Systemic Approach

The systemic approach is based on the assumption that human experience develops within systems—units of interconnected elements and relationships that are in constant interaction and evolution. These networks of relationships profoundly influence the way we think, feel and behave.

A central question in the systemic approach is how reality is jointly constructed, along with the assumptions on which thought, experience and behaviour are based. As Gregory Bateson put it, context is what gives meaning to every narrative, since no experience can be interpreted in isolation from its environment. At the same time, as Humberto Maturana notes, perceived reality does not exist independently of the person who experiences it, since every system is recognised and given meaning by its own observer.

As human systems evolve as non-linear and continuously changing processes, even beliefs that seem stable and unchanging can be reconsidered, questioned and reshaped. In the therapeutic process, therefore, we explore the function and usefulness that the so-called “problem” may have within the wider system, as well as how it relates to relationships, experiences and personal meanings. At the same time, reshaping a personal narrative can open up new ways of seeing experience and alternative possibilities for action, leading to solutions that are less painful and more functional than maintaining the current situation.

Along this journey, the psychotherapist does not act as an authority who provides ready-made answers, but as a companion in the therapeutic process, facilitating dialogue and the co-construction of new perspectives and meanings. Through the therapeutic relationship, a safe space is created for reflecting on experiences, choices and relationships, so that new possibilities for understanding and new ways of responding to life’s challenges can emerge.