Systemic Thinking is an effort to synthesize various aspects of reality through a “holistic,” relational perception of the world.

For Systemic Thinking, a purposeful behavior appears as a characteristic of a system consisting of some members, which on their own do not exhibit purposefulness.

For example, a child’s behavior at school may differ from their behavior at a tutoring center simply because the purpose of the system changes. It is also connected to the relationships between family members at home. Therefore, the Systemic Counselor studies the relationships within the family and its external environment.

Another example is an employee’s negative reaction in their work environment. This may be linked to how the company or department is organized. Changing the context, for example, by moving to a different work environment or altering the organization within the same framework (in the same department), changes the employee’s behavior.

A system is a set of components, or members, that serve a purpose. It is also their properties, which are their characteristics and the relationships between them.

What is Systemic Counseling?

In Systemic Counseling, we believe that different paths can lead to the same outcome. The systemic counselor consults with the client. They work together to find solutions.

The difference between Systemic Counseling and Coaching is that the counselor may guide or give instructions to the client to change something.

The counselor examines the client’s issue (request) within the context (system) to which it belongs. They see the “problem” as a “symptom” of other conditions within the client’s system.

Together, they explore the roles the client has taken on and how satisfied they are with them, their relationships in the system they are part of: e.g., family, partner, workplace, etc.

Gradually, the counselor helps to clarify or change values, goals, and roles, leading to behavioral changes and solving the problem or symptom.

The Systemic Counselor will assess the context in which a person lives, their relationships with significant others and with themselves, their values and beliefs, etc. Every problem is viewed as a dysfunction or difficulty within the system that the individual lives in, not just as an issue of the individual alone.

A Systemic Counselor can help you address concerns through:

• Personal development seminars
• Individual sessions
• Family or couple sessions

If you would like to learn how Systemic Counseling can help you resolve your issues, schedule a free 30-minute session with Dr. Katerina Athanasiou at 215 215 19 46.