“Reaching Inward: A Way of Training in Human Systems Thinking,” Marion Lindblad-Goldberg

In her 1985 article in PsycCRITIQUES, “Reaching Inward: A Way of Training in Human Systems Thinking,” Marion Lindblad-Goldberg presented a method for training people to think systemically about human behavior. The core of her work relates to family therapy and ecosystemic structural family therapy (ESFT), a model that considers how family members and their broader social context are interconnected. 

Key concepts of the article

• Training in systems thinking: The article discusses a training program designed to help individuals move beyond a linear, cause-and-effect understanding of behavior. Systems thinking involves seeing individuals and their actions as part of a larger, dynamic network of relationships and patterns.
• Focus on internal context: The training emphasizes self-reflection and an examination of one’s own role within a system. This contrasts with a “system-as-effect” perspective, which blames external forces for a system’s behavior.
• Emphasis on family systems: The article focuses on applying systems thinking to family relationships. Her later work emphasizes that a family is its own best resource for change, suggesting her training method helped therapists see the innate strengths of families.
• A “way of being”: The training is not merely a set of tools but a fundamental shift in perception—a “way of being” that fosters curiosity, compassion, and courage.
• Focus on relationships: The article explored how to help trainees understand the patterns of interaction and structural relationships that define human systems, rather than just focusing on individual actions. 

The article is an early piece from Lindblad-Goldberg’s distinguished career, which heavily influenced the field of family therapy. 

• Pioneered ecosystemic structural family therapy (ESFT): Lindblad-Goldberg is credited with developing the ESFT model, which helps therapists work with families to identify dysfunctional patterns of interaction and connect families with community resources.
• Founding of a training center: She is currently the Director Emeritus of the Philadelphia Child and Family Therapy Training Center (PCFTTC), which trains therapists in the ESFT model.
• Informed later publications: Her exploration of systems thinking in this 1985 article provided a foundational basis for her later books and papers, such as Creating Competence from Chaos (1998) and Ecosystemic Structural Family Therapy: Theoretical and Clinical Foundations (2013).