Systemic Practice (Intermediate)

Overview

This course is the Intermediate level training in Systemic Practice which builds on the knowledge and use of theory and practice in systemic family therapy achieved on the Foundation level course.

Develop and connect

Our course concentrates on the development of your therapeutic skills with families, couples and individuals and the translation of systemic ideas into your clinical practice. It is delivered through a combination of lectures and practical teaching, followed by theory and application discussions and skills practice in small groups facilitated by qualified family therapists. The course is available as a stand-alone module or as part of the Postgraduate Certificate in Systemic Practice.

The course is multi-disciplinary and covers aspects of working with families in clinical settings, as well as wider applications of systemic thinking and practice. It is suitable for professionals working in nursing, psychiatry, social work, clinical psychology, voluntary organisations and related fields who have completed Foundation level training in Systemic Practice or equivalent.

The Leeds Family Therapy and Research Centre has been training therapists for over 22 years to help individuals, couples and families find ways of tackling their problems. You’ll develop an array of skills and insight needed to make a positive difference through your work.

Learning and teaching

You will be taught through lectures, practical classes, and group tutorials. We make extensive use of IT and a wide range of material to enable students to study at their own pace and in their own time to enhance and extend the material taught formally.

You will adapt and integrate theoretical concepts with your therapeutic practice with have opportunities to discuss new and challenging ideas in relation to your own practice and personal professional development and also to develop your psychotherapeutic skills through the required systemic therapeutic practice (of 60 hours including one recorded session) in your own professional agency and through a mixture of experiential exercises (e.g. roleplay) and clinical case discussion.

On this course you’ll be taught by our expert academics, from lecturers through to professors. You may also be taught by industry professionals with years of experience, as well as trained postgraduate researchers, connecting you to some of the brightest minds on campus.

Assessment

We monitor your progress through attendance, participation in lectures, and performance within small group tutorials in which formative feedback is provided by your tutor. Progress is also monitored in feedback on written assignments and the learning portfolio, as well as on your progress in recording at least 60 hours of systemic practice during the course period.

Career opportunities

Once you complete the Intermediate level systemic practice training you’ll be able to describe yourself as a Systemic Practitioner. This is not a formal qualification but is a recognised professional development indicating the knowledge and skills developed in this training. Past students have progressed to training on our Systemic Family Therapy MSc programme.

Students who complete the MSc in Systemic Family Therapy are eligible to register with the UKCP as a Systemic and Family Psychotherapist and to practise in the public and voluntary sectors, as well as privately.

This course is specifically designed for graduate level professionals with a first professional qualification in a relevant mental health or social care related discipline such as nursing, psychiatry, social work, clinical psychology or similar professions. If you are working in a mental health or social care setting without a first professional qualification, you are welcome to apply for admission via our accreditation of prior experiential learning (APEL). Applicants should have completed a Foundation level training in systemic practice accredited by the Association for Family Therapy and Systemic Practice. If you have not completed an accredited Foundation Course but wish to claim equivalence for prior study of systemic practice, please upload to your online application a completed APEL/Foundation Equivalent Document in the Intermediate Supplementary Information Document. Applicants must be working in a setting suitable to undertake the Systemic Practice requirement of 60 hours of systemic practice during the year. The practice requirement must be supported by the agency and have suitable clinical supervision arrangements and facility to record, with client consent, one session (visual or audio) of clinical practice for assessment purposes.