Workshop

Working with Families that Work Together in a Family Business: A Primer for Family Therapists and Others

Description

Family businesses, whether multi-national, multi-billion dollar enterprises or small mom-and-pop companies, exhibit complex dynamics for which the family therapist is uniquely suited. This workshop is designed to familiarize family therapists and other professionals with the most frequent issues and problems with which family businesses struggle and how to address them. In this workshop, models will be presented in order to understand how families and their businesses interact. Typical problems will be described, and effective solutions explored.

We will see how the business – and the money and all that it represents – becomes a silent yet powerful member of the family.  We will meet an array of players, who while not strictly members of the family, play a crucial role in the life of the family and family business: accountants, lawyers, money managers, and employees – and about whom the family therapist must be knowledgeable.  Case studies, film clips, and exercises will be used to illustrate key points.  In addition, participants can bring problems from ongoing cases to both illustrate and receive feedback on key points.

Faculty:  Mark Sirkin, Ph.D., is a systemic consultant and has worked with family businesses, Fortune 500 corporations, and global law firms.  He has held faculty positions at the University of Rochester Medical Center, Yeshiva University, and New York University.  He is the author of The Secret Life of Corporations: Understanding the True Nature of Business, and is a principal of Sirkin Advisors.

Date: Friday, March 30, 2012     
Time: 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.             
Tuition: $128               
CE Credits: 5