Palo Alto Institute for Systemic Coaching US

When Thinking Harder Doesn’t Move the Needle

Is something bothering you — or do you feel stuck in a loop where reflection, reasoning, and talking haven’t made a dent?

Then it may be time to explore a different kind of clarity.

Join me for a SYSTEMIC COACHING DYNAMICS Workshop — a unique, hands-on, and experience-based approach to

• See the structure and dynamics behind your situation
• Reveal hidden connections, tensions, and leverage points
• Create new dynamics — and new momentum — in real life.

Or maybe you’re a coach, counselor, consultant, or organizational development professional who wants to

• Understand a client’s situation more clearly, or
• Discover new ways to unlock progress where things have stalled.

At this experiential workshop you can you can explore the dynamics shaping your clients’ situations and your work with them — the subtle forces that keep even the resourceful stuck.

Because sometimes progress doesn’t come from better questions, but from seeing the system itself.

What Exactly Are SYSTEMIC COACHING DYNAMICS?

In Germany, Switzerland, and Austria, constellation work has been a respected and effective approach for personal and organizational development for decades.

SYSTEMIC COACHING DYNAMICS builds on this foundation — and moves far beyond traditional family constellations.

Grounded in SySt® — a research-based constellation framework from Germany — and paired with trusted coaching components, SYSTEMIC COACHING DYNAMICS turn constellation work into a genuinely solution-focused experience.

Rather than talking about a challenge, you create a three-dimensional, real-time representation of it.

What Happens In A SYSTEMIC COACHING DYNAMICS Workshop?

1) A participant brings a real issue.

This can be anything from a stalled project or major decision to a relationship tension, customer reaction, or recurring “I’m stuck” pattern.

2) We briefly clarify the goal — no long backstory needed

Examples for a desired outcome:

• more clarity
• direction for a decision
• insight into what’s stuck
• a new way to approach the situation
  

The client can even keep details private by using placeholders like A, B, C instead o roles. or or
(Example: “I’m torn between A and B. Choosing A affects C and D; choosing B affects E and F.”)

3) The client selects participants to represent key elements in the situation — people (i.e. family or team members), roles, decisions, brand names, products etc. and places them in the room.

Positioning reveals the system’s structure — the “map” of the situation.

4) We explore what emerges and gradually move toward better balance.

The representatives share their physical or relational perceptions.

Even without knowing who or what they are standing in for, they often offer strikingly relevant observations.

And this representative perception brings hidden dynamics, tensions, loyalties, and possibilities to the surface.

From there, thoughtful interventions create a more balanced setting — instantly noticeable to the representatives.

What’s In It For You?

By addressing an issue in a constellation, you

• externalize the situation
• see its structure more clearly
• explore adjustments in real time.

Once the underlying mechanics are visible, next steps in real life often become far more obvious — and doable.

And you don’t have to be the one in the “client seat” to benefit.

Serving as a representative (or simply observing) gives you a front-row seat to how human systems actually operate — patterns, tensions, loyalties, and all the little surprises our minds pretend not to notice. Many participants quietly spot their own dynamics.

Sometimes a participant stands for something that unexpectedly reflects their own situation. In those moments, the shifts designed for the client often resonate for the representative as well.

Not because of magic — but because human patterns repeat more often than we think.

As a representative, you also get to feel what clarity, groundedness, or forward momentum are like in a system that’s moving toward a solution. That embodied “aha” sticks — far more than another insightful conversation ever could.

No mysticism.

No group catharsis.

Just a smart, structured way to see systems — and yourself — from a perspective the thinking mind can’t reach on its own.

Who Gets to Address an Issue?

Every time you attend a SYSTEMIC COACHING DYNAMICS workshop, you earn a point.

On any given workshop day, those with the most points get to work on their issue.

We typically run two constellations in a three-hour session.

Between both, we're having a break that gives participants the opportunity to network and chat.

What is the Investment?

$50 per person. Sign up early and save $20.

Curious? Cautiously skeptical? You're in Good Company.

If this sounds unfamiliar — even a bit odd — that’s completely valid.

My first reaction was the same.

I went to my first constellation workshop in 2001 in Germany expecting to politely endure it.

Instead, I left with answers I hadn’t been able to think my way to.

This structured way to reveal dynamics that aren’t obvious through analysis alone surprised me enough that I decided to train in the method myself.

And over the years, I’ve resolved significant personal and professional challenges through constellations facilitated by experienced teachers and trusted colleagues.

If you’re curious and want to experience this fascinating approach first-hand, it would be great to see you at this SYSTEMIC COACHING DYNAMICS workshop.

Feel free to contact me at sylvia@paifsc.com or 650 714 3420 if you have any questions.

Here's what participants of past workshops say:

In a SYSTEMIC COACHING DYNAMICS workshop I addressed an unresolved issue with members of my family of origin. These unspoken issues were weighing on me, and I used to make assumptions about the situation.
 
At the beginning, I found everything very confusing. But during the constellation I was able to recognize how these family members were interacting with each other and me, and it made total sense. The interventions Sylvia did with some of the representatives (asking them to change position and say particular statements) helped me feel much more at peace with the situation. 
 
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The coaching constellation work was powerful. Even just the conversation with Sylvia before the workshop helped me see things I hadn’t been aware of before. Addressing my issue in a constellation allowed me to see the situation as a system with the various players that are involved, some of which I had not paid any attention to before.

It also allowed me to step into my client’s perspective and as a result experience more compassion for him. What I found unique was that I got to see myself as part of the system. It was mind-blowing when the person who represented me in the constellation said one sentence, which accurately summed up my actual attitude and made me see how I myself had contributed to the issue.