Course Content

This comprehensive program is unique as it moves away from the traditional master and apprentice style of teaching systemic work to creating a Learning Laboratory together. As educators (inspired and mentored by Dr Jane Peterson) we have broken Systemic Constellation facilitation down into principles, working with people and practice. Furthermore we have broken down what you can see in the chair, and on the floor through reading people, attachment styles, permission in the soma and much more.

A new and exciting program that demystifies systemic constellation work. This highly interactive and experiental program ensures students learn how to read the client’s body, understand the Orders presenting themselves and what each system needs to initiate a primary movement towards openness, support and love again and inline with the clients intention. These tools ensure students as facilitators discover how easy it is to access systemic information quickly and clearly with astonishing results.

Introduction to the Systemic Constellation program video with Brenda Sutherland

COURSE COMPONENTS

This unique Learning Laboratory is an opportunity to learn from each other with a variety of learning forums that include online, practice, online constellation app, in class and public facilitation.

See entire breakdown of each unit in the boxes below. 

There are 3 main components of the training program:

PART I:  FOUNDATIONS FOR WORKING WITH PEOPLE: Part I (ONLINE)

• Systems Thinking & Systemic Principles
  • What Is Systems Theory?
  • Systems Thinking vs Client Focused
  • Systemic Principles and Different Consciences
  • Violations of Systemic Principles
  • Learning Activities
• Belonging: Systemic Principles Overview
  • Belonging as a basis for other systemic orders
  • Biological vs Social constructed systems
  • Could you survive poverty, wealth?
  • The Art of Helping
  • Learning Activities
• Attachment and Bonding
  • Whats Your Attachment Style? Regulating the Regulator!
  • Early Attachment Patterns
    • How Developmental Trauma effects our brain
    • How we adapt to our environment
  • Adult Attachment interview
  • Healing Attachment Injuries
  • The Attuned Therapist
  • Learning Activities
• Trauma and Human Development
  • Why understanding trauma is important for constellation facilitators
  • The Main Elements of Trauma – Trauma Equation
  • Causes of Trauma and the Physiological Responses to Threat
  • ACEs and Resilience
  • Symptoms of Trauma – Wounded by Reality
    • Neuroscience of Trauma memory
    • Trauma and Addictions
  • Working with Trauma in Constellation Work (in Chairwork and Floorwork)
  • Window of Tolerance
  • Learning Activities
• Reading People: Bodies in Space, Pemission and Rapport
  • Facial Action Coding System
  • FACS in contact or SPAFF
  • Somatic Imaging by Dr Jane Peterson
  • The Stage Show!
• Language & Sentences: Words are Worlds
  • Words are Worlds
  • The Answer is in the Narrative – Expressions of Systemic Principles
    • Attachment Styles tell a systemic story
  • Speech Acts – What do sentences do?
  • The Core Language Approach
    • Verbal and non-verbal core languages
    • The Four Unconscious Themes
  • Healing Sentences
  • Learning Activities

PART III: LEADERSHIP & GROUP MANAGEMENT

• Thinking in Systems
• How to Lead
• Group Mastery
• Supervision and Video Coaching
• Co-facilitation of public workshop

Staff

• Brenda Sutherland

  

Brenda Sutherland

Brenda Sutherland

B.Soc Sc (Psych) TAE, IICT, AHHCA

Brenda founded The Awakening Group P/L  in 1993. Her clear vision was to empower each individual to live their true potential. Since then The Awakening Group has grown from counselling, to counsellor training to offer online webinars and programs for organizations and businesses bringing teams together, effectively communicating to deliver results across the board.

Brenda B.Soc.Sc.(Psych) is a Holistic Counsellor, Trainer and Consultant with her practice grounded in over 30 years experience. She is the founder and Director of The Awakening Group accredited training programs and workshops conducted throughout Australia.

Over the past 20 years Brenda has taught at universities, lectured at conferences, appeared on TV and radio, written for magazines and conducted seminars throughout Australia and NZ. She has facilitated many workshops for private, corporate and governmental organizations on personal growth and professional development.

Brenda is a dynamic counsellor and educator who employs her intuition and professional knowledge to gently guide every individual in living their truth.

Throughout her career Brenda has combined her personal commitment to her own self growth and extensive, yet unique, professional training including Psychology, EMDR: Eye Movement Desensitization Reprogramming, Art Therapy, Tantra, Eco-psychology, Soul Centred therapy, Kinesiology, Family & Organizational Constellation with world renowned facilitators (Dr Gunthard Weber, Dr Albrecht Mahr, Dr Guni Baxa, Dr Ursula Franke, Jakob Schneider, Dr Jane Peterson, Ed Lynch, Stephan Hausner etc).   Further Brenda has trained with Bessel van de Kolk (one of the worlds leading trauma experts), as well as Pat Odgen; body centred psychotherapy. She has also trained in The Work of Byron Katie and is a Effectiveness (Communication) Training instructor.

Brenda combines the latest neuroscience, attachment styles, arousal regulation, memory reconstruction techniques to return clients to a peaceful sense of self .  

Furthermore Brenda is a PACT Level 1 Couples counsellor having trained with Dr Stan Tatkin, the Founder of the Psychobiological Approach for Couple Therapy. 

You have the power within to transform and live your hearts desire. Brenda creates an opportunity to take you and your experience in relationships, life, sexuality, career and love a step further in authenticity to be the person you dreamed yourself to be. Discover and live new possibilities within yourself, relationships, career, sexually, health, with money and life.

Individual sessions, couple counselling and workshops are available (also via Zoom online) to support you in moving into the freedom of being. Issues of anxiety, fear, stress, anger, grief, sexuality, illness, relationships and much more are addressed with each session personally tailored to transform issues standing in the way of being the more of you.

Here’s what one client said:

“Thank you for today. I feel Amazing!!!”

 

Brenda has written for:

 

She has been quoted in:

and appeared on Channel 9’s Alternatives pilot program facilitating “Unmasking The Wild Woman” with guest Catriona Rowntree (Getaway presenter)

 

[ecs-list-events cat="brenda" limit="8"]

 

Course details

Dates

Part I: Online training and coaching webinars available now

Part II: 8-11 January, 13-16 January 2026 (face to face training) 2026 Summer School

Part III: 2026 (TBA)

Venue

Part I: Online Classroom

Part II: In class for 2 x 4 days, Bardon Counselling Centre, 151 Boundary Rd, Bardon, Brisbane

Cost

Part I and II: $3495 GST incl. Earlybird $3695

Part I: Discounted to $795 earlybird from $895

Part II:  $2700 GST incl earlybird  (or $2850 GST incl) prerequisite Part I,

Part III: $849 GST incl Earlybird. (or $899 GST incl) prerequisite Part I & II

Course participants have the option of training on 3 different levels.

Prerequisites

Applicants are currently practising in the Counselling or alternative health professions and have completed 6 days of Systemic Constellation workshops. Each Part I is required to complete before preceding to Part II and then Part II required to complete before Part III.

Accreditation

• Australian Counselling Association (ACA) Professional Development points
• International Institute for Complementary Therapies (IICT) – for professional development credits
• Australian Holistic Healers and Counselling Association (AHHCA) – for professional development credits

WEBINAR with INTERNATIONAL FACILITATORS (More to come soon)

Furthermore join our unique webinar series with 10 webinars with 6 International Systemic Constellation facilitators:

1. Dr Jane Peterson: Organisational Constellations and RelationCHIPS,
2. Dr Jane Peterson: Somatic Imaging and Reclaiming Our Lost Selves,
3. Suzi Tucker: A Couples Journey and b. Taking Our Place as Parents
4. Dr Ursula Franke: Working Systemically in Individual Settings,
5. Stephan Hauser: Working Systemically with Health & Wellbeing and more from throughout the USA, and Europe.
6. Webinars available are: Facilitating Constellations in Individual sessions, Somatic Imaging, Working with death, Using Constellations with children, teachers and in the classroom and much more.

Webinar series out now and available online CLICK HERE

FURTHER PROGRAMS ADDING TO COMPETENCY

FAMILY & SYSTEMIC CONSTELLATION WEEKEND WORKSHOPS

Brisbane: 22 & 23 November 2025 with Brenda Sutherland

Melbourne: 8 & 9 November 2025 with Brenda Sutherland

These Systemic Constellation public weekends give everyone an opportunity to see what is being taught in action.

TRAINING WITH SYSTEMIC INTERNATIONAL FACILITATORS

The Awakening Group is committed to ensure that our students are kept up to date with systemic information worldwide therefore we encourage you to attend workshops with visiting International Facilitators:

SYSTEMIC BRANCHES

You all have skills that can be combined with Systemic Constellation work therefore to ensure many interests in Constellation work are catered for we have developed a number of other programs including;

Working Systemically with Children

Organisational Constellations with Dr Jane Peterson

Working Systemically with Relationships with Brenda Sutherland

Walking the Zone: Polyvagal Theory combined with Structural Constellations and Art therapy with Brenda Sutherland (webinar recording available soon)

My Sexual Self and I: Working with Unique Sexual Arousal System

These are not included in the cost of the program, although introduced throughout training.

STUDENT RESOURCES (PART I, II & III)

All modules are provided with an online classroom filled with rich resources, videos, recordings and lessons for students.

Accredited with

RECOMMENDED TEXTS (see Related Products)

Loves Hidden Symmetry: What Makes Love Work in Relationships by Bert Hellinger & Hunter Beaumont

For Alternative Health Therapists 

Even if it Cost Me My Life: Systemic Constellations and Serious Illness By Stephan Hausner

For Teachers: 

You Are One of Us: Systemic Insights and Solutions for Teachers, Students and Parents by Marianne Franke-Grickson (only available as an ebook only) CLICK HERE