Learning and Teaching Systemic Therapy

Today, I welcome Catherine Falco to discuss eco-relational and ecologically systemic practice, with particular attention to how educators and supervisors can prepare therapists to think beyond the individual and toward wider relational, environmental, and cultural systems. Catherine Falco: Cath is a psychologist and clinical family therapist. She has a Masters in Mental Health specialising in Family therapy and she is currently completing a research PhD at The University of Sydney where she is investigating ecological emotions and systems thinking with a focus on grassroots groups and community-based practices. She lives in northern New South Wales on Bundjalung Country where she and her family tend 12 acres of Eucalypt Forest nestled in the biodiverse bowl of the Tweed Caldera. Reach out to Cath here: catherine.falco@sydney.edu.au @caldera_psychology Resources discussed: Falco, C. (2022), Integrative Practice for the Beginning Family Therapist: Bringing it Back to Basics. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy, 43, 70-79. https://doi.org/10.1002/anzf.1484 Falco, C., Rhodes, P. and Dunk, J. (2025), Embracing Our More-Than-Human Family: Growing a Systemic Practice for Planetary Health and Multispecies Justice. Aust N Z J Fam Ther, 46: e70007. https://doi.org/10.1002/anzf.70007 Graham, M. 2023. “The Law of Obligation, Aboriginal Ethics: Australia Becoming, Australia Dreaming.” Parrhesia: A Journal of Critical Philosophy 37: 1–21. https://parrhesiajournal.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/the-law-of-obligation-aboriginal-ethics-australia-becoming-australia-dreaming_mary-graham.pdf Kimmerer, R. W. (2013). Braiding sweetgrass: Indigenous wisdom, scientific knowledge and the teachings of plants. Milkweed Editions. Purchase here (affiliate link): https://amzn.to/4beRhEr Kimmerer, R. W. (2024). The serviceberry: Abundance and reciprocity in the natural world. Scribner. Purchase here (affiliate link): https://amzn.to/447xh2M McGoldrick, M., Garcia Preto, N., & Carter, B. A. (2016). The expanding family life cycle: Individual, family, and social perspectives (5th ed.). Pearson. Purchase here (affiliate link): https://amzn.to/4wi2uMF Moore, R. & Cove, J. (2024) Reconnecting systemic family therapy: How family therapy training can attend to the ecosystem and climate emergency, recommendations from a Delphi survey. Journal of Family Therapy, 46, 281–305. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-6427.12461 Palmer, H., & Fortina Santin, C. (Eds.). (2025, December). Ecotherapy, environment, dystopian futures. Context, 202. Association for Family and Systemic Psychotherapy. Questions we discussed in today's episode: When introducing eco-relational practice to systemic therapists in training, what shifts do you think us educators need to make so students can move beyond an anthropocentric view of therapy and truly think systemically about humans in relationship with the living world? How can we teach therapists to recognize and respond to ecological emotions, such as climate grief, ecological anxiety, and disaster-related distress, without treating them only as individual symptoms disconnected from broader relational and environmental systems? For those teaching systemic therapy, what does it look like in practice to bring ecologically systemic ideas into supervision and classroom conversations, even when the training is not specifically focused on outdoor or nature-based therapy? You mentioned the importance of Indigenous and First Peoples worldviews when discussing relationship with Place. How can educators responsibly bring these perspectives into therapist training in ways that are respectful and not tokenistic? What invitations would you offer to supervisors and educators who want to help trainees develop a climate-informed perspective, especially in relation to their own senses, their relationship with place, and their awareness of larger systems such as colonization, patriarchy, and eco

Welcome to the "Learning and Teaching Systemic Therapy" Podcast, hosted by Dr. Shofia Georgiadou. In this episode, we explore the decolonization of marriage and family therapy education with Dr. Felicia Holloway, a passionate advocate for accessible and affirming mental health care for marginalized groups. With questions sourced by our Ph.D. student guest Briana Roberts, our conversation explores the importance of reducing hierarchy and gatekeeping in academia and therapy while promoting collaborative learning and teaching environments. We also discuss strategies for supporting students of color and creating empowering mentorship networks. Tune in for an inspiring discussion about what decolonizing systemic education for the next generation of MFTs looks like. Questions we discussed in this episode (by Briana Roberts, PhD Candidate): What does your work in decolonizing Marriage and Family Therapy look like? What does decolonizing work as professors look like? How can we support MFT students of color coming into programs? What does advocacy for these students look like? How can you balance mentoring students of color while also managing your work and mental load? Resources discussed in this episode: Sisterhood Sanctuary: Peer Support Group for BIPOC female therapists Join Us:Start Date: October 18, 2024Recurring: Every third Friday of the monthTime: 12:00-1:30 pm CSTCost: $5 per session(Therapy for Therapists Membership required for participation)For more information: hello@therapyfortherapistscollective.com or 818-405-0755 Therapy for Therapists Collective: https://www.therapyfortherapistscollective.com/ Annual Faculty Women of Color in the Academy Conference: https://www.inclusive.vt.edu/Programs/FWCA.html Connect with Dr. Felicia Holloway on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/felicia-j-holloway-phd-lpc-s-lmft-s-0190382a Connect with Briana Roberts, LMFT on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/briana-roberts-m-s-lmft-91b24864/ Please follow and rate with 5 stars if you like what you hear 📲 Please email me at drsofia.georgiadou@Gmail.com with your feedback, thoughts, comments about the podcast! If you are interested in participating in the podcast, share your interest here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScpbjVistQywjrIcMHCbgsLg2-IMZwySCnOFTJRX8sXa4hS1A/viewform If you are apprehensive about being on the podcast but have a question you would like to submit for an experienced MFT educator, submit it here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdVcrWWjWoFwuBYiQz_0-KcKC9i7Il-tZjlRlqqbKJSCQ_F2A/viewform

This week's guest: Dr. Jackie Williams-Reade and PhD Student Rose Lange! Welcome to the Society for the Teaching of Marriage and Family Therapy (STMFT) podcast hosted by Dr. Sofia Georgiadou. Dr. Sofia facilitates dialogues between seasoned Marriage and Family Therapy educators and PhD students. The experienced MFT Educator(s) respond to questions PhD students in CFT/MFT have about becoming effective CFT/MFT educators. The podcast’s goal is to create mentorship opportunities and enhance PhD students’ knowledge of pedagogy, culturally responsive learning design, as well as effective teaching of CFT/MFT courses. The Society for the Teaching of Marriage and Family Therapy is the official MFT Educators’ Division of the Coalition of Associations for Systemic Therapy (https://coastmft.org). Join our FB group for the Society for the Teaching of Marriage and Family Therapy (STMFT): https://www.facebook.com/groups/stmft Consider joining COAST to support our programming and upcoming initiatives: https://coastmft.org/membership/ Email me at georgiadou@uhcl.edu with your feedback, thoughts, comments about the podcast! If you are interested in participating in the podcast, share your interest here: https://forms.gle/oJMAhCir7jZN5hUn7 If you are apprehensive about being on the podcast but have a question you would like to submit for an experienced MFT educator, submit it here: https://forms.gle/69xzKUAFZyHtManL8 Questions from PhD student guest, Rose Lange, that we discussed in this episode: What was your process of conceptualizing your teacher identity? In my experience, a common talking point is that online programs do not produce as rigorous training as in-person programs. What are your thoughts on that? What can we as educators do in our online classes to make sure our students are well-trained? What tips and resources do you have for finding online programs that are hiring, either for faculty positions or adjunct? How does gender play a role in your teaching identity and philosophy of teaching? (Rose identifies as a genderfluid woman (she/they pronouns) who is cisgender-passing. She has heard stories from female peers in professorial roles who have felt disrespected by male students.) Has this been your experience? How do you navigate this? On the podcast today we have Dr. Jackie Williams-Reade, LMFT. Dr. Williams-Reade is a Professor at Loma Linda University and has taught both Master’s and Doctoral level MFTs and Counseling students since 2012. Over her career she has taught in a variety of settings from undergraduate to PhD and in several formats including in-person, on-line (synchronous and asynchronous), and week-long intensives. Her specializations in teaching are medical family therapy, integrating spirituality into therapy, and qualitative research. She has numerous publications and presents regularly on a range of topics, including medical family therapy and clinical, supervisory, and teaching innovations. She is co-author of the textbook: "Self-of-the-Therapist in Medical Settings: A Sociocultural and Systemic Perspective" (2019, Springer) and is the administrator of the Medical Family Therapy group on Facebook. Dr. Williams-Reade recently received her institution’s faculty award for Scholar-Researcher Excellence in 2024. She has been regularly involved in AAMFT leadership activities including a member of the Elections Council, Board Member on the California Division, founder of the Family Therapists in Healthcare Interest Network, and on the Board of Directors. The PhD student we have with us today is Rose Lange (she/they). Rose is a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (LCPC) in the state of Illinois. She holds a Masters in marriage and family therapy from Fuller Seminary in California, and she is currently working on her Ph.D. in couple and family therapy at Adler University in Chicago as well as her certificate in sex therapy. In her clinical work, Rose primarily utilizes contextual therapy with c

Welcome to Learning and Teaching Systemic Therapy Podcast, the official Society for the Teaching of Marriage and Family Therapy (STMFT in short) podcast. I'm your host, Dr. Sofia Georgiadou. I created STMFT and this podcast as an antidote to the isolation I experienced as an early-career academic. I also created STMFT and this podcast as a space to allow myself and my colleagues to share resources and bridge the way we do systemic therapy with the way we teach systemic therapy in our classrooms. In this episode we have: Dr. Afarin Rajaei, PhD, LMFT: Dr. Rajaei is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and esteemed author, dedicated to advancing personal growth, emotional awareness, and resilience through her professional work. She serves as the associated editor of the International Journal of Systemic Therapy and frequently presents on topics such as deep inclusion work, exploring romantic relationships, and integrated healthcare systems. Dr. Ryan Lloyd, PhD, LMFT-S, LCDC: Dr. Lloyd is a newly minted PhD, a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist Supervisor, AAMFT Supervisor Candidate, & Licensed Chemical Dependency Counselor working in North Texas. He primarily works with clients with co-occurring psychiatric & substance use disorders, involved in criminal justice, high-conflict families & couples. He has worked in both inpatient & outpatient settings but he aims to get to teaching. Dr. Lloyd's questions discussed in this episode: What has inspired you most along your journey in training systemic therapists? When beginning your teaching career, what did you find most difficult about getting started? What did you find most helpful? What are some of tools/techniques you use to assist therapists in training, who are new to systemic thinking, who struggle with conceptualizing systems thinking? If applicable, how do (or have) you navigate(d) gatekeeping with therapists in training? What do you wish you would have known before entering your career in training therapists? Resources: Society for the Teaching of Marriage and Family Therapy (STMFT) website: https://stmft.coastmft.org/ STMFT Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/stmft Center for the Integration of Research, Teaching and Learning (CIRTL) website: https://cirtl.net/