week 1 – plenary lectures
Monday, July 27
IP in Today’s World – Uti Landscheidt
Rudolf Dreikurs was born more than 125 years ago and passed away over 50 years ago. So how can we believe that, in today’s world of technology and artificial intelligence, his philosophy and Individual Psychology remain relevant and beneficial for everyone?
How can we assume that fundamental principles such as holism, Gemeinschaftsgefühl (social interest), and encouragement can stand the test of time for centuries?
Yet, Dreikurs’ ideas still have much to teach us. His insights into family constellations, private logic, life tasks, and mistaken goals continue to help us improve our relationships — in our families, our communities, and even in the political world. Wherever people live and work together, the principles of Individual Psychology offer valuable guidance.
By learning how to apply them, we can foster a deeper understanding of human behavior and connection.
So let us begin our Rudolf Dreikurs Summer School with a shared goal: to learn, to encourage one another, and to contribute to making the world a better place for everyone.
Learning objectives:
- Participants will understand the key principles of Individual Psychology (Dreikurs) and their relevance in today’s world.
- Participants will recognize and explain core IP concepts (e.g. social interest, private logic, life tasks) in contemporary examples.
- Participants will reflect on how Individual Psychology can inform relationships and social interaction today.
Tuesday, July 28
The need to belong –Ursula Oberst
Wednesday, July 29
Intentional Parenting: Using the Crucial Cs to Understand and Motivate Children (with Demonstration) – Amy Lew
Adlerian parenting techniques usually focus on encouragement and redirecting misbehavior. Adding the Crucial Cs to traditional Adlerian parenting helps adults understand why children feel discouraged and supports parents in developing approaches that motivate children to find their place in the world constructively.
This plenary will discuss the four basic necessities we all share (the Crucial Cs: connect, capable, count, and courage) and demonstrate how uncovering a child’s discouragement can help adults support children in experiencing the Cs through useful means. A live demonstration will be included.
Learning objectives:
- Participants will be able to describe the relationship between the Crucial Cs and Adlerian theory.
- Participants will be able to use the Crucial Cs to uncover the discouragement underlying a child’s misbehavior.
- Participants will be able to develop a plan to foster the constructive development of the Crucial Cs.
Thursday, July 30
Understanding Safeguarding Responses in Trauma Therapy – Anthea Millar
Trauma can be seen as the ultimate experience of inferiority. When trauma symptoms are understood as safeguarding behavior — not only in psychological but also biological and social terms — a deeper appreciation of Adler’s holistic theory emerges.
This perspective highlights crucial aspects of trauma therapy. A live demonstration will illustrate principles of enabling dual attention while ensuring safety and stabilization.
Learning objectives:
- Reconsider the Adlerian concept of safeguarding behavior in relation to complex trauma.
- Explore a non-pathologizing bio-psycho-social conceptualization of trauma reactions.
- Identify key principles for safe trauma therapy that enables dual attention and supports stabilization and connection.
