Constallation work

What are they?

Constellations, or systemic work, has been on the rise throughout the past few years.
Family constellations are most well-known, but constellation work can be used in many ways; organisation or team constellations, social constellations, systemic constellations, ‘here and now’ constellations, goal constellations, et cetera…

Constellation work is a method to look at a problem or question using replacements, named representatives.
Representatives can be people (who may be strangers) in the case of groups, figures or dolls (placed on the table) in the case of individual constellations, or ground anchors for both groups and individuals.

Three universal laws construct the vision behind this method:
1: organization; everyone should assume their proper place
2: balance between giving and taking
3: everyone is included and considered

The representatives provide information about the conscious and the (often large) unconscious part of the problem or question. They show where and how the basic laws have been perpetrated.
Thanks to this, a deeper and broader insight into the problem or question is formed.

The mentor uses interventions to restore the basic laws. This allows the system to relax, which is very visible in the attitude of the representatives and the person asking the question.
Then, solutions and answers show themselves ‘automatically’, either because the problem now no longer exists or because the problem is now understood and can be acted upon adequately.

When do you use it?

Constellation work can be used for problems or questions in any kind of system. 
Within a family, a team, a department, an organization, a classroom, a neighbourhood; in any sort of group. 
Besides this, constellation lends itself well to intervision method when working with customers, clients, inhabitants, et cetera.
Using constellations for social problems is new, and strongly on the rise. 
Constellation work is a suitable method for problems for which not a single action or solution seems to work. 

‘We can't solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them.’ 

Albert Einstein

Examples:

I cannot keep a job, I cannot construct a lasting relationship with a partner.
I keep arguing with my daughter, despite following every piece of advice from the orthopedagogue. 
Despite multiple team building sessions, the team does not operate functionally.
We have taken care of all variables for the sale of the new product, but sales are disappointingly and seemingly inexplicably low against the expectations.
Despite all the anti-bullying campaigns, a bullying culture remains present in the classroom.
I can’t seem to make progress with this coaching client; we have done everything regarding the problematic behaviour of this occupant, and nothing works.
There is a lot of unrest in the neighbourhood, what is really going on?

Also physical, psychological and social issues can have a (partially) systemic cause.

You can always call or send an email to discuss when you are in doubt about whether or not it is useful to do a constellation about a certain question. 

Yes?

For individuals:
An individual constellation.
A constellation in a group, with people as representatives, is possible at a constellation event.
Theme days. A full day of working intensively on one theme with a group of people provides much insight.

For teams and businesses:
Individual with a responsible person.
The fundament of a team.
A custom designed constellation.