Who we are
The Center for Systemic Therapy and Counseling (Ce.Sy.The.S.) is a certified training center accredited by EFTA-TIC (Training Institutes Chamber of the European Family Therapy Association), the Hellenic Counseling Association, and the National Psychotherapy Association of Greece (NPAG).
Κe.Sy.The.S. has been operating since 2010 as a professional certification center for mental health professionals. Since 2015, it has been under the scientific direction of Mrs. Vasiliki Papadioti–Athanasiou, former Associate Professor of Psychology at the University of Ioannina, Family Systemic Psychotherapist, and author of the books “Family and Boundaries: A Systemic Approach” and “Schools of Family Therapy” (in collaboration with Lia Softa–Nall).
Greeting by Vasso Papadioti – Athanasiou
As the scientific director of the center and the Four-Year Program, I welcome you to the field of Systemic Therapy. Together with my esteemed colleagues, we stand by the graduates and trainees of our center.
My vision in founding this center was to provide training in Systemic – Family Therapy to individuals in the field of mental health, whether they are just beginning their professional journey or are already working in the field. Additionally, our aim is to share the systemic way of thinking and the core principles of counseling with individuals engaged in the broader field of the Human Sciences.
My journey in the field of psychotherapy, following my initial training in Greece—where my first teacher was Haris Kataki—led me in 2003 to participate in the training program in Systemic – Family Therapy at the Tavistock Clinic and Birkbeck College, Department of Psychology, in London. A few years later, I continued at the University of Northern Colorado in the United States, where I participated as a visiting academic in the postgraduate program in Marriage and Family Therapy. After leaving my position as Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Ioannina, I wished to bring this training in a new school of psychotherapy to Greece, initially to my home city of Ioannina and the wider region of Northwestern Greece, and today also to Athens.
Systemic – Family Therapy is not only a comprehensive school of psychotherapy, but also a broader way of thinking and approaching knowledge—an epistemological perspective whose principles are applied across various scientific disciplines such as sociology, economics, medicine, environmental studies, and more, to help interpret the subjects they explore.
On a personal level, systemic thinking helps us become better both with ourselves and with others—it helps us “mature” as human beings. Especially in today’s era of globalization, it enables us to take responsibility—both as individuals and as societies—for the survival and well-being of our planet and the people who inhabit it.
Thus, one of the aspirations of both myself and my colleagues is not only to offer university-level education in systemic – family psychotherapy, but also to share systemic thinking and knowledge with as many people as possible.
Key Collaborators of the Center
Katerina A.
Katerina Athanasiou is a certified Family Systemic Therapist, specialized in Systemic Counseling, personal development, Family and Family Business Therapy, and Neuro-Linguistic Programming (Reframe Greece). She is a member of the HEAP (Hellas Employee Assistance Programs) network, a full member of EFTA (European Family Therapy Association), and a member of both the European and the Hellenic Counseling Associations.
She holds a PhD in Strategic Planning from the University of the Aegean, a Master’s degree in Marketing Management from Middlesex University, London, and a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration. Her further studies include Appreciative Inquiry, Human Systems Therapy, and NLP.
She is a founding member and Chair of the Board of Directors of ke.sy.thes (Center for Systemic Therapy & Counseling), recognized by EFTA. She also founded the first Enriched Education Center for children and parents in Greece and introduced and developed the FasTrackids Enriched Education Program in Greece (2004–2015).
Systemic – Family Therapist, Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology, School of Philosophy, University of Ioannina. Since 2010, following her resignation from the University of Ioannina, she has served as the scientific director of the training program in Systemic – Family Psychotherapy in Ioannina.
Since August 2015, she has overseen the Center for Systemic Therapy and Counseling Education (ke.sy.thes) (www.kesythes.gr, kesythes@gmail.com), which provides training in systemic – family therapy for professionals in the field of mental health.
From March 1993 to February 1996, she collaborated in providing counseling support to individuals and groups at the Counseling and Psychological Institute of Ioannina (a non-profit organization). In 2004, she participated in the program “Parent Counseling” organized by IDEKE, aimed at training instructors for the newly established Parent Schools.
She has presented numerous papers and lectures at scientific conferences. Her research and clinical work primarily focus on developmental psychology and systemic – family psychotherapy.
Vasso Androutsou: Gracious Organizational and Technical Support
Systemic Family Therapist, Founding Member and President of the Association of Parents of Gifted Children and of the Social Cooperative Enterprise “Anikein”,
Laboratory Associate of the Department of Psychology at the University of Ioannina,
Trainer, Member of EFTA.
Eirini Ragkou: Organizational Support
Graduate of the Department of Early Childhood Education, University of Ioannina,
Candidate Systemic Counselor.
Eleftheria Tsitou: MSc, Psychopedagogue, Mental Health Counselor, Systemic – Family Therapist, Adult Educator
Eleftheria Tsitou was born and raised in Ioannina. She studied Philosophy, Pedagogy, and Psychology at the University of Ioannina, where she also completed her postgraduate studies in Pedagogy & Psychology. Since 2010, she has been collaborating with Mrs. Vasiliki Papadioti-Athanasiou at the Center for Systemic Therapy and Counseling (ke.sy.thes), where she trained in systemic – family therapy. She handles counseling cases and offers classes and seminars based on the systemic approach.
She is also specialized in Counseling and Career Guidance, Personal Life Coaching, Special Education, and adolescent internet addiction, working as an external associate of the “Ariadne” program.
Eleftheria has worked as an adult educator at Adult Education Centers and Parent Schools of INEDIVIM, at OAED’s Vocational Training Institutes (IEK), and as a trainer/social care provider in Special Education at the “New Start” boarding house of TACT HELLAS. In addition, she has worked as an educator at “The Ark of the World” in the branch of….
Fotis Dagas: MSc, Child and Adolescent Psychologist
Fotis Dagas (BSc, MSc) is a psychologist specialized in Child and Adolescent Psychology. He graduated in 2019 from the Department of Psychology at the University of Crete and later completed his postgraduate studies in Child and Adolescent Psychology at Leiden University in the Netherlands.
Since 2019, he has worked as an undergraduate research assistant on the EXPLAIN project at the Free University of Berlin. Additionally, he served as a research assistant under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Carolien Rieffe at the Focus on Emotions Lab in the Netherlands.
He has also worked as a psychologist in a shelter for unaccompanied minors in Ioannina. Since 2019, he has been a member of the Hellenic Psychological Society.
During his studies, he volunteered in child protection facilities and child and adolescent support centers in both Greece and the Netherlands. He is continuously furthering his education and is currently specializing in systemic psychotherapy.
Since 2022, he has been a collaborator of the Center for Systemic Therapy and Counseling (ke.sy.thes) in the center’s research department.
