1st basic course: Systemic work in child and youth welfare

Specialists (psychologists, educators, social workers, social and remedial educators) in "educational support" facilities, youth welfare offices, counseling facilities.

• Degree as a state-approved educator, state-approved social worker or social pedagogue, psychologist (others on request)
• Professional field of work in which the implementation of systemic ideas and approaches is possible or may become possible
• For the transition from the basic course to the advanced course: Participation in the advanced course must be approved informally by the course instructors.

By teaching systemic thinking and systemic methods, the participants' professional competence in the field of "educational support" is expanded. The implementation of systemic work in daily professional practice is accompanied by a process.

• Fundamentals of the systemic approach
• Systemic conversation with children, adolescents, parents and other participants (questioning techniques: e.g. context questions, resource-oriented/circular/hypothetical/paradoxical questions, questions about differences and exceptions, reinterpretations, miracle questions, scaling, PELZ model)
• Order clarification and order patterns (e.g. coercive context)
• Genogram, photogram, resource wheel
• Attitude: appreciation, solution and resource orientation, impartiality, curiosity, not knowing, neutrality
• Reflective team
• Initial interview
• Appreciative understanding of family systems
• Appreciative exploration for children "Treasure hunt" - finding resources Interventions
• Relationship building
• Importance of rituals
• Representational work (family board, sculpture, resource animals)
• Externalizing
• Hypnosystemic approaches
• MiniMax interventions: simple linguistic interventions
• Help plan discussion, goal definitions (SMART, motto goals, etc.)
• Parent coaching, dealing with adolescent violence
• Working with stories and metaphors
• Biographical methods (e.g. Time Line) - past, present and future as a resource
• Systemic programs ("I can do it") and games
• Resilience and salutogenesis
• Child endangerment, families with addiction problems and mentally ill parents
• Reflection on implementation with children and parents
• Ending the help

A wide variety of methods :

• Teaching, demonstrations, role plays, small group work, video sequences (including Arist v. Schlippe, Haim Omer, Insoo Kim Berg, Steve de Shazer), reflection and, of course, practicing, practicing, practicing!

Participants will be provided with extensive teaching material as well as course and photo documentation.

Dates / scope of further training (basic course):

1st module "Genogram, Conversation 1":                             06.03.-08.03.2025, each 9-18 h

2nd module "Conversation management 2, miracle question":                            15.05.-17.05.2025, 9-18 h each day

3. module "Circular questions, family board":                    14.08.-16.08.2025, 9-18 h each day

4th module "Initial interview, time line":                                06.11.-08.11.2025, 9-18 h each day

5th module "Rituals, Metaphors":                                        15.01.-17.01.2026, each 9-18 h

150 units of classroom training (45 minutes each) plus 40 units of intervision, 25 units of specialist literature study and self-study

_{Graduates of the basic course have the opportunity to participate in the advanced course "Systemic Counselor" (150 units) following the basic course. The detailed schedule for the advanced course will be announced in due course. According to current planning, the course will begin in January 2026}

The courses will mainly take place here: 

PEREGRINUS CVJM Herberge Görlitz, Langenstr. 37, 02826 Görlitz

www.peregrinus-goerlitz.de

or

University of Applied Sciences Zittau/Görlitz Campus Görlitz: Brückenstr. 1, 02826 Görlitz

Teaching trainer of the Institute for Systemic Work Chemnitz - ISA Chemnitz

Contributors:

• Rita Freitag, Dipl.-Sozialpädagogin (FH), systemic counselor, therapist (DGsP, SG), supervisor (DGSv), teaching therapist (SG), hypnotherapist (n.R. M.E.G.), systemic lecturer (DGsP), Teaching Counseling and Therapy (DGSF), Teaching Supervision (SG)
• Matthias Freitag, graduate psychologist, systemic counselor and therapist (SG), teaching therapist (SG), lecturer in counseling and therapy (DGSF), systemic lecturer (DGsP), lecturer in counseling and therapy (DGSF), lecturer in supervision (SG)
• Further lecturers

The university certificate "Systemic Work in Child and Youth Welfare" is issued upon participation in all blocks of the basic course as well as the additionally required above-mentioned learning achievements. Furthermore, the umbrella organization certificate of the German Society for Systemic Pedagogy (DGsP) can be acquired for a fee.

1,875.00 Total price for the modules of the basic course, the university certificate and the participant documents.

Each module costs € 375.00.

Invoicing by the Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences takes place individually by arrangement in the 1st course module. Monthly installments or partial payments are possible. A grant from the SAB (link SAB) is possible for participants.

Participants may incur further costs of approx. 50 - 100 € for additional umbrella organization certificates.

Saxon participants can apply for a subsidy towards the total costs from the Sächsische Aufbaubank. The conditions of the Saxon training voucher can be found at https://www.sab.sachsen.de/weiterbildungsscheck-individuell.

The application must be submitted prior to binding registration. Participants who already intend to complete the two-year training course for systemic consultants at the beginning of the basic course should seek advice from the SAB as to whether these courses can be applied for as a package together with the basic course. If you are applying for funding, please inform us in advance!