Working with families with physical illness: a systemic approach (CPD57)
Receive expert clinical reflection and guidance on applying a systemic framework to the psychosocial aspects of working with illness and disability
The care and support of children and adults affected by serious physical illness, disability and treatment regimes falls largely to their families.
Familial relationships can be affected and this can affect the development, treatment and prognosis for serious illness. This course is designed for you in order to assist in engaging with families and working with the many different professional agencies that may be involved.
The National Service Framework (NSF) commissioning children’s and young people’s palliative care services recommends offering psychological support and therapy to families. The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) guidelines for long term chronic illness also recommend emotional and psychological support for children, parents, and carers.
Aims and learning objectives
The aim of the course is to enable you, as a professional, to reflect on the psychosocial aspects of your work with illness and disability using a systemic framework, thinking about families as a resource and a context for change. Seminars will offer you a theoretical understanding of the systemic model and skills you will need to apply when working with the physically ill.
Who is this course for?
This course is for you if you are a professional working with people affected by physical illness. You may be medically trained and work as a nurse, doctor or occupational therapist.
We also welcome applications from non-medical professionals including social workers, psychologists, counsellors, teachers and spiritual carers.
Course details
The course will draw on your own experiences and those of the facilitators in both hospital and community-based adult and child health. It will include a variety of teaching methods including seminars, group and experiential work and clinical reflection.
Themes to be explored include:
- an introduction to the systemic approach
- the fit between the family, the professional and the health care system
- cultural perspectives and diversity
- the meaning of illness for children and adolescents
- addressing the implications of illness for adults as couples and parents
- systemic work with pain and other symptoms
- importance of transgenerational meanings in illness and disability
- loss and hope in work with illness
- personal-professional boundaries: the personal implications for professionals and agencies
Course now closed for booking. Please register your interest to be the first to hear about future opportunities to take this course
The next course will run on the following dates:
| Sessions | Date | Start time | End time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Session 1/5 | Friday 13 January 2023 | 9.30am | 3.30pm |
| Session 2/5 | Friday 20 January 2023 | 9.30am | 3.30pm |
| Session 3/5 | Friday 27 January 2023 | 9.30am | 3.30pm |
| Session 4/5 | Friday 3 February 2023 | 9.30am | 3.30pm |
| Session 5/5 | Friday 10 February 2023 | 9.30am | 3.30pm |
This course will be delivered remotely using Zoom.
You will need a device with a microphone and camera together with a suitably fast internet connection. Although mobile devices and tablets can be used, we recommend the use of a laptop or desktop PC for the best experience. Some devices provided by employers may have restrictions in place. Please use this Zoom test link to check your set up before booking.
You will be sent the necessary login link about a week before the course start date. Should you have any concerns about the accessibility of remote delivery please contact us to discuss how we can best help you.
Library membership
Included in your course fee, you will receive online membership to the Tavistock’s internationally-renowned library for the duration of your course.
Our friendly and knowledgeable library team will help to support you through your specialist CPD course, whatever your level of professional or academic experience. You will have access to an extensive range of eBooks, online journals, all the relevant key databases and our specialist audio-visual collection, plus reference access to all our print books.
Our information skills trainer has made lots of material available on Moodle to help you navigate our comprehensive electronic collections. PCs and photocopiers are available for your use (charges apply for printing and copying), as well as various online resources including audio/video playlists.
Testimonials
Course facilitators
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Wendy Smith
Systemic psychotherapist
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Laura Glendinning
Systemic psychotherapist
Register your interest
Bookings are now closed. Register your interest to join our waiting list and be the first to hear when this course reopens.
