About this course

Taught from a dialogical/social constructionist perspective, this course enables a lively exploration of different positions and theoretical models. It combines theory, practice, live supervision and consultation to facilitate your development as a systemic family therapy supervisor and consultant who can train and develop future staff in the workforce.

The course takes an active stance towards addressing issues of differential power and discrimination and promotes supervisory and consultative practice as an opportunity for individual and organisational development.

The course team is committed to creating brave spaces for participants to listen and be heard. They strive towards inclusion and work against hate in all forms. Considering issues of difference and going beyond the ‘graces’, the course addresses racism and white privilege whilst working towards an understanding of complexity and intersectionality and developing an ability to act through taking small steps of resistance.

Theoretical seminars

You will examine literature on supervision, consultation and training in systemic therapy and research. You will also explore current debates in the field including consulting and supervising across contexts and theoretical orientation.

Supervision practice

The requirements for AFT registration are 80 hours of supervised practice, made up of live supervision to a group throughout the year (40 hours) and to an individual for a minimum of ten sessions in your workplace or another setting. Your supervisees will usually be professionals who have taken an introductory or intermediate systems/family therapy course but may also include other professionals interested in developing a systemic approach.

Additional supervision hours can include training and consultation. All supervision is a collaborative group process experimenting with peer evaluation. You will be mentored whilst you supervise or consult to your colleague, whilst your supervisees present video extracts for review. This will be live and will enable feedback from multiple perspectives in the supervision context.

Consulting partners

You will be paired with a peer to give each other written feedback and observe each other’s supervision groups. During the year you will co-present a theoretical session, including an applied exercise to make theory-practice links or to address personal professional development issues.

You will have the opportunity to observe a live supervision session of your consulting partner and, potentially, qualified family therapists at the Tavistock and Portman or elsewhere.

Consultation

You will explore systemic approaches and models in consultation and develop your skills through consulting to peers on the course with respect to their work dilemmas.

Training

To take a leadership position in the profession and in the work context, you need to be able to present your ideas in a variety of contexts. In addition to studying the literature on teaching and adult learning, you will prepare and present a theoretical seminar to the group with your consulting partner and receive feedback from the course participants.