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Systems Thinking

Systems’ thinking is a particular approach to thinking about people and processes that emphasises the interrelatedness of forces. Mechanistic thinking, which pre-dates systems’ thinking, was used by scientists until they realised that something else was needed to understand the world we live in. The general idea of systems’ thinking developed because science needed to find some way to understand, map and thereby be able to manage the complex systems that affect human lives everyday. An example would be the weather systems. Over the past hundred years, the group of methodologies that can be broadly viewed as systems thinking has developed significantly and now is the underlying approach to subjects such as Chaos Theory and Gestalt therapy. Systems’ thinking is a critical metaskill for facilitators to have, as they are dealing with complex systems, and unless they can understand the patterns of interrelatedness that emerge in groups, they will find it difficult to help groups solve complex problems.

The course will consider systems thinking from a psychodynamic viewpoint and will equip students with the conceptual skills to facilitate the transformation of ineffective or counter-productive patterns in group processes. This course is an important addition for those students whose main foundation is in “soft skills”, and would like to develop their capacity to interpret and understand the structures and patterns of systems from a cognitive point of view. This is especially important for students who work or would like to work in organisational settings.”

Cross Cultural Workshop

Objectives

• To facilitate understanding of and insight into different cultural perspectives of mental health and mental illness
• To develop awareness of and insight into cultural differences
• To develop flexibility and adaptability when working with different cultures
• To understand the world view of others and not impose one’s own perspective
• To suspend judgment when working with differences
• To identify obstacles to working cross-culturally, and find ways of working successfully with these.

The Trainer
Dr Kailas Kassan-Newton holds a Bachelor's degree from the University of Cape Town (UCT), with Psychology as a major, and an Honours degree in Psychology from the University of the Western Cape (UWC). At the end of her study at UWC Kailas was awarded the Fulbright Scholarship for study in the US, where she completed her Masters and Ph.D. degrees in Counselling at Auburn University in Alabama.

In her Master’s studies in the US, Kailas focused on diversity and cross-cultural counselling in depth. This included the exploration of various racial / cultural identity development models, different cross-cultural communication styles, and specifically examined the characteristics and qualities of culturally skilled counsellors.

HIV Workshop

HIV is a reality in South Africa and all counsellors and coaches will encounter HIV in their practice. This workshop is an intensive and interactive one day experience aimed at both demystifying HIV and demonstrating that it is not a death sentence but rather a manageable disease. We also aim to provide the counsellor or coach with an understanding of HIV and the skills to respond to a client affected by this disease.

The Trainer
Gavin Reid has been involved with HIV since 1994 when he helped open the Crusaid Information Exchange at the Chelsea & Westminster Hospital, which provides information and resources on HIV to both health professionals and lay-persons.

He is a co-founder and director of Positive Heroes, an NGO which both challenges the stigma and discrimination that surrounds HIV in South Africa and empowers people living with HIV. Gavin is also the HIV counsellor at St Michaels, the hospice at Nazareth House, in Cape Town.