A systemic-dialogical framework for individual therapy

Working systemically with individual in the present-day world involves a growing awareness of new complexities and challenges: often clients experience the oppression of patriarchal relationships, social and emotional isolation, physical abuse or pathological shame. The systemic therapist’s understanding of these lived experiences should be reinvigorated, first of all by adopting a dialogical stance, then by considering dimensions such as queer theory, feminist theory, non-traditional family formats, and the impact of neoliberalism. The latter, especially, fostering fragmentation and instability in social life, makes the individual emphasis necessary. 

Building on the foundations of systemic therapy, Claudia Lini and I have tried to enrich it through a new understanding of emotions and the body, integrating gender, age, race, and class awareness in our systemic-dialogical approach. Our reading of human systems and contexts stems from the Milan systemic tradition; the practical way of working is consonant with Bakhtinian dialogue. The basic tenets of this approach include: the awareness of one’s position in a system and of one’s emotions (finding one’s place), the relevance of social attunement and political positioning, the centrality of gender issues, and the necessity for both therapists’ and clients’ to take responsibility. 

Moving from general concepts to practical issues, this workshop will deal with: 

• maintaining a dialogical, polyphonic emphasis while doing therapy; 

• considering any therapeutic act as a political act; 

• developing awareness of the therapist’s and client’s emotions; 

• finding one’s place: integrating emotions and one’s own position in systems and contexts; 

• helping the client to take responsibility for their own positioning in systems; 

• working on the client’s (and the therapist’s) expectations. 

Both specific exercises and reflections on clinical examples will be used to this purpose during the workshop. Participants are encouraged to bring their own cases and experiences for sharing and discussion.

Biography

Paolo Bertrando MD, PhD, graduated in medicine and specialized in psychiatry in Milan, Italy. He was trained in systemic family therapy by Luigi Boscolo and Gianfranco Cecchin in the 1980s, and used initially the Milan Approach for working with families with a member diagnosed with schizophrenia. He later joined Boscolo and Cecchin’s Milan Center for family Therapy, where he was a trainer from 1993 to 2002. In 2003, he co-founded the Episteme systemic training center, where he was director until 2012. Currently he is scientific director of the Systemic-Dialogical School in Bergamo, where he is trying to develop a brand of systemic therapy closer to a dialogical position and practice.

He published several articles and books about systemic therapy. the most relevant are the two books co-written with Luigi Boscolo, The Times of Time (New York, Norton, 1993), and Systemic Therapy with Individuals(London, Karnac Books, 1996).His latest book published in 2007 is The Dialogical Therapist (London, Karnac Books).

Dr. Bertrando has traveled widely holding workshops and seminars on several topics related to systemic therapy, in Italy, Spain, Norway, Denmark, Greece, United Kingdom, Ireland, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, Singapore, New Zealand and Australia. His present interests concern the dynamics of systemic therapy (both from a methodological and experimental point of view), the relationship between psychiatric and systemic thinking, and the dynamics of emotions according to a systemic view.