Laura & Leonie's Systemic Stories: Practice & Possibilities

In Systemic Stories this month, Leonie and Laura speak with Cath Falco from the Northern Rivers, NSW.  Cath is a Psychologist and Clinical Family Therapist in private practice, Caldera Psychology.  In addition to private practice, Cath is currently completing her research PhD at the University of Sydney and is a Teaching Associate in the Phoenix Family Therapy Academy. 

In this conversation, we learn about: 

• Cath's research and learnings on ways to include relationships with place in systemic practice, alongside the impact of disasters and climate events.
• How we can learn from Indigenous and First People's worldviews about relationships with the world around us and the importance of reciprocity.
• The creation of narratives we build about our natural world.
• Resources that can help us and our clients repair relationships with place.
• Tips for therapists to find 'doorways' in their clinical work to support clients to explore these wider relationships.

And make sure you check out the show notes for the fantastic resources Cath recommends.

Graham, M. 2008. “Some Thoughts About the Philosophical Underpinnings of Aboriginal Worldviews.” Australian Humanities Review 45: 181–194.

Robin Wall Kimmerer

Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teaching of Plants

https://milkweed.org/book/braiding-sweetgrass

Tyson Yunkaporta

Sand Talk

https://www.textpublishing.com.au/books/sand-talk-9781922790514

Graham, M. 2023. The Law of Obligation, Aboriginal Ethics: Australia Becoming, Australia Dreaming. Parrhesia: A Journal of Critical Philosophy 37: 1–21.

https://parrhesiajournal.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/the-law-of-obligation-aboriginal-ethics-australia-becoming-australia-dreaming_mary-graham.pdf

Falco, C., Rhodes, P. and Dunk, J. (2025), Embracing Our More-Than-Human Family: Growing a Systemic Practice for Planetary Health and Multispecies Justice. Aust N Z J Fam Ther, 46: e70007. https://doi.org/10.1002/anzf.70007

For anyone interested in Profession Development to become a Climate-Aware Practitioner:

Psychology for a Safe Climate

https://www.psychologyforasafeclimate.org/

Cath's contact details:

calderapsychology.com.au

@caldera_psychology

This podcast isn't about a "right" way to be systemic.  It's about privileging multiple perspectives through sharing a range of systemic stories.

Laura is recording on the lands of the Turrbal People.  Leonie is recording on the lands of the Yugambeh People.

Acknowledgement of Country

We are honoured to be on the ancestral lands of the Traditional Owners of the areas we are recording from.  We acknowledge the First Australians as the Traditional Custodians of this continent, whose cultures are among the oldest living cultures in human history.   We pay our respects to their Elders past, present and emerging, for they hold the memories, the traditions, the culture and hopes of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples across the nation.

In Systemic Stories this week, Leonie and Laura interview Anne Holloway from Perth, Western Australia. Anne is a Family Therapist in private practice, AHA Counselling, and the current President of the Australian Association of Family Therapy (AAFT). We learn about: 

• Anne's journey of becoming a systemic family therapist and her current private practice work.
• Supporting individual clients to understand themselves as part of a wider family and system.
• Thinking about our role as therapists and the power of this client-therapist relationship in our clinical work. Including practical tips for therapists. 
• Anne's journey of becoming the President of AAFT.
• Exciting news about the upcoming International Family Therapy Association (IFTA) conference being held in Adelaide, Australia in 2027. 
• An update on the changes within AAFT and future vision for this peak body.

This podcast isn't about a "right" way to be systemic.  It's about privileging multiple perspectives through sharing a range of systemic stories.

Laura is recording on the lands of the Turrbal People.  Leonie is recording on the lands of the Yugambeh People.

Acknowledgement of Country

We are honoured to be on the ancestral lands of the Traditional Owners of the areas we are recording from.  We acknowledge the First Australians as the Traditional Custodians of this continent, whose cultures are among the oldest living cultures in human history.   We pay our respects to their Elders past, present and emerging, for they hold the memories, the traditions, the culture and hopes of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples across the nation.

 In Systemic Stories this week, Leonie and Laura interview Alex Tregenza, a Child and Youth Mental Health Social Worker and Family Therapist, working in a leadership position.  We learn about: 

• Alex's systemic family therapy journey and how it has influenced her clinical work and leadership experience
• Key theories and concepts that have supported Alex's leadership experience. 
• The ripple effect of systemic thinking and how you can find ways to start working systemically.
• Self-leadership and the importance of observation of self in leadership positions. 
• What tools and supports Alex accesses to keep learning and growing as a leader.
• Practical tips and ideas on how to turn up authentically and intentionally. 

This podcast isn't about a "right" way to be systemic.  It's about privileging multiple perspectives through sharing a range of systemic stories.

Laura is recording on the lands of the Turrbal People.  Leonie is recording on the lands of the Yugambeh People.

Acknowledgement of Country

We are honoured to be on the ancestral lands of the Traditional Owners of the areas we are recording from.  We acknowledge the First Australians as the Traditional Custodians of this continent, whose cultures are among the oldest living cultures in human history.   We pay our respects to their Elders past, present and emerging, for they hold the memories, the traditions, the culture and hopes of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples across the nation.

In this 3rd installment of Systemic Stories, Leonie and Laura interview Michael Derby from Anchor Point Therapy in Geelong, Victoria.  We learn about: 

• Michael's first introduction to systemic practice
• Hearing stories of Michael's experience working with trauma, harm and shame as a family therapist
• Practical tips, frameworks and ideas on working with harm and shame with an individual, a family and the wider system
• The intentional stance of the therapist, including the importance of understanding our own family of origin influences
• Helpful ideas on using the Exploring Shame therapeutic card set
• Practical tips for other family therapists and clinicians working with trauma, harm and shame

This podcast isn't about a "right" way to be systemic.  It's about privileging multiple perspectives through sharing a range of systemic stories.

Laura is recording on the lands of the Turrbal People.  Leonie is recording on the lands of the Yugambeh People.

Acknowledgement of Country

We are honoured to be on the ancestral lands of the Traditional Owners of the areas we are recording from.  We acknowledge the First Australians as the Traditional Custodians of this continent, whose cultures are among the oldest living cultures in human history.   We pay our respects to their Elders past, present and emerging, for they hold the memories, the traditions, the culture and hopes of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples across the nation.

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This podcast isn't about a "right" way to be systemic.  It's about privileging multiple perspectives through sharing a range of systemic stories.

Laura is recording on the lands of the Turrbal People.  Leonie is recording on the lands of the Yugambeh People.

Acknowledgement of Country

We are honoured to be on the ancestral lands of the Traditional Owners of the areas we are recording from.  We acknowledge the First Australians as the Traditional Custodians of this continent, whose cultures are among the oldest living cultures in human history.   We pay our respects to their Elders past, present and emerging, for they hold the memories, the traditions, the culture and hopes of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples across the nation.

In this second episode of Systemic Stories, Leonie and Laura interview Dr. Kerri-Lyn Webb and Jordana Rigby from Arbre Developmental Paediatrics and Family Therapies.  We learn about: 

• Dr. Kerri and Jordana's journey into systemic practice
• Working with a systemic framework from the therapy room to business processes
• Systemic family therapy and developmental diagnoses - how we can hold both together in practice
• The challenges in building a developmental service using an integrated and systemic framework
• What has been helpful on the journey of systemic practice in this setting
• Top tips for other family therapists and clinicians working in developmental paediatrics

This podcast isn't about a "right" way to be systemic.  It's about privileging multiple perspectives through sharing a range of systemic stories.

Laura is recording on the lands of the Turrbal People.  Leonie is recording on the lands of the Yugambeh People.

Acknowledgement of Country

We are honoured to be on the ancestral lands of the Traditional Owners of the areas we are recording from.  We acknowledge the First Australians as the Traditional Custodians of this continent, whose cultures are among the oldest living cultures in human history.   We pay our respects to their Elders past, present and emerging, for they hold the memories, the traditions, the culture and hopes of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples across the nation.

In this first episode of Systemic Stories, you will meet Laura and Leonie and find out:

• Where we are from
• How we got into systemic practice
• How systemic practice fits with our "disciplines of origin" (Occupational Therapy and Psychology)
• Why we created the podcast
• What our hopes are for the podcast 
• What to expect in future episodes

This podcast isn't about a "right" way to be systemic.  It's about privileging multiple perspectives through sharing a range of systemic stories.

Laura is recording on the lands of the Turrbal People.  Leonie is recording on the lands of the Yugambeh People.

Acknowledgement of Country

We are honoured to be on the ancestral lands of the Traditional Owners of the areas we are recording from.  We acknowledge the First Australians as the Traditional Custodians of this continent, whose cultures are among the oldest living cultures in human history.   We pay our respects to their Elders past, present and emerging, for they hold the memories, the traditions, the culture and hopes of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples across the nation.