More than twenty years ago, a University professor for philosophy and logic (Matthias Varga von Kibéd) and psychotherapist (Insa Sparrer) from my home country Germany developed an incredibly effective approach that they called “Systemic Structural Constellation Work (SySt®).”

Their work has become very popular in Germany, Austria, and other European countries where it is applied in an impressive variety of ways, e.g.

• for Organizational Development within companies of any size, including large corporations
• for coaching supervision
• in mediations to resolve conflicts
• to help “normal” coaching clients with their issues (such as the desire to overcome problems at the workplace or within the family, or mental blocks as well the wish to get clarity on upcoming decisions or other dilemmas)
• to help novelists and screenplay writers develop the characters of their novels/plays in the desired way

This type of work is carried out in a group. The number of participants ranges from 8 to 30.


So, What Happens During a SySt® Constellation?

A workshop participant provides an issue to work on. The topic can be pretty much anything (e.g. conflicts or challenges in work teams or organizations, difficult projects as well as physical symptoms or upcoming decisions or other dilemmas).

In Systemic Structural Constellations neither the topic nor the chosen representatives need to have anything to do with family topics or family members– other than in the classical family constellation approach.

In a dialogue with the facilitator, the client briefly explains their issue. A detailed explanation of the problem is not necessary. Interestingly enough, the explanation can also be given in a “hidden” way, just by referring to the “components” of the issue with letters or numbers, e.g. “I am torn between the options A and B and would like to get more clarity. If I go for A, this could have an effect on C and D. If I decide to go for B, this can have consequences for E and F.”

No one but the client needs to know what exactly he/she is working on and what A, B, C, D, E, and F stand for. It is, however, important that the client gets a clear understanding on what they want the outcome of the constellation to be: greater clarity, help with a decision, ideas to solve an issue, etc.

Then the client asks some participants to represent the elements and structural aspects of their issue that were defined in the dialogue between client and facilitator.

The client touches the representatives’ shoulder blades and places them somewhere in the room, one after the other. The representatives now depict the client’s internal image of the system that’s being worked on.

Then the coach/facilitator asks the representatives what kind of (physical or other) differences they have been experiencing since they have come to that place. Without even knowing what/whom they are representing those representatives can provide interesting insights. What they perceive physically and emotionally corresponds to the client’s internal image of their issue. This is called “representative perception” and is the starting point of a process that ends when there is a new “balance” in the system.

Either being a representative in a constellation, or just watching it, is usually an impressive experience for the workshop participants.

What might sound strange actually is a fascinating process that needs to be experienced first-hand.


SySt® NOT to Be Confused with “Family Constellations” or “Constellation Work” Developed by Bert Hellinger

Many people have already heard of “family constellation work” or simply “constellation work”; and maybe even have participated in such a workshop here in California. Family constellation work was developed in Germany by Bert Hellinger. This approach is very popular in many countries and is slowly making its way into the US.

The constellations “à la Hellinger” typically are mystical, refer to a “knowing field”, and are often times even overly dramatic. They are based on the assumption that problems clients are facing in their present are related to something that happened with or to their ancestors.

While there is certainly a lot of potential in his approach, many European coaches and therapists who work with constellations are of the opinion that Hellinger’s approach just doesn’t use the technique’s potential the way it should be.

In Europe Hellinger’s communication style is frequently and strongly criticized as being at once authoritarian, simplistic and dogmatic. At particular issue are his appalling views on rape and incest, and his use of mystifying descriptions of his method as well as potentially humiliating submission rituals. That’s why more and more European coaches and therapists who work with systemic constellations officially distance themselves from Hellinger’s work.


Whose Topics Will Be Worked On During SySt® Constellation Workshops?

Every time a participant attends a SySt® workshop, they get a point. At the beginning of every workshop I will check who of the attendees have most points. These participants can address their topic in a constellation during that workshop.