Dear friends and colleagues,
EFTA is now a quarter of a century old! From 12th to 15th February we celebrated the 25th Anniversary of EFTA in Leuven, Belgium, in collaboration with BVRGS, the Belgian(-Flemish) Association of Family Therapy (thanks to the Chair Lieven Migerode for a perfect organization!) and the Catholic University of Leuven. Starting with a scientific event on the 12th and 13th we learned about the diverse applications of systemic and relational thinking at Belgian Universities in research and practice (below you can download most presentations). EFTA-NFTO held their annual meeting in Leuven and invited chairs and representatives of National Family Therapy Associations from all over Europe. EFTA-TIC organized a workshop for the directors of their member training institutes. On Valentine’s Day the festive afternoon was held in the beautiful building of the Leuven Institute for Ireland. It honored the pioneers of EFTA and told the history of family therapy in different European countries, interspersed with short performances from the Hungarian Psytheatre, reflecting playfully on the contributions from the audience. A “transcontinental conversation” with the current President of AFTA (American Family Therapy Academy), Prof. Gonzalo Bacigalupe was followed by participants’ ideas on the future of EFTA, in so doing concluding the session. During the festive evening a friendly chef took care of us and explained his choreography of the meal before serving it. Last but not least we had lots of fun during the auction, bringing together items from all over Europe – of course all very special and precious! Please visit the EFTA website to see pictures from these events!
