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Learning from the Source Part II: Through the Eyes of Bawany and Sit Fong


by Bawany Chinapan | Certified Multigenerational Family Therapist

As I reflect on my week in Rome, I find myself carrying home much more than knowledge, models, or techniques. What moved me most was being part of a community that continues to place relationships, humanity, and personal growth at the center of family therapy.


Throughout the week, I was repeatedly reminded that our effectiveness as therapists does not arise solely from what we know, but from who we are. The emphasis on personal work, genograms, live supervision, and the self of the therapist resonated deeply with me. It reaffirmed a belief that has accompanied me throughout my professional journey: before we can accompany families through their pain, we must be willing to encounter our own.



Perhaps what touched me most was the sense of belonging. Being surrounded by colleagues from different countries who share a commitment to relational thinking, personal growth, and social responsibility reminded me that I am part of something much larger than myself. What began many years ago in Malaysia has now connected me to an international family of therapists who continue to carry forward Maurizio's vision.


A powerful takeaway was the idea that family therapy carries a social and political responsibility. We are not merely clinicians working behind closed doors. We are relational advocates, community builders, and witnesses to the suffering and resilience of children, couples, and families. This perspective broadened my understanding of what it means to be a family therapist in Malaysia and strengthened my commitment to working not only with individuals and families, but also with the communities and systems that surround them.


I leave Rome with renewed hope, deeper humility, and a stronger commitment to integrating personal authenticity with professional competence. More than anything, I leave with the conviction that our greatest tool as therapists remains our capacity to connect—with ourselves, with one another, and with the families who entrust us with their stories.


by Loh Sit Fong | Certified Multigenerational Family Therapist

International Teaching Week at the Family Therapy Academy, Rome, May 25–29, 2026. It was an inspiring opening talk given by Maurizio Andolfi, addressing "Why this teaching course now and what for." As he shared his mission for the field of family therapy, I began to ask myself: "What is my mission as a family therapist?".


The week was packed with learning. First, we gained a glimpse of the family therapy work and community outreach carried out by colleagues from different parts of the world—Chile,  Dominican Republic, the Rotterdam Circle, Townsville in Australia, and the Shanghai Mental Health Institute—and compared that to the family work we are doing at the Andolfi Family Therapy Centre in Kuala Lumpur. I felt energised and inspired by the meaningful work being done by fellow family therapists around the globe.


As I moved through the week, engaging as both participant and presenter in different sessions and interacting with family therapists from other countries, I experienced a strong sense of shared humanity and a common mission: to contribute more to our communities back home through the values we have learned as family therapists—the care and respect for children, adolescence, adults and families, and for the communities that families create.


Watching the videos of family therapy conducted at the Silvano Andolfi Foundation and the Polo Clinic of the Academy were highlights for me. I was most impressed by the team approach: two therapists in the therapy room with the family, while two additional

therapists and a supervisor work from the adjacent room behind the one‑way mirror, which aimed at providing feedback and team support for the two therapists in the room with the family. I am inspired by the fact that the Academy has produced so many competent family therapists through its training program and conducting family therapy as a team effort through the one-way mirror. The therapy work with children and their families shown in the videos was highly creative and effective in resolving conflicts and reconciling families by the end of therapy. I saw the creative style and effectiveness of Maurizio Andolfi reflected in all of the Italian family therapists featured in the videos. That was such a hopeful message for me and for all aspiring family therapists learning the multigenerational family therapy model.


On the last day of the teaching week, all of us participants had the privilege of watching the premiere of the Academy's latest documentary: Andolfi, the Globetrotter of Family Therapy. Several senior and renowned family therapists from different parts of the world gathered at the Academy to explore the meaning and vision of being a family therapist. My heart was moved by the documentary. I felt a strong and proud sense of belonging to this lineage of family therapists. I am inspired by their commitment to the well‑being of families around the world, and beyond—into neighbourhoods, communities, and our societies. I am inspired by their strong cause and vision for training competent family therapists, and for expanding their concern and repertoire beyond the therapy room, into communities and societies. And in that moment, I found my mission as a family therapist.




 
 
 

©2023 by Andolfi Family Therapy Centre

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