Course Catalogue
Joy of the Journey
Keven Kern
Authorized by the Texas State Board of Social Worker Examiners: Provider # 6488
Welcome to Being and Systems: Paradigms For Social Workers and Other Medical Professionals! This is a multimedia Social Work CE course with narrated PowerPoint, supplemental videos and notes, automated quizzes and certificates
I have often heard authors say the reason they wrote their book is they could not find the one they were looking for — they realized the need and created it themselves. This is where we are with this course – as well as the forthcoming Being Becoming book series planned for gradual release in the years ahead.
Are you interested in considering new ways to integrate and process key ideas pertaining to the nature of being and constructs for improved development of systems theory for your discipline in the 21st century? Are you interested in learning more in order to emerge with an improved orientation for those you help and collaborate with?
This course analyses and synthesizes a wide variety of variables including constructs from ancient and modern philosophy, Christian tradition, Scholasticism, frameworks for values and ethics, science, abstract math, art, psychology and much more. It should appeal to therapists, educators and consultants highly motivated to assemble holistic interdisciplinary platforms and pathways for better theory building, collaboration and direct service.
Principled medical professionals rightfully seek community and education to support and sustain a strong, healthy knowledge base and spirituality that recognizes conduits of ontological, metaphysical and quantum dimensions that align with physiological components of holistic paradigms suitable for phenomenological systems theory (featured in Unit V). By deepening our understanding of the relationship between being and person as well as systems and environment we increase our ability to attend to our holistic therapeutic and developmental goals. When we intelligently transform our knowledge base and conceptual frameworks into improved paradigms, we move into a position to more holistically contribute to ameliorating, solving and replacing a variety of systemic challenges arising from inadequate models; oppressive, troubled systems that affect capacities for quality work and optimal relationships with patients, clients, ‘overseers’ and others who have a stake in improving our world in the near future!
Authorized by the Texas State Board of Social Worker Examiners: Provider # 6488
A significant portion of Unit I offers an overview of the entire course. Unit I itself covers history and evolving definitions of systems theory as well as distinctions between the nature of being, systems, and being aligned with systems.
Unit I sheds light on issues defining isolated components of systems as well as composites of components and systems within systems. It establishes theoretical foundation of human beings possessing a gamut of properties, characteristics and powers attached to their essence and potential. Insights about the nature of ‘composite relationships’ and their influence on larger system dynamics are also examined along with variables of change, growth, and entropy.
Unit II explains how breakthroughs in science and medicine have very often been held in suspicion or rejected and then gradually qualified in stages by leading contemporaries and authoritative groups of increasing size before being generally accepted. Such paradigm shift is explained from work of Polyni and Kuhn which also addresses the perils of positivism that can hinder our capacity to serve patients and groups.
A number of other helpful constructs help the learner examine his or her own professional assumptions, influences as well as increase capacity to recognize ideas that may be relevant in the formation of social work and other healthcare professions. Content includes fields, complexity, chaos, emergence, butterfly effect and an overview of Ontology and Epistemology.
Unit I sheds light on issues defining isolated components of systems as well as composites of components and systems within systems. It establishes theoretical foundation of human beings possessing a gamut of properties, characteristics and powers attached to their essence and potential. Insights about the nature of ‘composite relationships’ and their influence on larger system dynamics are also examined along with variables of change, growth, and entropy.
How does advanced science and technology point toward the physical limits of systems and overlapping metaphysical domains? We learn herein how paradigms of technology, science and math have often impacted inner orientations, culture, art, social priorities and much more. Unit III works towards advancing the learner’s comprehension’ of moral, epistemological and psychological demands ofCoherence within the context of “outer edge systems theory”, particularly within a composite of physical, temporal and cultural domains that surround person.
Complex systems of electromagnetic and related molecular, atomic and particle permeations affect our atmosphere and realms connected such as “Hyperspace” and “Dark Energy” and other variables within a vast expanse of “Aether” [or nothing]. This draws the learner to consider frameworks for systemic extensions of the environment. Physicist David Bohm’s positions on Coherence is included as a epistemic catalyst to help facilitate adequate inner and outer evaluation of being and systems and to offer diverse thinkers a pathway to establish mutual problem solving platform(s).
Unit IV begins with an anthropological interpretation of prehistoric animism to underscore the Body-Soul perspective from the dawn of history. Constructs of mind, substance, soul, body, being and spirit are examined through, Greek, Roman, Scholastic and contemporary frameworks including the Aristotelian notion of hylomorphism, explanations of Cartesian Substance Dualism vs Property Dualism and Substance Interactionism vs Substance Dualism.
The course also includes Integrative Medicine specialist Dr. Lance Luria in pivotal video describing Vitalists vsAtomists perspectives, Rupert Sheldrake’s intellectual challenges for materialists (monists) and complex variables surrounding an Emergence perspective. This section concludes with an analysis of physical, metaphysical and spiritual dimensions of Dr. George Richie’s classic NDE [Near Death Experience].
As clinicians we must understand that collectivities of us have organized to develop common ground for theory and interventions. We must have incentives to periodically examine such paradigms as well as our own individual takes on them in order to function in an optimal way for the good of patients and society.
Unit Five focuses on carefully considered interdisciplinary constructs in Philosophy, Psychology Psychiatry, Clinical Social Work, Counseling, and other medical fields to include the “Conceptual Perspective”, “Observational Perspective” and “Systems Interface Perspective”. This operative synthesis guides the learner to critically examine and integrate features of ’being alongside phenomenological systems theory’ in a manner that examines how we conceptualize, observe and interact. The following concepts and constructs are included to help introduce “Phenomenological Systems Theory”: Hierarchy of being, human soul, tabula rasa, attribution, accommodation, assimilation, ATP, ADP, systemic energy, potency and act, epigenetics, psychoneuroimmunology, near death experiences, framing and naming self and the participant self.
Thank you for your interest in these courses. Feel free to contact me with any questions!
Looking forward to hearing from you! 918-208-1615
Best,
