EFTA-RELATES congress 2025 – Confluences and Controversies in the systemic theory, research and practice

Relationships between people – families, work teams, communities, Nations – have undergone major changes in recent decades, also as a result or side-effect of cultural and scientific evolution.

On the one hand, disciplines such as physics, medicine, psychology, environmental and social sciences have made decisive contributions to the advancement of our knowledge. Distant galaxies have come closer to our cosmic vision, and our probes and rockets have reached the farthest edges of space-time. On the other hand, violence and barbarism destroy lives, property, and certainties on a daily basis, sparking vicious and often deadly clashes between individuals, communities, nations, and cultures.

In spite of these challenging realities, systemic therapists and practitioners are compelled to pursue their commitment to healing the resulting psychic and relational suffering and, above all, to rekindle hope, resilience and optimism for a better future.

The EFTA-RELATES 2025 Congress, in collaboration with the DIPHE research laboratory of the University of Lyon 2, aims to be a place of possibilities, challenging indifference and isolation. It will bring together hundreds of professionals, Centers, and bodies within the European Family Therapy Association and the Red Latinoamericana de Terapias Sistemicas, all committed to the mission of promoting the health of groups, institutions, families, couples and individuals regardless of the conditions of their existence.

The aim of this Congress is to share systemic knowledge – whether through confluences or controversies – we will discuss and resonate on differences that make a difference. The important goal will be to combine the theoretical foundations of the systemic approach with the diversity and plurality of clinical practices, all enriched by research data.

This fruitful gathering will take place on August 27, 28, 29 and 30, in the summer of 2025, in the exquisite city of Lyon, France.

Thinking it important to stray from conventional venues, we’ll explore interactive, artistic and dialogical paths that will invite you to be a major player in the event.