- European Multifamily-therapy Conference
Looking through the kaleidoscope: a European mosaic
„From diversity and solidarity in togetherness – MFT crossing borders“
- Introduction
With the title of our planned annual conference, we associate a vision and description of current developments. Multifamily-work has positively grown pretty fast over the past decades in many countries within and outside of Europe. In previous years, conferences have been held under the motto of connecting community orientation and different working contexts (especially schools, family assistance/Social work and clinics), encouraging verbal exchange. This meeting has proven to be helpful. Not only in practical work for the professionals, but also beneficial for the families.
Colleagues have been profiting from the exchange beyond boarders on Multifamily-work since it began. Great examples here are the beginnings at Marlborough Family Center, the work of Justine van Lawick in the Netherlands and also school projects from Switzerland, Denmark and the UK.
With this years conference, we would like to focus on boarder crossing possibilities and strengthen European interaction. We would also like to explore, which chances develop in regional and sociopolitical contexts. Further more, this meeting should help us work out, how our exchange of experience can enhance the opportunities on with ‘each other – for each other – from each other’.
The similarities and the solidarity within families’ diversity, have proven to be the main effect factors of Multifamily-work. This exact wealth of experience, out of our own work and a vision for the future, is the foundation of our conference ‚Multi-family-therapy‘, to which we would like to invite all of you.
- Conference purpose and anticipated use
The conference aims to network existing MFT-offers in different European countries and to encourages professional and personal exchange. This is the result of reflecting on the partially quick spreading of Multifamily-work and Multifamily-Therapy from the UK and Scandinavia across Europe. National meetings, like the regular conference of federal state in Germany, show that “knowing of each other” has become a real challenge with the growing variety of current projects. At the same time, it is clear that we can benefit from cooperating and from a theoretical and practical transfer. With the European Conference we would like to create a platform, that not only enables cooperation and networking on Multifamily-theropeutical projects but also encourages the development and spreading of the projects.
The choice of inter nationality should allow a focus on individual sociospatial progression. Framework and external contexts (such as social legal terms, enshrine facilitation etc.) of respective offerings, can be reflected by different locations as well.
Main focus of this conference is European diversity. Here we would like to take a glance at context- and sector relevant offerings that seem highly suitable for Multifamily work and related working fields.
We hope for the opportunity to learn from and inspire each other. A documentation of the meeting, shown in the magazine “kontext”, can help multiply successful practical formats. ‘Newbies’ receive an insight into this divers working field and an introduction to MFT.
- How is it possible to work on individual helping systems, beyond sectors, within different national and regional contexts ?
- How can Multifamily-work support sociospatial development potential and how can we effectively enshrine MFT in respective social ranges –especially when it comes to advancement of inclusion and social participation?
- What can we learn from individual experience and which helpful approaches can we continue together?
These key questions will be guiding us through the confernce, to which we hope for numerous answers found together.