Introduction to Systemic Thinking and Practice

Friday 27^th & Saturday 28^th November 2026 – 8:30am-5pm

 Do you want to improve your confidence in working with parents and families?

Working with parents and children together can be daunting, and it can be hard to relate to all family members and focus on relationships as well as presenting issues.

This two-day workshop aims to help participants apply a relationship lens in their everyday clinical work, building on their existing training and experience.

Participants will have a chance to learn and practise techniques for engaging and interviewing families, and to explore ways to manage the practical issues arising from involving family members. The focus will be on incorporating a relationship lens when assessing, formulating and working with children and parents, even when only part of the family is willing to present for therapy.

This workshop will be relevant to therapists working with children, adolescents and families presenting with complex issues. The content is aimed at workers with experience, but will also be appropriate for clinicians newer to the field.

This is an excellent opportunity for small-group face-to-face learning, run by experienced clinicians, with a focus on supporting participants to be able to apply ideas directly to their own clinical practice. The training style is interactive with an emphasis on reflection and experiential learning.

Learning goals

• To understand practice foundations for systemic work: Relationship, neutrality, curiosity, circularity and hypothesising
• To understand and use a systemic formulation when working with children, adolescents and families
• To feel more confident in developing effective therapeutic relationships with a range of clients
• To understand how systemic techniques can be used to support clients to make change
• To develop a lens to enhance working with parents and children together
• To practice applying systemic thinking in everyday practice

Workshop structure

This is an active, practice-based training, which includes participant involvement throughout.

The training involves:

• Small and larger group discussion of theory and practice
• Use of case studies
• Demonstration of techniques and videoed role-played sessions
• Small group activities

Pre-reading will also be recommended.

Presenter info 

Margaret Goldfinch is a Senior Clinical Psychologist who has over 30 years clinical experience with children and families in community, schools and mental health settings. She utilises research and practice from attachment, systemic and neuroscience approaches, and her passion is working with both adults and children to reduce the impact of trauma on individuals and on relationships. Her clinical work is with stressed and vulnerable families, and she also provides clinical supervision for a range of disciplines and teaches both privately and in the ACU Psychology program.

Chloe MacDonald is a Senior Clinical Psychologist with over 20 years' experience working with children and families. Her particular interests are in systemic therapy, complex trauma, and a strength-based approach to intervention that draws from a range of therapy models to support families dealing with difficulties. She has been involved in teaching and supervision roles in both mental health and university clinic settings, and supervises clinicians in private practice, NGOs and the public health system.

Venue

Crows Nest Centre, Ernest Place, Crow Nest, Sydney.

Easily accessible by public transport (Metro or bus).

Parking available at local council parking stations. Early arrival is recommended to secure a spot. See council website for details and pricing.

Morning tea and afternoon tea are provided. (BYO lunch or purchase at a local cafe.)

Registration

Early bird (before 30th Sept):  $550

Regular:  $650

Numbers are limited so early registration is recommended.

Cancellation policy:

80% refund available up to 2 weeks prior. No refund available in the 2 weeks prior. It is possible to transfer your registration to a colleague at no cost.

If the organisers are required to cancel the event due to illness or other unforeseen circumstances, as much notice will be given as is possible and a full refund of registration fees provided.

Enquiries

workshopsandtraining@gmail.com / 0402-566-604

Updates

If you would like to be sent a reminder of the early bird date and/or receive flyers for other upcoming workshops, please email your details to workshopsandtraining@gmail.com