Gantt, S.P., & Agazarian, Y.M. (2017). The systems-centered approach to group therapy. International Journal of Group Psychotherapy, 67(2), 236–252. https://doi.org/10.1080/00207284.2016.121876

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

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

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.

Presenters

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

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

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

SCT has long postulated that living human systems survive, develop and transform by discriminating and integrating differences. Drawing from research on memory reconsolidation, Ecker, Ticic and Hulley (2024) have identified therapies that facilitate transformational change when reactivated learning is coupled with a “different” perception or “mismatch.” SCT emphasizes the centrality of integrating differences as the pathway to development and transformation. Dr. Olds will present the theory and research supporting memory reconsolidation. Building on this, we will revisit and discuss excerpts of an SCT session where Yvonne is working with Tom in an individual session and explore and discuss in what way memory reconsolidation is or is not identifiable in SCT practice.

Learning Objectives

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

• Define the essential requirements for memory reconsolidation
• Articulate ways to increase memory reconsolidation in SCT practice
• Identify observable behaviors that signal memory reconsolidation
• Define the process of memory reconsolidation in SCT’s theory

Presentation Content

Research on the neuroscience of memory reconsolidation (Ecker, Ticic & Hulley, 2024; Ecker & Vaz, 2022) shows how therapeutic effectiveness can be increased through understanding the brain’s innate process of transformational change. Memory reconsolidation draws from a neurological process in which learnings and emotions associated with certain memories are activated and juxtaposed with contradictory knowledge and experience enabling the development of new emotional associations and establishing new memories.

Systems-centered therapy facilitates transformational change and is a theory-based systems approach that introduces the idea that first discriminating and then integrating differences enables individuals and groups to develop and transform from simple to more complex.

Research has shown that when memories and emotional schemas are recalled, they can be altered for short periods of time. When a memory is originally created, it is stored in the brain; upon retrieval, the memory has the ability to be modified. Neurobiological research on memory reconsolidation (MR), has identified (a) a fundamental mechanism of the brain capable of targeted, profound unlearning and nullification of subcortical emotional learnings and the behaviors and states of mind they generate, and (b) the specific experiences required by the brain for such unlearning.

Agazarian’s (1997) theory of living human systems, with its systems-centered approach to individual and group practice, represents a developed and comprehensive systems theory applied to groups, individuals and couples. A theory of living human systems has defined theoretical constructs and operational definitions that implement and test the theoretical hypotheses in its practice. 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. Re-printed in paperback (2004). London, UK: Karnac Books.

Ecker, B., Ticic, R., & Hulley, L. (2024). Unlocking the emotional brain: Memory reconsolidation and the psychotherapy of transformational change. New York, NY: Routledge.

Ecker, B., & Vaz, A. (2022). Memory reconsolidation and the crisis of mechanism in psychotherapy. New Ideas in Psychology, 66. doi: 10.1016/j.newideapsych.2022.100945

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

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Presenters

Tori Olds, PhD. Tori Olds is a licensed psychologist in private practice in Austin, Texas. She is the co-founder of Deep Eddy Psychotherapy, one of the largest training and counseling centers in Texas, with over 250 clinicians. She specializes in the integration of experiential approaches to therapy and leads 7 international training groups on this topic each week. She is an associate instructor at the Coherence Therapy Institute.

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