Congregational and Family Systems Academy
Congregational and Family Systems Academy
This program enriches the skills of pastors, priests, rabbis, cantors, imams, and other clergy who provide spiritual guidance and support within congregations and other faith-based communities.
Accepting Applications for 2025-2026
CFR is accepting applications on a rolling admissions basis.
Clergy participants in this program are lifelong learners, community leaders, and healers.
In 2020, under the direction of Rev. Dr. Dee Littleton, LMFT and approved AAMFT supervisor with over 40 years of congregational and pastoral experience, established The Congregational and Family Systems Academy at the Council for Relationships. Graduates of the program have celebrated the Academy by giving them new tools to do pastoral ministry, developing trusted collegial friendships, and learning systemic theory to think about their work. The Academy has worked with clergy in helping clergy, to think systemically as they respond to the challenges in life, family and in congregational and other organizational settings.
In 2025, the Congregational and Family Systems Academy will be reimagined to meet the continued demands of clergy serving in various settings.
The all-new Congregational and Family System Academy will not be as focused on academic requirements, writing research papers, and developing clinical skills. Rather it will focus on pastoral ministry and leadership skills of the clergy person.
Clergy Colleague Groups
Ministry is not easy. Many clergy report feeling isolated and lacking a safe place to discuss confidential matters. They often seek a way to hold themselves accountable for their goals and the congregation’s vision and objectives. If this sounds like you, consider creating a clergy affinity group for support and theological and pastoral integration with systemic theory.
Affinity Clergy groups gather to promote collegial support for clergy. They are facilitated by leaders who have served within congregations and have training in organizational systems and dynamics. CFR will facilitate groups of 4 to 6 participants, normally via zoom but in limited cases groups in the Philadelphia area can meet in person.
Affinity Clergy groups will meet for two hours 26 times a year from September through May. Each established group will create its own Congregational and Family Systems Academy calendar and distinct and unique learning opportunities as we create a syllabus for your cohort’s work together.
In years 2 and 3 and beyond, groups can continue to meet 8 times in an academic year for 3 hours each to continue their learning and practice of thinking systemically while presenting their ongoing Family of Origin work, case studies, and interacting with assigned reading of the Colleague Groups choosing. The cost for ongoing years is $70 a session or $500 paid in full.
- You can create provides support, encouragement, challenges, mirroring, and ministry and care for pastors and clergy.
- In year 2 and beyond, the colleague group can choose their area of Focus, which focuses on a particular goal or area, such as improving leadership skills or women in ministry.
Ideas for Colleague Clergy Affinity Groups
- Seminary/ Rabbinical School Classmates Groups
- Clergy and Program Staff Group
- Women Clergy Groups
- LGBTQIA Clergy groups
- Deacon / Cantor Group
- Clergy Spouse Group
- Ministeriums serving the same area
- Denominational Groups
- Jewish Community workers
- Retired Clergy
- Interim/ Bridge/ Transitional Ministry Leaders
Program Details
You will have the opportunity to:
- Form a Clergy Colleague Group of 4-6 people or come as an individual and when we get a group of 4-6 we will create a group to support, encourage and walk with you.
- Learn Systemic Theory
- Work on Self, family of Origin
- Present congregational cases
- Write reflection papers of your thinking
Tuition
Program participation for individuals is $1,875. If you apply as an individual, you will be placed in a group.
We offer the following group discounts if you create your own group:
- For groups of 6, the cost will be $1625 per individual.
- For groups of 5, the cost will be $1750 per individual.
If you have questions about tuition, please contact Rev. Dr. Dolores Littleton at dlittleton@councilforrelationships.org.
26-week Clergy Seminar
The seminar provides a peer-learning and peer-mentoring experience where participants share life and ministry experiences. The seminar will examine the various systemic models, comparing and contrasting them with the Bowen Theory, along with Edwin Freidman’s application of Bowen Theory to the leadership and the person of the clergy.
In addition to a didactic review of the models, participants will regularly present their family-of-origin work and participate in ministry case consultations. The seminar’s theory, coaching, and peer-coaching experience fosters a re-examination of roles, functioning, and relationships through differentiation.
Lectures
In the first year, the lecture series on systemic theories will be accessed as asynchronous learning modules that clergy can access on their schedule. The lectures are all presented by seasoned and expert faculty members of Council for Relationships Clinical Staff. Students will have access to these lectures from September through – May in year one.
The Seminar format provides a process for sharpening the alignment between theory, theology, and practice, which requires an ongoing commitment.
The Seminar allows clergy to share experiences and reflect on their functioning within their congregation’s emotional system. The clergy will discuss the integration of the models taught in the asynchronous learning modules with their affinity group while reflecting on their own pastoral and congregational ministry, along with discussing the functioning of the clergyperson as a leader.
Engagement Topics
The following are the topics the clergy cohort will engage with their peers and CFR’s distinguished faculty on:
- Work on self-regulation
- Understand specific patterns of family and relationship interactions as described by Family Systems Theory.
- Observe relationship systems
- Learn to apply Systems Theory to one’s self and one’s family of origin
- Acquire a conceptual systemic framework for understanding human functioning
- Understand the application and integration of theology with Systems Theory
- Acquire confidence in managing self amid reactivity and sabotage, stuck or stirred up congregations, triangles, conflicted relationships, static organizations, shrinking attendance and budgets, seduction for the “quick fix,” and family disruptions
Lectures on Systemic Theories
- Lectures on Bowen: Bowen, Understanding the Eight Concepts. – 4 lectures, 2 hours each
- Lecture on Edwin Friedman – 2 hours
- Lecture on Monica McGoldrick and the Family Life Cycle 2 hours
- Lecture on the work of Ivan Boszormenyi-Nagy – Contextual Approach. 2 hours
- Lecture on Salvador Minuchin – Structural Approach. – 2 hours
- Lecture on Virginia Satire – Conjoint Communication Approach. – 2 hours
- Lectures on John Bowlby – Attachment Therapy. – 2 lectures, 2 hours each
- Lecture on Carl Whitaker / Experiential Approach – 2 hours
- Lecture on Michael White / Narrative Approach. – 2 hours
- Lectures on Richard Schwartz / Internal Family Systems. 2 lectures, 2 hours each
- Lectures on Trauma Informed Somatic Experiencing /Neurophysiological – 3 lectures, 2 hours each
Graduates of the Congregational and Family Systems Program have the option to continue in their second year with the monthly Monday morning seminar to engage in ongoing self-reflection and exploration with their peers of how systemic principles impact themselves and their congregation.
Dolores Littleton, DMin, LMFT
Director, Postgraduate Certificate Program, Clergy Track