Lunch & Learn - Tango or Tangled?? – Step-by-Step into Family Systems

MN Board of CLE - approved

Have  you ever watched the tango being performed by experienced dancers?   Have you ever tried to learn to tango?  Can you imagine a dance  instructor who would presume to teach you to tango without a partner?   There is complexity to the movement that requires the involvement of a  partner.  Each must learn a role, or it will be awkward at best,  dangerous at worst.  And so it is with working with families,  particularly with families who are divorced. 

This 1.25 hour Lunch & Learn will explore essential concepts that  are critical to working with families in any capacity—as Judicial  Officers, as attorneys, as therapists, as financial experts, or as  Alternative Dispute Resolution professionals.  The panel will explore  and explain family systems concepts such as” boundaries,” “family  cohesion,” “differentiation,“ family “roles,” and the complexities of  working with various members of a family.  This Lunch and Learn will  also serve as an introduction to the fall conference, which will delve  more deeply into family systems dynamics.

Learning Objectives:  Upon completion of this L&L, participants will be able to:

1. Conduct an interview with clients that incorporates aspects of family history and dynamics.
2. Describe roles and responsibilities of various family members as understood in the context of family systems.
3. Create a “genogram” that includes family members and their relationship to each other.
4. Identify the possible consequences of limiting one’s understanding of the family to that of only one family member.

Diane Reller, MS, LMFT, LADC   -   PHOTO

Diane Reller has over 26 years of combined clinical experience in Minnesota as a Licensed Alcohol and Drug Counselor and Marriage and Family Therapist. She has extensive experience working with high-conflict parents to come to solutions that are child-centered and focused on the best interest of their children. Diane views family dynamics from a systems perspective, understanding the complexities of each individual and their contribution to the family needs, rewards, expectations, and attributes that influence behaviors.

Diane is a Qualified Neutral under Rule 114 of the Minnesota General Rules of Practice for the District Courts and has experience with Family and Civil Court procedures. She is in private practice at Reller Family Consulting as a Parenting Consultant, Mediator, Child Consultant and Custody Evaluator. Diane is native to Minnesota and resides in the countryside with her husband as empty-nesters (5 kids later) with the exception of two amazing British Labrador Retrievers, Josie and Lola. Diane enjoys gardening, biking, hiking, camping, perfecting crochet stitches, hockey collegiate and professional dance and time with family.

Lori Thibodeau, MA, LMFT   -   PHOTO

Lori Thibodeau is a Minnesota board licensed marriage and family  therapist (LMFT). Lori specializes in complex family systems  experiencing divorce, family conflict, and co-parenting issues. Lori's  focus is promoting individual and systemic health in families.