Systemic Thinking
Theory and Practice
Section A
Scientific Supervisors & Trainers
Giorgos Gournas
Psychiatrist, M.D., PhD
Giorgos Gournas, Mina Polemi-Todoulou, Dionysis Sakkas, Eirini Todoulou, Giannis Panagopoulos, Varvara Stefanakou and Varvara Synodinou
Οκτώβριος 2025
AIA Exarchia
6, Deligianni Str., - Athens 106 83
Duration
2 years, 64 weekly meetings
Β'
Scientific Supervisors & Trainers
Dimitra Kottorou
Child Psychiatrist
Dimitra Kottorou, Sophia Athanasiadou, Eirini Todoulou, Kleio Koundouraki
October 2025
Monthly online meetings
Duration
2 years , Friday (19:30-22:00) & Saturday (09:30-14:30)
Description
The seminar “Systemic Thinking – Theory and Practice” constitutes one of the core pillars of AKMA’s educational and scientific practice.
It is an experiential learning framework in which participation in both the small and the large group serves as the central means for exploring experience and developing systemic thinking.
Within this framework, the person is approached as a dynamic bio-psycho-social-economic-cultural system, in continuous interaction with the systems in which they participate — such as the couple, the family, professional groups, and the wider social environment.
The learning process connects theoretical understanding with experiential learning and reflective practice, highlighting the dynamics of human systems under conditions of social change and increasing complexity.
Aim
The aim of the seminar is to develop the ability to understand and intervene at multiple levels of human systems through the Multilevel, Multifocal, and Systemic-Dialectical approach, as it has evolved through AIA’s long-standing scientific journey.
Who is this seminar for
The seminar is addressed to professionals who work with individuals and groups (psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, social scientists, educators, etc.) and are over 35 years old. For the 25–35 age group, participation takes place through the seminar “Developing a Systemic Approach.”
Academic Prerequisites
A university degree in a relevant field related to mental health professions or social sciences (e.g. psychologists, physicians, educators, social workers, sociologists, etc.).
To professionals who, following extensive experience and specialized training, are recognized as counsellors or specialists in counselling.
What Graduates Said About the Seminar
“Systemic Thinking” is a space of creation: you learn to seek the kind of knowledge that holds meaning for you, while recognizing the truth of the Other and discovering within Differences the elements that will help you compose something New.
It feels as though you are wandering through an Eastern marketplace. You may encounter indescribable colours and aromas, precious and seemingly useless materials; you may find whatever you can imagine, whatever you may need, and whatever you may desire. Do not forget that you are the one who chooses the materials, colours, and aromas that suit and serve you. What may be useless to others may be precious to you, and what is precious to others may be useless to you. You search for what carries meaning for you. What you ultimately take away depends on you and on how courageous you are willing to be. Whatever that may be, however, your greatest gain will ultimately be the wandering and the journey itself — that is, the process.
Through the group process, you discover what facilitates and what hinders communication; you explore aspects of yourself as they emerge through the developmental stages the group goes through; and, throughout this experience, you come into contact with systemic values and principles.
What you discover and learn depends on where you choose to direct your attention each time — moving beyond a linear way of thinking (cause and effect) toward an understanding based on interactions and relationships.
What do you gain?
You gain a deeper connection with yourself throughout each week, because you offer yourself an intense process that continues to accompany you…
You gain a continuous resonance of sounds, images, colours, music, mosaics, and sequences…
You learn how to make transitions… How to become aware of the way you arrive from the outside world… And how to still remain present even after you have already left…
You come to affirm that you are already enough. And that others are enough as well — so that you may help them rather than categorize them. You begin to see your colleagues not as professional labels, nor your clients as diagnostic categories, but to engage with them through the living biography of your shared experiences.
You gain the dedication and passion of being present and always ready to offer your own small but meaningful contribution…
You encounter both the unexpected and the already familiar, emotion, sharing, and gratitude.
You discover how, through Togetherness, a richer Self is born — one that becomes truly fertile only when it contributes its richness back to the whole.
You discover how, even from the position of the Student, you can also become a Teacher!
Some deeply intense experiences, important teachers, beautiful encounters, greater contact with yourself, a more open perspective, a greater readiness to listen to the different voices within you, the cultivation of resilience in the face of uncertainty and ambiguity, and the acceptance and constructive use of difficulties.
If we consider that the therapist’s most important tool is the self, then this two-year journey is of immense value.