Welcome to our next  #existentialencounter on Tuesday 25th February 2025 at 19.00GMT, 20.00CET, 21.00 EET with Dr. Katerina Zymnis-Georgalos, Clinical Psychologist and Existential Therapist who will be talking about “Between Connection and Differentiation: Existential Work with Families and Couples”.

This lecture is 𝗳𝗿𝗲𝗲 and will be held via zoom! Please register at [email protected] themed: Existential Encounters - Katerina Zymnis

This presentation introduces Existential Family Therapy, a novel approach integrating existential psychotherapy with family systems theory. EFT creates a therapeutic space where both individual subjective experience and relational context within the family are valued. It addresses fundamental existential themes—death, freedom, isolation, and meaninglessness—within the framework of family dynamics, fostering both self-awareness and authentic communication.

Existential Family Therapy draws upon the rich history of family therapy, evolving from first-order cybernetics and the study of family communication patterns, particularly the "double bind" concept originating from Bateson, Jackson, and Haley's work on schizophrenia in the 1950s. This early work shifted the focus from individual pathology to interpersonal dynamics within the family system.

Existential Family Therapy bridges the gap between individual and systemic perspectives, exploring how existential themes manifest within family relationships. It emphasizes the dynamic interplay between individuality and relatedness, encouraging authentic expression and facilitating shared meaning-making within the family narrative. This approach promotes a transformative process for all participants, offering a unique lens for addressing family conflict, grief, life transitions, and intergenerational trauma. This integration of existential and systemic perspectives has significant implications for clinical practice and future research in psychotherapy within the Greek context and beyond.

Dr. Zymnis is a founding member, co-director, trainer, and supervisor at the Hellenic Association for Existential Psychology, gignesthai. She works as a psychotherapist with individuals, families, and groups in private practice. Since 2004, Dr. Zymnis has been teaching in several postgraduate programs at Panteion University of Social and Political Sciences, at the University of Thessalia, and at the Hellenic Society of Positive Psychology. In 2022, she joined the faculty of the Graduate School of the American College of Greece as a part-time faculty member. Having been originally trained as a family therapist, she realizes that her main area of professional interest is psychotherapy integration , the process of change, and the use of qualitative methods of research. She enjoys reading literature and attending music concerts. She has contributed with her writing to several books and articles related to existential therapy and psychotherapy process and outcome.She is a founding member of FETE (Federation for Existential Therapy in Europe).