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Key Concepts and Skills in Systemic/Family Therapy Practice

Module description

This module will provide a consolidation of the key concepts and skills that are central to systemic/family therapy practice. It will help you describe your practice from the perspective of both the basic and specific competencies as laid out by the Expert Reference Group (2011). You will have a good grounding in an integrative approach to practice within this module including ideas and skills that span all the different family therapy/systemic approaches.

Module aims - intentions of the module

The aim of this module is to enable you to:

• Develop an advanced knowledge of the underlying concepts of family therapy/systemic practice.
• Recognise the historical origin, value and application of skills within family therapy/systemic practice.
• Hold a critical mind within the application of these skills/concepts.
• Develop your own way of integrating them for yourself in a reflective manner.

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)

ILO: Module-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 1. Describe the historical and contextual background for the development of key family therapy/systemic practice skills
• 2. Explain and develop certain techniques within family therapy/systemic practice
• 3. Identify the commonalities within family therapy/systemic practice as well as the diversity
• 4. Develop a relational approach
• 5. Describe in detail systemic principles that inform the approach
• 6. Relate systemic theories of psychological problems, resilience and change
• 7. Make a systemic assessment
• 8. Develop and maintain engagement
• 9. Develop systemic formulations and help clients identify appropriate goals
• 10. Establish the context for a systemic intervention

ILO: Discipline-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 11. Understand, critically evaluate and apply different theoretical contributions to practice
• 12. Evaluate practice with an awareness of cultural diversity and ethical considerations

ILO: Personal and key skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 13. Construct a coherent written and verbal description of practice including theory to practice links
• 14. Evaluate your own development both professionally and personally

Syllabus plan

The module will run over the first term and will be interspersed with reflective learning sessions (including supervision/ tutorial groups and systemic self-awareness groups). Reading seminars will concentrate upon set reading, while each day will primarily focus on a theme; such as core schools of family psychotherapy, diversity practice and power and privilege in systemic theory and practice.Teaching will be in groups and will have a high element of experiential learning.

Indicative topics:

• Historical review
• An integrative vision of family therapy/systemic practice
• Thinking about systems: patterns, scripts and drivers
• Cultural diversity
• Organising processes: gender, sexual orientation and power
• Universal techniques: reframing, dealing with secrets, perturbation and hypothesising (formulation)
• Developing the therapeutic alliance in family therapy
• Understanding change
• Professional issues: risk and diagnosis

Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)

Details of learning activities and teaching methods

Formative assessment

Summative assessment (% of credit)

Details of summative assessment

Details of re-assessment (where required by referral or deferral)

Re-assessment notes

One assessment is required for this module. Re-assessment will be the same as the original assessment except for the group presentation which is re-assessed by a written summary of the group presentation. Where you have been referred/deferred for any form of assessment detailed above you will have the opportunity to retake within four weeks from the date that feedback was provided.

If you pass re-assessments taken as a result of deferral, your re-assessment will be treated as it would be if it were your first attempt at the assessment and the overall module mark will not be capped.

If you pass re-assessments taken as a result of referral (i.e. following initial failure in the assessment), the overall module mark will be capped at 50%.

If you fail re-assessments taken as a result of referral (i.e. following initial failure in the assessment), you will be failed in the module and as a consequence you will be failed in the programme and your registration as a student of the University will be terminated.

Indicative learning resources - Basic reading

Specific reading will be distributed prior to each teaching day.

Core reading:

• Dallos, R. and Draper, R. (2010) An introduction to family therapy and systemic practice. Buckingham: OUP.
• Day, R. (2010) Introduction to family processes. New York: Routledge.
• Rivett, M. and Street, E. (2009) Family therapy: 100 key ideas and techniques. London: Routledge.
• Rivett, M and Street, E. (2003) Family therapy in focus. London: Sage.
• Rivett and Buchmüller (2018) Family therapy skills and techniques in action. London: Routledge
• Smith-Acuna, S. (2011) Systemic theory in action. New Jersey: Wiley and Sons.

Indicative learning resources - Web based and electronic resources

• ELE – http://vle.exeter.ac.uk/course/view.php?id=6019 (all resources will be made available on ELE, including additional material covered in the tutorials, the required readings, information about assessment and additional material (e.g., videos))

Key words search

Family therapy, family therapy competencies, integrative family therapy practice