Home » Courses » Short Courses and Workshops » Certificate in Working with Family Dynamics

Certificate in Working with Family Dynamics

The Certificate in Working with Family Dynamics is an online family therapy training course, focusing on providing experienced and in-training counsellors with family counselling skills.

Course Content

Systemic and Family Therapy approach aims to assist families and complex human systems to mobilise their own strengths and relationships to make disturbing symptoms less problematic for suffering individuals.

The key difference between systemic and family therapy approach and all the many variations of individual psychological interventions, is that while individual therapy gives one person the space to discuss and reflect during ‘time out’ of their human system, systemic therapy brings parts or all of the system into the therapy. It focuses on theories and practices that enable practitioners to understand problems, recognise resources and create and maintain solutions. Family and Systemic Therapy will enable practitioners to develop knowledge and skills to the level that best supports both the individual in the context of their family as well as more complicated systems in their practice.

Knowledge of and skills in systemic approaches are also applicable for helping professionals in working in systems such as organisations and teams.

Upon completing this family therapy course, participants will be able to do the following:

• Articulate a fundamental understanding of family systems theory
• Describe assessment, treatment planning, some interventions, and evaluation in the family system
• Compare, and contrast two or more approaches in family therapy
• Describe family developmental processes as they relate to the family lifecycle
• Describe how problems develop, are maintained, and are resolved within a family system.
• Apply basic family dynamics in a focused conversation with a family member
• Describe families as distinct cultural systems, embedded in and influenced by other sociocultural systems

Participation includes case discussion, interaction, and participation in a group process activities. Please be prepared to actively discuss the material. The level of disclosure will be contracted for as a group at the first session.

Genogram As part of the program you will construct a three-generation genogram of your family in order to assess your family system and family culture. Your genogram is expected to be correct and professionally completed. You will identify the patterns and significant themes in your own family of origin using your knowledge of the family models discussed in class. We will discuss how these patterns influence or potentially could influence you as a counsellor, parent and partner and in what way you think your cultural background could influence your work with families? We will examine the ways your culture and family patterns may be a barrier or strength in working with families.

Syllabus

Structures and dynamics (each module 3 hours)

• Definitions of Family understanding Systems Theory
• Family in the Cultural Context Boundaries, Inclusion exclusion Structural therapy
• Bowenian Family Therapy. Using Genograms in Family Therapy
• Siblings System and Birth order, Only Child place
• The Developmental Lifecycle of Couples and Families – stages
• Special considerations = Patchwork family, Single parent family

Assessment: The certificate is gained through attendance. To earn your certificate, we ask that participants actively engage in breakout sessions and keep their camera on during the course, unless there is a prior agreement not to do so.

We are committed to supporting diverse learning needs and providing reasonable adjustments to ensure that everyone can access and participate in our programme. If you have any additional learning or access needs, please let us know so we can discuss how best to support you.

The course is experiential and based on processing a participant’s own family and cases. Completion of the course is not based on written assignments however, practical tasks will be given at the end of each session.

Pre-Course Requirements: Participants should be qualified counsellors or psychotherapists or in training and seeing clients (students in training should talk through their planned attendance with their supervisor or course tutor).

There is no pre-course work required.

Participant Numbers: There will be a maximum of 20 participants on this course

Tutor: Alexandra Piotrowska TSTA (P,C)

Alex graduated in 1992 with MSc degree in Psychology from the University of Lublin and trained as a Counselling Psychologist.

She gained postgraduate qualifications as a psychotherapist at Metanoia Institute in London. She is an experienced counsellor (BACP accredited) and Psychotherapist (UKCP registered) . She has worked in various settings, for BUPA EAP in the NHS trust and private practice. She is bilingual in Polish and English.

Her specialized training covers integrated approaches to counselling and psychotherapy utilizing Transactional Analysis, CBT ,NLP, Family Constellations and Systemic Constellations processes and techniques.

Alex trained at the Systemic Institute of Britain with Richard Wallstein, Judith Hemming as well as with Bert Hellinger, Albreht Mahr, Gunthard Weber, Jacob Schneider, Guni Baxa , Hunter Beaumont, Francesca Mason.

Related Courses

Certificate in Neuro-Affirming Practice (Online)

This 10-week online Certificate in Neuro-Affirming Practice is designed for counsellors, psychotherapists, coaches, and mental health practitioners who are committed to creating inclusive, respectful, and empowering therapeutic spaces for neurodivergent clients.

VIEW COURSE AND BOOK

Counsellors and Psychotherapists as Mental Health Practitioners: A Mental Health Familiarisation online series

This dynamic series of online workshops has been designed to support trainee and qualified Counsellors and Psychotherapists to develop a critical appreciation of our professional roles within the wider system of mental health care. They will also support those seeking to fulfil the UKCP’s Mental Health Familiarisation Placement requirements.

VIEW COURSE AND BOOK