Systems-Centered Group Therapy

Developed by Yvonne Agazarian in the 1990s, systems-centered therapy and training (SCT) for groups is a comprehensive systems approach where each of the methods and techniques was developed by first operationally defining the specific theoretical constructs and then applying each construct in practice. The core method in SCT for groups is functional subgrouping, notable for lowering acting out of scapegoating and enabling groups to explore and integrate differences or conflicts in the here-and-now. SCT also emphasizes influencing group norms quickly, because once norms are set, they influence what is and is not possible. SCT leaders work actively in the early phases of a group to influence norms that support group development (e.g., functional subgrouping, eye contact, centering, starting and stopping on time). Furthermore, SCT leaders ...