SCT in Action

Yvonne M. Agazarian, Ed.D., FAGPA, FAPA, CGP, developed a theory of living human systems and its systems-centered practice. She has authored or co-authored six books and in 1997 she received the Group Psychologist of the Year award from the American Psychological Association, with the following citation: 'She exemplifies the finest in scholarship in the discipline of psychology...Her considerable body of work illustrates the highest blend of creativity and learning.' Susan P. Gantt, Ph.D., ABPP, CGP, is a psychologist and Assistant Professor in Psychiatry at Emory University School of Medicine where she coordinates group psychotherapy training. She is the Director of the Systems-Centered Training and Research Institute and co-author of the books 'Autobiography of a Theory' and 'SCT in Action' with Yvonne Agazarian. She was recently awarded the Alonso Award for Excellence in Psychodynamic Group Psychotherapy by the Group Psychotherapy Foundation for her work with Paul Cox on the special issue of the 'International Journal of Group Psychotherapy' on 'Neurobiology and Interpersonal Systems: Groups, Couples and Beyond.'

'As this book amply demonstrates, SCT has turned out to have powerful organizational applications. With its theory of living human systems rather than a separate theory of organizations or of organizational behavior, it uses concepts that easily map onto organizational life. It looks at systems as a whole but also in parts. It stresses the importance of understanding boundaries and contexts. It continually focuses on task, and, perhaps, most important of all, it offers a sophisticated understanding of roles, which includes work roles in organizations. It well may be, as more consultants working in organizations become more familiar with the concepts and methods SCT offers, the SCT approach will come to seem indispensable to the resolution of conflict.'- From the Foreword by Ken Eisold, Ph.D., Former President of the Psychoanalytic Study of Organizations'Yvonne Agazarian has long been established as one of the major theoreticians within group and organizational psychology. In this book, she and Susan Gantt have gathered together enriching and stimulating papers within the SCT tradition with the aim of showing us how it works in practice. They have certainly succeeded. SCT is about creating a new culture in which both people and the aims of the organization are strengthened and supported. For those working with organizations, either as leaders or consultants, this book will prove to be a stimulating and reliable companion.'- Christer Sandahl, Department of Learning, Informatics, Management and Ethics (LIME), Karolinska Institute, Stockholm

• Foreword -- Introduction -- Overview of the Theory of Living Human Systems and its Systems-Centered Practice -- The Systems-Centered Coach: Examples from Our Work -- Role, Goal and Context in an Organizational Intervention -- From Complaints to Strategies: Using an Agency’s All-Staff Meetings as a Learning Lab for Understanding System Dynamics -- Opening up the Circle: Next Steps in Group Work for Clinical Pastoral Educators -- Red, Yellow, Green: Modifying Communication Patterns in an Elementary School System -- Functional Subgrouping in the Classroom: A Powerful Tool for Learning -- Meetings that Work: Making Common Sense “Common”