Program Overview
The Postgraduate Certificate in Systemic Practice is a two-year program that combines Foundation and Intermediate level training in systemic practice, preparing students for registration as Systemic Practitioners. Accredited by the AFT&SP and the UKCP, it develops skills and insights necessary to tackle family and individual problems through a multi-disciplinary approach, covering theoretical foundations, therapeutic techniques, and practical application in various settings.
Program Outline
Degree Overview:
The Postgraduate Certificate in Systemic Practice is a two-year program that covers the first two years of family therapy training, combining both Foundation and Intermediate level training in systemic practice. It is accredited by the Association for Family Therapy and Systemic Practice (AFT&SP) and fulfills the training requirements for Foundation and Intermediate level training in systemic practice. The program 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 organizations, and related fields. The Leeds Family Therapy and Research Centre has been training therapists for over 28 years to help individuals, couples, and families find ways of tackling their problems. The program aims to develop an array of skills and insight needed to make a positive difference through work.
Outline:
The course runs over two years, combining the Foundation and Intermediate level training in systemic practice.
Year 1 (Foundation level):
- Introduction to key theoretical approaches in family therapy and systemic practice.
- Skills and techniques associated with these approaches.
Year 2 (Intermediate level):
- Builds on the theory and concentrates on the development of therapeutic skills with families, couples, and individuals.
- Application of systemic ideas in the work context.
- 60 hours of systemic therapeutic practice in the student's own work agency.
- One session of this practice is to be recorded and transcribed for formative review of clinical progress.
- Encouragement to develop a commitment to actively promote ethical, anti-discriminatory practice and to highlight and critique culturally-based assumptions in practice.
Course Delivery:
- Combination of lectures and practical teaching followed by theory and application discussions and skills practice in small groups facilitated by qualified family therapists.
- Approximately 16 Wednesday evenings (5pm to 8.30pm) between September and July plus approximately three full days.
- Delivered on the main University campus, although some elements may be taught online.
Course Structure:
- Year 1 Compulsory Modules:
- Foundation Course in Systemic Practice (30 credits)
- Year 2 Compulsory Modules:
- Intermediate Course in Systemic Practice (30 credits)
Assessment:
- Year 1:
- Attendance, participation in lectures and tutorials.
- Feedback on written assignments.
- Group presentation on an area of interest.
- Reflective learning journal completed during the first year of the course.
- Two written assignments focusing on summative assessment, combining all learning outcomes related to theoretical knowledge and practice.
- Group presentation and reflective learning journal receive formative feedback.
- Year 2 (Intermediate):
- Two written assignments.
- Learning portfolio comprising:
- Systemic practice log (record of at least 60 hours of systemic practice in the student's own agency/work setting).
- Record of at least 10 hours of clinical supervision received to support practice.
- Transcript and accompanying reflective commentary on a recorded piece of work, used as part of a case discussion in the tutorial group.
- Reflective learning journal completed during the year of the course.
- Written assignments and learning portfolio provide a summative assessment of how the student's work meets the course learning outcomes relating to theoretical knowledge and application to practice.
- Learning portfolio submitted in stages at the end of each term, with formative feedback following the first two submissions to aid learning and inform subsequent work.
Teaching:
- Lectures, practical classes, and group tutorials.
- 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.
- Taught by expert academics, from lecturers through to professors.
- Taught by industry professionals with years of experience, as well as trained postgraduate researchers, connecting students to some of the brightest minds on campus.
Careers:
- Upon completion of the Postgraduate Certificate in Systemic Practice training, students are recognized as Systemic Practitioners.
- This is not a formal qualification but is a recognized professional development indicating the knowledge and skills developed in this training.
- Graduates have progressed to the MSc Systemic Family Therapy program.
- Students who complete the MSc in Systemic Family Therapy are eligible to register with the UKCP as Systemic and Family Psychotherapists and to practice in the public and voluntary sectors as well as privately.
Other:
- The course encourages students to develop a commitment to actively promote ethical, anti-discriminatory practice and to highlight and critique culturally-based assumptions in their practice.
- The Leeds Family Therapy and Research Centre has been training therapists for over 28 years.
- The program 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 runs on approximately 16 Wednesday evenings (5pm to 8.30pm) between September and July plus approximately three full days.
- The course is delivered on the main University campus, although some elements may be taught online.
- The course is specifically designed for graduate-level professionals with a first professional qualification in a relevant mental health or social care related discipline.
- Students are required to ensure that the required 60 hours of clinical practice are supervised in their own agency. This is usually provided by employers but students may wish to supplement this or make their own arrangements for systemic supervision.
- The Careers Centre and staff in the faculty provide a range of help and advice to help students plan their career and make well-informed decisions along the way, even after they graduate.
UK: £7,000 (Total) International: £14,000 (Total)
