The submission procedure has been completed.
Thank you all for your contribution!
Proposal evaluation results: beginning of June, 2022
Early/Group Registration: June 15, 2022
Preliminary Programme announcement: June 30, 2022
CONCEPTUAL PILLARS
in a (post)pandemic, climate change, and migration context
Change in relationships: The development of (family) relationships in the 21st century is characterized by diversifications of (family) forms, structures, and life cycles and, also by socio-economic divergences and polarizations. We are confronted with increasing levels of inequality, poverty, health problems, massive changes in fertility and family structure, decreasing level of trust (social capital), and, as some social scientists are stating, the triumph of individualism over community. Corona crisis has worked in some ways like a magnifying glass, which has shown us the true nature of our social relationships. Are we fated to slide into ever-increasing levels of polarization between rich and poor, regularly and precariously employed, men and women, old and young, white and black or is there reason to expect that the disruption is merely a temporary condition and that societies will self-organizing themselves? And if self-organizing could take place what form will it take? Are destructive dynamics exacerbating or aggravating under the (not so) new global conditions of pandemics, climate changes, and migration movements? What possible resources and new horizons emerge out of these global conditions regarding relationships? As systemic family therapists, we are experts for complex order-order-transitions and for working with systems immanent polarities.
Change of tools, practices and procedures: As Peter Fonagy once stated: the new conflicts in counselling and therapy will no longer unfold between different psychotherapy schools – but between online and offline formats. We all experienced, at least because of pandemic related social-distancing and lockdowns, doing digital/ online counselling/ therapy/ supervision. We learnt about the pros and cons of these formats – and we still do… we faced the challenges of doing online therapy with not only one patient but simultaneously with all family members – and some of us even with (little) children… and we tried, in approved systemic manner, not to fall in the trap of an either-or position, but to test an as-well-as approach: using a mix of online/digital/offline/blended formats. Even more: we are trying to support traumatized migrants who don´t speak our language; we are working with young people who are suffering from “climate change depression”; we were faced with family violence and a perceived increase in mental illness in the context of the different lockdowns. How are our tools, practices and procedures changing in the light of all these changes?
Systemic therapists and counselors have much to offer. One of the gifts of therapy and counselling in time of increasing polarizations can be the reconsideration of our thoughts and actions in terms of a Cartesian dualism of mind versus matter, individual versus society, personal versus political, intimate versus public, psychological versus social, God versus man, elite versus people, chosen race versus others, nation versus nation and man versus environment.
Change of requests: Yes, times have changed and so have our clients’ requests. Many come with a well-known, mild mixture of anxiety, depression and somatoform disorders without a clear symptomatology, others are very perturbed but have learned to act adaptively – and not only with the little help of the colorful world of old and new drugs and addictive behavior habits. Personality disorders organize and influence the symptoms while traumas seem to have expanded. The types of problems brought to therapy seem to have widened while the social troubles are enmeshed with psychic ones, and the clinicians need to open up to curiosity and flexibility.
The healing message of Systemic Therapy in particular and psychotherapy in general is that behind mental disease or psychopathology there is the breaking down of communication between people, and psychotherapy fosters the development of communication and healing through communication. Most of the world’s troubles derive from a lack of intercommunication and cooperation. Psychotherapy should give an example of how the intercommunication and cooperation could be re-established by persuasion and not by force because civilization began when communication through persuasion replaced brute force. Civilization constitutes itself through networks of conversations and language of persuasion.
Change of context: We are not working any more within the security of the four walls of our office. Professionals are leaving their rooms and are approaching wider contexts in the real world, they meet real situations of tragedy when working in refugee camps or with multi professional teams in the living rooms of their patients and families. Or they open the digital windows of their offices to the outer world, working with severely disturbed people without seeing them ever in real life. Many cooperate with the legal court for violence or adoption issues and custody decisions, and others work with community organizations dealing with social issues.
SUBJECT AREAS
• The diversity of (online/offline) systemic practice - from social work via medical psychotherapy and network therapies to organizational development
• New theoretical developments in systemic practice – e.g. (re-discover) old school family therapy, solution focused approaches, postmodern social-constructionism/dialogism, dynamical systems theory, evidence based manualism
• Mental, psychosomatic and chronic medical problems – how to work with them successfully in family therapy/ systemic practice
• Family and intimate violence in systemic practice (and times of pandemic lockdowns)
• Working with refugees and trauma in systemic practice
• The climate change – what’s systemic thinking and practice got to do with it?
• Systemic research – from qualitative casuistics via family questionnaire surveys to evidence-based practice and practice-based evidence
• Research and systemic practice – e.g. feedback informed psychotherapy, dialogical research ethics, routine outcome monitoring
• Dodo bird in systemic practice and research – systemic perspective on common and specific factors in psychotherapy
• The contribution of systemic psychotherapy to the dialogue and integration beyond psychotherapy schools
• Science of complexity and systemic psychotherapy – the application of systemic non-linear dynamic models to psychotherapy research and practice
• Hypnosis in systemic practice
• Supervision and consultation for using deliberate practice to improve systemic therapeutic expertise and effectiveness
• Systemic practice over the life-span – from working with toddlers to doters
• Normative and non-normative couples and sexualities
• Systemic competencies – how to become an effective, fulfilling, and happy systemic practitioner
• Legal aspects of systemic practice in different European countries
• Diversity of family forms and socio-economic divergencies
• Old and new addictions, family therapy and systemic practice
SUBMISSION TYPES
In a Symposium, professionals come into dialogue, pooling together their knowledge and views about a specific issue. They provide an opportunity to examine this topic in depth from multiple perspectives based on sound research.
Symposia consist of 3 to 4 presentations and a contribution and a discussant from another specialty or approach.
We encourage conveners to bring together contributors from different countries or institutions.
The emphasis is not on paper-reading, but on dialogue, drawing connections, raising questions, highlighting issues and utilizing audience participation.
The conveners of symposia should submit an abstract for the proposed symposium as well as for each individual presentation. They must name the discussant on the proposal form, as well as the names and affiliations of all individual presentations’ authors. The discussant should not belong to the same organisation as the convener.
Please note that every participant must register individually, if the symposium is accepted.
Duration: The duration of each symposium is scheduled for 90-120 minutes: 20-30 minutes for each presentation/intervention (depending on the number of presentations), 30-40 minutes for discussion including the audience.
*Prepare your symposium proposal using the SYMPOSIUM PROPOSAL TEMPLATE
In a Round Table, professionals come into dialogue, pooling together their knowledge and views about a theme. They provide an opportunity to examine this topic in depth from multiple perspectives based on sound research. Round tables consist of 4 to 5 presentations and a collective discussion to enhance presentations, which is an integral part of this session format. We encourage conveners to bring together contributors from different countries or institutions.
The emphasis is not on paper-reading, but on dialogue, drawing connections, raising questions, highlighting issues and utilizing audience participation.
The conveners of round tables should submit an abstract for the proposed round table as well as for each individual presentation. They must name the discussant on the proposal form, as well as the names and affiliations of all individual presentations’ authors. The discussant should not belong to the same organisation as the convener.
Please note that every participant must register individually, if the round table is accepted.
Duration: The duration of each round table is scheduled for 120 minutes: 20 minutes for each presentation, and 20-40 minutes collective discussion (depending on the number of presentations).
*Prepare your round table proposal using the ROUND TABLE PROPOSAL TEMPLATE
Workshops offered by one or more experts in a particular area constitute one of the cores of the conference. Workshops aim at actively engaging participants in enriched learning procedures that help them link new theory and skill with the service they provide. They provide the context for an experiential, interactional and a “learning through doing and sharing” event.
More specifically, a workshop may have one of the following alternative focuses, depending on its goal and format:
a. Experiential interactional workshop: To provide the context for participants to have a personal experience of a particular therapeutic approach or systemic intervention though experiential exercises, simulation of therapy or training, use of art, movement, psychodrama or other analogic modes and to have the opportunity of sharing their learning.
b. Skill development workshop: To train in a specific skill and practice application related to a particular area of therapy or intervention, research, evaluation, or use of tool, through providing the relevant materials, theory and methodology, demonstration or exercises, as well as time for discussion and feedback.
c. Discussion interactional workshop: To stimulate and to promote informal discussion of an active research area, a new intervention model, therapeutic approach, clinical or evaluation tool, theoretical paradigm. The discussion should be stimulated by a demonstration or other means (e.g., video) that encourage the session’s experiential and interactional character.
We particularly welcome creative workshops that operate on new formats, encouraging active and varied participation. In the abstract please specify the procedure to be followed and the way interactional, experiential learning or skill training will be affected.
Workshops are usually addressed to a limited number of participants, in order to best serve their interactional quality. Please indicate the maximum number of participants and their required level of professional experience (low, middle, high).
Duration: The duration of each workshop is scheduled for 60 minutes.
(the organizing committee has the right to readjust the duration of the submissions if needed).
*Prepare your workshop proposal using the WORKSHOP PROPOSAL TEMPLATE
An oral communication is an oral presentation about a recent development in family therapy and systemic work. It may refer to a research study, clinical intervention and systemic practice and/or development of tools and methodology.
The open session consists of a specific number of oral presentations allowing time for discussion with the audience.
Duration: The time allocated for each presentation is 15 minutes, while the whole open session is scheduled for 90 minutes, as a final discussion with the audience of 30 minutes will follow.
In order to make discussion more relevant as well as encourage further collaboration the scientific committee will group oral communications by theme.
*Prepare your oral communication proposal using the ORAL COMMUNICATION PROPOSAL TEMPLATE
The EFTA 2022 ‘Poster Agora’ is a forum to foster interactions among researchers and practitioners. The poster agora will give attendees at the conference an opportunity to learn informally about new and innovative work in progress and ongoing research in the field of family and systemic therapy and interventions.
For example we are interested in
- Quantitative qualitative, mixed methods, first person and ethnographic research involving couples and families.
- Research illustrating interventions with families or couples in larger systems.
- Research of the area of training, formation and supervision of family therapy and systemic practitioners
- Research in the area of larger systems interventions.
Poster sessions include exhibiting research or intervention procedures and results in a visual way in an allocated space and time, with the presenters being available for interaction with the audience.
Preparing the poster
- Posters should be approximately 90cm wide x 150 cm high.
- Posters will be accepted in English.
- The authors are responsible for posting and removing their posters from the specified area. Posting material will be available from the Conference Technical Secretariat.
- We recommend that presenters have a 2 page handout in English to provide to interested delegates.
In reviewing the posters originality, significance, quality and clarity will be considered.
At least one of the accepted poster authors is required to attend the conference and present their work during the interactive session.
To encourage high quality submissions awards will be presented to the best poster and the best student/trainee poster.
*Prepare your poster presentation proposal using the POSTER PROPOSAL TEMPLATE
Presenters propose the format (ex. film, play, game, exhibition, dance, or other) in which they wish to present, and specify the time, space and equipment requirements.
Open format submissions aim to enhance the conference’s scientific programme with different, unique and "out of the box" presentation formats.
*Prepare your proposal using the OPEN FORMAT PROPOSAL TEMPLATE
EVALUATION PROCEDURE
The proposals received will be evaluated by two independent reviewers based on the following elements according their type of presentation:
• New ideas grounded in scientific literature and research
• Clarity of theoretical premises and argument
• Encouraging interaction and experiential learning
• Clarity and systematicity in research methodology, where applicable
• Innovative forms of presentation
• Reflecting collaboration with colleagues from different countries, institutions, professions is highly encouraged.
• Drawing a connection between the presentation and one or more of the conceptual pillars will be appreciated
It is noted that in cooperation with the main author the scientific committee bears the responsibility of adapting the type of proposal to fit best into the conference programme.
