Margret Hain on her journey from the finance industry to psychotherapy and the power of the system board

Very gladly, Sebastian – I have now had my own practice for psycho- and trauma therapy in the Westerwald for 8 years. You are right, more and more people need psychological help. When I started the practice, it didn’t feel as urgent as it does today.
In my practice, I work with people of all ages who are either currently in crisis or have long suffered from trauma consequences and other old issues, after having spent more than 20 years in the field of taxes and finance.
Almost simultaneously with the start of my practice, I began posting small contributions with psychological content for interested people in my WhatsApp status. I felt how much these little posts of hope helped many. When Corona came along with a variety of social media options, I expanded my posts through stories on Instagram.
I hope that my posts encourage people not to give up in crises, but to rediscover their own strengths and dare to try new things. Learning to understand the psychological background helps to better understand oneself and to accept oneself more.
This makes life easier to live again.

  

 
Your system board is simply a great tool. Before I discovered it, I repeatedly used random objects in conversations to represent problems. What you see visually sticks in your mind very differently and can often be solved much more easily.
I heard about your system board from colleagues. When I found it on the internet, I was completely impressed. Starting with the wooden material.
Wood is a natural product and very valuable, feeling pleasant when you hold it in your hand. Added to that are the different sizes of the figures and colors, with which many psychological topics can be represented.
Right now, I first think of the "inner child." This model, which Stefanie Stahl explains very thoroughly in her books, can be easily represented with the figures and colors of your system board.

  

 
Every DAY! The family board is the perfect way to represent relationships with their closeness/distance issues, attachment problems, entanglements, and dependencies. A constellation is almost always a picture of the feelings that are currently most occupying the client. Everyone lives in relationships, and almost all conversations are about relationships. Often, it helps just to become aware: Where do I stand? Which place would be better? What do I need to get there? What would change in real life as a result? It often helps a lot to set this up on the family board in the right relations and look at it... and find solutions. 

  

 
When I completed a commercial apprenticeship after high school, honestly, I had no idea about life at all. I knew I was good at math – so I just started an apprenticeship. But at some point, I felt there was more than just numbers and facts. There are feelings and issues that move people and affect them. That interested me deeply, and during my parental leave, in many conversations in women's circles, which I had already shaped thematically with questions about personal development, I increasingly delved into the depths of life and the psyche. However, I realized I lacked the expertise, so in 2012, actually in my early 40s, I started studying psychology again in Cologne. Unfortunately, I couldn’t finish it for health reasons. Therefore, I alternatively took the exam to become a Heilpraktiker for psychotherapy. The greatest inspiration and confirmation every day is how much working with people on their personal issues fulfills me and makes me grateful, and how many people I can help with it. When I meet someone after years and sense in conversation that THEY are now much more self-confident, live more easily and happily, my work was truly rewarding and meaningful.

  

 
During my career change, I struggled with major health challenges. The physical strain was too great for me alongside my simultaneous employment at a tax office during my studies.
At that time, I made the decision to let go of my studies and chose training as a Heilpraktiker (alternative health practitioner) as an alternative. I am very happy with this decision.

 

 
I believe this experience is a great help for my work in practice. I was able to draw on my knowledge for many tax questions regarding starting a practice. With clients, I sense that they take me seriously because I come from the "real world." I have gained experience in business and I know how people tick.
Time and again, managers from large corporations come to me with burnout, and I clearly sense how rationally they approach issues. Since I come from this field, I meet them exactly on that level and connect with them there. Usually, in the further therapeutic process, once trust is established, you reach the emotional level. Psychological problems almost always have to do with feelings. It is important to be able to talk about them as well.

 

 

 
It is always important to find out WHY I do something. Is it the path of my heart, or why do I do something? Does it fulfill me, and can I imagine doing it in the long term? Those who work with people do so with their whole heart. But one must not forget to take good care of oneself. You can only do this work if you can set good boundaries, handle difficult topics, and have a good balance. And that’s where my love for music comes in. Those who know me know that my love for music has accompanied me since childhood, which is why I play piano as a musician, compose my own pieces and songs, and combine these passions not only in my format "Psychologie in concert." By the way, I really liked your definition of music in our conversation: Music is the embodiment of feelings or the inner life. It has always been a bridge between my inner self and the outside world. Music reaches people and very often helps to feel and express emotions... and if you want to visualize all of this for yourself, your System Board helps a lot.

 

Sebastian, I sense that you offer so much more than I have used so far… I heard from you about the Fröbelturm. I would very much like to take a closer look at it and would also like to use it in my format "Psychologie in concert." This format involves public evening events where I frame a psychological lecture with music, focusing especially on the personal experience of the individual. I can well imagine integrating your valuable tools into this or into multi-day seminars that I occasionally offer.

  

You hinted that people can experience you live. Where and when is that?

Unfortunately, I can't give you specific dates right now. But you can always find them on my homepage. In addition to Psychologie in concert, there are regularly live family board constellations, sometimes even at my home. Furthermore, I am planning new seminars and retreats on topics like: "Discover Your Self-Worth" and "From Wounds to Wonders."

Here is the link to the homepage: https://www.praxis-margrethain.de/