A family constellation is a (therapeutic) session in which you, as a participant, bring in an issue you want to clarify. The other participants in the session take on the role of protagonists in that issue. They are called ‘representatives’. They may, for example, represent your parents. You as the client or ‘seeker’ give them a place in the room in relation to the other participants, partly aided by the coach and facilator.

If the representatives answer questions about their feelings and attitudes towards each other and the situation, underlying aspects of the issue become visible. During the session, the supervisor asks all kinds of questions in order to obtain information from the representatives. Entanglements are revealed (sometimes in previous generations) that have led to stagnation in the participant’s current life. Often these entanglements are unprocessed feelings as a result of unpleasant events, such as the young death of a parent or child, war experience and separation from parents.

The effects of the session can sometimes be felt in the short term and also in the longer term.

Systemic coaching is also possible in a session without representatives. In that case, as a coach, I ask questions from a systemic point of view. Such a session is called a systemic coaching session.