Teaching Systemic Thinking

David Campbell was a consultant clinical psychologist based at the Tavistock Clinic in London. In addition to a clinical practice, he developed training courses in supervision, professional doctorate research, and Master's-level family therapy training. He established a long-standing international practice as a management and leadership trainer and organizational consultant. Ros Draper is a therapist, teacher and supervisor who has made major contributions to the development of family therapy in Britain over the last thirty years. When Senior Clinical Lecturer at the Tavistock Clinic, London and working at the Institute of Family Therapy, London, she developed her practice in both adult and child psychiatric settings. Ros was chair for the Institute of Family Therapy and Birkbeck College, University of London MSc in a Systemic Approach to Management, Coaching and Consultation, and currently has a private practice in Hampshire and London. Clare Huffington is a freelance organizational consultant and executive coach and was, until early 2007, the Director of the Tavistock Consultancy Service in London. She is a clinical psychologist and worked as an educational psychologist, university lecturer, and family therapist before beginning to work with larger systems as an organizational consultant.

Therapists recognize that the practice of systemic family therapy is as much about the way one thinks as it is about what one does, and this book was the first in this field to address specific ways of teaching people to think systemically. It discusses the way people learn; the components of a successful teaching event; and many exercises which have proven helpful in changing the way people think. The book is based on seminars and courses given by Campbell and Draper over a twelve year period, and it is clearly and methodically written so that the reader can easily apply the exercises to their own practice and teaching. Since systemic thinking is a growing field being applied to many different areas of work, this book has been enjoyed by a wide readership of people who work with families as well as large and small organizations.

• Introduction -- Views on the Teaching and Learning Process -- Important Principles -- What Teaching Does for the Teachers -- Teaching Contexts -- Components of Teaching -- Theoretical Input -- Group Discussion -- Video Presentation and Live Family Session -- Reading and Writing -- Homework -- Taking Notes -- Exercises -- Conclusions