Conference Agenda

Systemic family psychotherapy can be conceptualized as an open dialogue space that facilitates both intrapsychic and interpersonal processes of meaning-making, relational transformation, and identity development. Drawing on dialogical self-theory and systemic epistemology, family therapy provides a structured yet flexible context in which multiple internal and relational voices can emerge, interact, and be integrated (Bakhtin, 1981; Hermans & Dimaggio, 2004; Seikkula & Olson, 2003). Within this space, individuals are supported in accessing diverse positions of the self, enhancing reflexivity, emotional awareness, and narrative coherence. Simultaneously, therapeutic dialogue fosters relational polyphony among family members, enabling mutual recognition, emotional attunement, and collaborative re-authoring of dominant problem narratives (Anderson, 1997; Rober, 2005; White & Epston, 1990). Through dialogical processes, rigid interactional patterns may be transformed into more flexible and responsive relational configurations. These therapeutic dynamics unfold within a broader socio-economic and cultural milieu characterized by uncertainty, rapid social change, and shifting family structures, which significantly shape identity formation and relational expectations (McGoldrick, Carter, & Garcia-Preto, 2016; Walsh, 2016). Family psychotherapy thus operates as a socially embedded dialogical practice, supporting individuals and families in navigating complexity, fostering resilience, and co-constructing shared meaning within contemporary contexts. Family psychotherapy can serve as an adjunct in individual long-term therapy, supporting the primary client’s mental health, promoting adaptive coping, and enhancing relational well-being across the family system. The present paper illustrates these dynamics through a clinical vignette, highlighting how family therapy fosters resilience, intrapsychic wellbeing, relational flexibility, and shared meaning-making.