Systemic Research in Individual, Couple, and Family Therapy and Counseling

About the Editor(s)

Matthias Ochs is a Professor of Psychology and Counseling at the Department of Social Work at the Fulda University of Applied Sciences, Germany. He is also a diploma psychologist, a psychological psychotherapist (licensed by German Psychotherapy Law), a Gestalt therapist, a family therapist and a certified teacher for Systemic Therapy/counseling. His Diploma and PhD theses were honored with research awards. He was Co-President of the two International Systemic Research Conferences in Heidelberg 2014 and 2017, is Vice-President of the German Association for Systemic and Family Therapy and consultation (DGSF), member of the General Board of the European Family Therapy Association (EFTA) and professorial member of the PhD Centre Social work of the official Hessian Universities of Applied Sciences. With Jochen Schweitzer he edited a German systemic research textbook. His current special research interests are: unwanted side effects and negative events in Systemic Therapy/counseling, systems theory/ practice regarding interprofessional/-institutional cooperation and networks, systemic practitioner research, dialogical-systemic practice and the interrelation of social work and psychotherapy.

Maria Borcsa, Dipl.-Psych., PhD, is a Professor of Clinical Psychology at the University of Applied Sciences in Nordhausen, Germany. She is also a Licensed Psychological Psychotherapist and family therapist, trainer and supervisor. She has been board member of the Systemic Society (Systemische Gesellschaft), German Association for Systemic Research, Therapy, Supervision and Counselling; member and board member of the European Family Therapy Association (EFTA) (2007-2016), Chair of the Chamber of National Family Therapy Organizations of EFTA (2010-2013), and President of EFTA (2013-2016). Dr. Borcsa is also a founding member of the Institute for Social Medicine, Health Care Research and Rehabilitation Sciences at University of Nordhausen; Co-editor of the scientific journals Systeme (2001 -2014) and Psychotherapie im Dialog (2007-2018), member of the Editorial Board of the journals Testing, Psychometrics, Methodology in Applied Psychology, ContemporaryFamily Therapy, Associate Editor of the Encyclopedia of Couple and Family Therapy and Advisory Editor of Family Process.

More titles by Maria Borcsa

Jochen Schweitzer is Associate Professor of Medical Psychology and Psychotherapy at Heidelberg University Medical School and head of it´s Division of Organizational Psychology in Medicine. He gained his Diploma in Psychology from the University of Gießen in 1978, his doctorate in Social Sciences from the University of Tübingen in 1986 and his habilitation in Medical Psychology and Psychotherapy from Heidelberg University in 1995. In 2002, he co-founded and then co-chaired the Helm Stierlin Institute for Systemic Training in Heidelberg. His primary interests include family therapy in medicine, psychiatry and juvenile services; organizational consultation in non- for-profit institutions; and political contexts of psychosocial practice, e.g. with refugees or poor clients. Among his major projects have been the implementation of family systems Psychiatry (SYMPA) in German Hospitals, the Heidelberg Systemic Research Conferences from 1998 to 2017, serving as president (2007-2013) of the German Association for Systemic and Family Therapy and consultation (DGSF), and gradually with many others helping to introduce Systemic Therapy into evidence-based medicine and health insurance coverage in Germany between 2003 and 2018. His work was honoured by awards from the American Family Therapy Academy in 2016 and the European FamilyTherapy Association in 2019.