Conference Agenda

The paradigm shift in Family Therapy, according to Relation Family Therapy is marked by three essential themes. The first theme is the primary nature of affects and its processes, which mostly operate on an unconscious level, and are dominant in all Family Systems. The concept of the primacy of the affect has radically shifted scientific professional research and perception, moving from the behavioural and cognitive scene, which have dominated for decades, to the domain of affective processes, which are the most visible and evident ingredients in marital and family systems. The second theme, which also participates in the complete paradigm shift, is the so-called mechanism of regulation which is basic mechanism of every family system. It basically leads to the development and promotion of self-regulation and the regulation of stress of all the members of the family. Family System regulation is defined as an essential mechanism of any healthy development, and the enhancement of the emotional processes in the family. The third theme of paradigm shift derives from the development of neuroscience, which in modern times has increasingly focused on prenatal and postnatal stages of brain development. Based on this research, we can predispose that the relationship with the mother and the father, i.e., early attachment, is essential in the maturation of the brain and that this relationship forever impacts the child as well as the adult, also in latter building the new family systems, where the dynamics from the early childhood, especially abuse and neglect or trauma experiencing in difunctional family of origin could be re-enacted. These three themes are remarkably applicable in Relational Family Therapy and are quintessential building blocks of family therapy.