Damir del Monte
Neuroscientist, Scientist, Institute for Synergetics and Psychotherapy Research, PMU Salzburg & Director of 'Encephalon-medicine media production', Karlsruhe, Lecturer in Functional Neuroanatomy, Universities of Heidelberg, Krems, Innsbruck, GERMANY/AUSTRIA

Damir del Monte is born in Croatia. Studies and doctorate in psychology and medical-science.  
Main research interests: Psychotraumatology, neuroscientific depression- and psychotherapy-research and pain. Scientist at the Institute for Synergetics and Psychotherapy Research at the PMU Salzburg and Director of 'Encephalon - medicine media production' in Karlsruhe. Lecturer in 'Functional Neuroanatomy'
www.encephalon.online

Edouard Durand
Juvenile Court Judge, Appointed by the President of the French Republic to Co-chair the Independent Commission on Incest and Sexual Violence against Children (CIIVISE), FRANCE

Edouard Durand  is a magistrate. He was a juvenile judge in Marseille and Bobigny and a trainer at the National School of Magistrates. He was co-chair of the Violence Commission of the High Council for Equality between Women and Men and a member of the expert committee of the Consensus Process on the basic needs of children in child protection. On January 23, 2021 he was appointed by the President of the French Republic to co-chair the Independent Commission on Incest and Sexual Violence against Children (CIIVISE). He is the author of several books including "Protecting the mother is protecting the child, conjugal violence and parenting" (Dunod, 2022) and "Defending children" (Seuil, 2022).

Celia Jaes Falicov
Ph.D. Director of Mental Health, Student-Run Free Clinics Project, Department of Family Medicine and Public Health, School of Medicine, University of California, San Diego, USA

Dr. Celia Jaes Falicov, Ph.D., is an internationally renowned family therapy author, teacher, and clinician. She is Past President of the American Family Therapy Academy, a Visiting Professor at the Tavistock Clinic in London and at Harvard Medical School in Boston. She has pioneered numerous publications on cultural and sociopolitical perspectives in systems theory, clinical practice and supervision and has received many awards and professional recognitions for this work. Her models for integrating cultural sociopolitical contexts and new technologies of communication in relational practices with transnational families are used extensively in the training systems-oriented professionals. Her recent books are Latino Families in Therapy, 2^nd edition, and the co-authored Multiculturalism and Diversity in Clinical Supervision. Dr Falicov’s recent articles in Family Process  “Centering the Voice of Socioeconomically Disadvantaged Populations” (2021) and “Expanding Possibilities with Under resourced Immigrants during Covid-19” (2020). In her current position as Director of Mental Health at the community free clinics of the University of California, she promotes culturally responsive and empowering systemic practices in the treatment of underserved immigrant families, while training medical students, psychologists, and language interpreters on the impact of immigration on health and mental health.

Christian Gostečnik
OMF, Ph.D., Full time Professor, Faculty of Theology, Department of marriage and family therapy, University of Ljubljana & Director of Franciscan Family Institute, University of Ljubljana, SLOVENIA

​Christian Gostečnik, is a clinical psychologist, theologian and full time professor of marriage and​ ​family therapy at University of Ljubljana. In 1983 he finished his theological studies, department of​ ​Theology, University of Ljubljana. After that he went to the USA and in 1988 he received his Master's​ ​degree in pastoral counselling at Loyola University in Chicago. He also received his doctor's degree in​ ​clinical psychology, in 1995 at Argosy University in Chicago. In 1995 he returned back to Slovenia​ ​and in 1997 he graduated with doctor's degree in Theology at the Faculty of Theology in Ljubljana and​ ​in 1999 he also graduated with doctor's degree at the Faculty of Arts, department of psychology.
In his work he is mainly focusing on projects like: marriage and family studies and training,​ ​trauma and compulsive repetition of major traumas, teenagers in crisis, families with substance abuse​ ​problems, separated families, marital conflicts, intimacy problems, theology and psychology, etc. He is​ ​the author of numerous scientific papers as well as books, dealing with theoretical and clinical themes​ ​regarding family and marital psychotherapy. He is a leader of several psychotherapy groups,​ ​e.g.,couples in crisis, sexual abuse, grieving process, group for divorced individual and he is also in a
private practice.
In 1995 he established Franciscan Family Institute, a family therapy clinic in Ljubljana, where he is a​ ​director and moderator and also a professional, clinical training leader and full time professor of​ ​postgraduate specialisation and Ph.D. program in marital and family therapy at the University of​ ​Ljubljana.

Renata Salecl
Senior Researcher, Ιnstitute of Criminology, Faculty of Law, Ljubljana, SLOVENIA & Professor of Psychology and Psychoanalysis of Law, School of Law, Birkbeck College, University of London, UK

Renata Salecl is a philosopher and sociologist. She is a Senior Researcher at the Institute of Criminology at the Faculty of Law in Ljubljana, Slovenia and Professor of Psychology and Psychoanalysis of Law at the School of Law, Birkbeck College, University of London. She has been Slovenian Woman of the year as well as Slovenian Woman Scientist of the year. Her book Tyranny of Choice (Profile Books 2010) has been translated into 15 languages and was featured at TED Global. Her previous books include The Spoils of Freedom (Routledge 1994), (Per)versions of Love and Hate (Verso, 1998), and  On Anxiety (Routledge 2004). Her last book, A Passion for Ignorance: What we choose not to know and why (Princeton UP, 2020), is translated into eight languages.

Günter Schiepek
Director of the Institute Synergetics and Psychotherapy Research at the Paracelsus Medical University Salzburg, AUSTRIA & of the Center for Complex Systems, GERMANY

Günter Schiepek is since 2008 professor at the Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich and at the Paracelsus Medical University Salzburg. Visiting professor at the Sapienza University, Rome (2019). Visiting-Professor at the Donau-University Krems and at the Alpen-Adria University Klagenfurt (Austria). Günter Schiepek, o.Univ.-Prof. Dr. phil. Dr. phil. habil. Director of the Institute Synergetics and Psychotherapy Research at the Paracelsus Medical University Salzburg (Austria) and of the Center for Complex Systems (Stuttgart/Germany). Since 2008 professor at the Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich and at the Paracelsus Medical University Salzburg. Visiting professor at the Sapienza University, Rome (2019). Visiting-Professor at the Donau-University Krems and at the Alpen-Adria University Klagenfurt (Austria). Member of the European Academy of Sciences and Arts (Academia Scientiarium et Artium Europaea) since 2009, vice dean of the medical class from 2012 to 2018. Honorary fellow of the German Society of Systemic Therapy and Systemic Research. Fellow of the Mind Force Institute (London, UK). Scientific consultant of the German Society for Systemic and Family Therapy (DGSF). Accredited trainer and supervisor for Systemic Therapy (DGSF). Member of the scientific directory of the German-Japanese Society for Integrative Science. Member of the German Society of Psychology and of the SPR interest group on complex systems.Main research topics: Synergetics and dynamics of nonlinear systems in psychology, neuroscience, and management. Process-outcome-research in psychotherapy. Neuroscience of psychotherapy. Internet-based Real-Time Monitoring of change processes in different fields. Social psychology. Management. Research in the measurement and development of human competencies.Member of the scientific board of different institutions, communities, and journals. Published 24 books and about 300 papers in international and German scientific journals and readers.

Wilhelm Schmid
Freelance Philosopher, Adjunct Professor of Philosophy,University of Erfurt (retired since 2019), GERMANY

Wilhelm Schmid, PhD, was born in 1953 and is a Freelance Philosopher located in Berlin. Dr. Wilhelm Schmid has extensive lecturing experience in Germany and since 2010 also in China, South Korea, Taiwan, and India.  In 2012 he was awarded the German Meckatzer Philosophy Prize for special services to the teaching of philosophy, and in 2013 the Swiss Egnér Prize for his previous work on the art of living. He studied philosophy and history in Berlin, Paris and Tübingen, and taught philosophy at the University of Erfurt. For a time he worked as a guest lecturer in Riga/Latvia and Tbilisi/Georgia, and as a philosophical interlocutor at the Affoltern am Albis hospital near Zurich/Switzerland.His published work includes, in English, Harnessing the Power of Unhappiness, New York 2014 and What We Gain As We Grow Old – On Gelassenheit, New York 2015.

http://www.lebenskunstphilosophie.de

YouTube: Wilhelm Schmid – Philosophische Spaziergänge (Philosophical Walks).

.

Justine van Lawick
Systemic Psychotherapist, Teacher and Supervisor Systemic Therapy, Founder of the Lorentzhuis, Haarlem, THE NETHERLANDS

​Justine van Lawick is a psychologist, systemic therapist and founder of the Lorentzhuis, a centre for systemic therapy, training and consultation in Haarlem, the Netherlands. She is a senior trainer in the Netherlands and abroad.

Her areas of interest focus on addressing violent behaviour and demonization in couples, families and groups with compassion for all involved members and without blaming. Her latest project addresses multifamily work with divorced parents in high conflict and their children. Working on relational ethics and practices of hope in the middle of tragedy are in the centre of her work.

Justine has also published many texts in English.

Maria Borcsa
PhD, Professor in Clinical Psychology, Institute of Social Medicine, Rehabilitation Sciences and Healthcare Research University of Applied Sciences Nordhausen, GERMANY

Maria Borcsa, PhD, is Professor of Clinical Psychology at the University of Applied Sciences Nordhausen (UASN), Germany, licensed psychological psychotherapist (CBT), family therapist, trainer and supervisor, author and (co-)editor of numerous scientific articles and books in German, English, French, Greek, Italian and Spanish. She is founding member of the Institute of Social Medicine, Health Care Research and Rehabilitation Sciences at UASN, member of the Editorial Board of the journals "Testing, Psychometrics, Methodology in Applied Psychology", “Contemporary Family Therapy”, international associate editor of “Journal of Family Therapy”, advisory editor of “Family Process”, associate editor of “Encyclopedia of Couple and Family Therapy”, and founding editor of the EFTA Family Therapy Book Series. She has been board member of the German Association for Systemic Research, Therapy, Supervision and Counseling (SG) (2005-2011), board member of the European Family Therapy Association (EFTA) (2007-2016), chair of the chamber of National Family Therapy Organizations of EFTA (2010-2013), and president of EFTA (2013-2016). In 2019, she received an award from EFTA for her excellence in the research field of family therapy and systemic practice.

Valeria Pomini
PhD, Clinical Psychologist and Psychotherapist, 1^st Department of Psychiatry, Medical School, National & Kapodistrian University of Athens, GREECE

​Valeria Pomini, PhD, is licensed Clinical Psychologist and Psychotherapist at the 1^st Department of Psychiatry, Medical School, National & Kapodistrian University of Athens, Greece. She works as family therapist and supervisor at Eginition Hospital, at the Family Therapy Unit, of which she is co-founder (1988) and coordinator since 2010. Since 1992, she is co-founder and co-director of the 4-year Training Course in Systemic Family and Marital Therapy at the Athens University Mental Health Research Institute “Costas Stefanis” (UMHRI). She has a wide teaching experience in Greece and abroad at academic master programs of education as well as at institutes providing training in systemic family and couple psychotherapy. She has also experience as team supervisor in several mental health services of the public sector in Greece during the last thirty years. She is author and (co-)editor of several scientific articles and books in Greek, English and Italian. She is founding member and member of the Editorial Board of the journal Systemic Thinking and Psychotherapy, founding member and past-president (2004-2010) of the Hellenic Systemic Thinking and Family Therapy Association (HESTAFTA), and member of the Board of the Greek Federation of Associations of Systemic and Family Therapy “ETHOS”. She is also co-chair of the Committee for Psychotherapy of the Hellenic Psychological Association.

Staying Connected - Virtual Relations in Times of Turmoil

Maria Borsca, Valeria Pomini