Module manager: Phil Arthington
Email: p.s.arthington@leeds.ac.uk
Taught: Semesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun) View Timetable
Year running 2026/27
See programme entry requirements
| FAMT5771M | Systemic Psychotherapy Theory (One) |
| FAMT5881M | Systemic Psychotherapy Practice (One) |
FAMT5240M
This module is not approved as an Elective
This module provides students with an understanding of how research contributes to the field of systemic family therapy. Students will learn about a range of approaches to systemic research including quantitative methods for evaluating the effectiveness of systemic interventions and qualitative methods of exploring therapeutic processes. Students will develop their ability to critically evaluate research apply this to their own area of clinical practice.
The module aims to provide students with learning activities that develop their understanding of the purpose, value and methods of systemic psychotherapy research.
Objectives of the module are to provide students with:
- An introduction to the field of systemic psychotherapy research
- To explore how research findings and principles can be applied in the therapy room
- The ability to plan a research project, including identifying gaps in knowledge, developing a research question and designing a study to address that question.
On successful completion of the module students will be able to:
1. Demonstrate up to date knowledge and understanding of the range of research methods underpinning Systemic Psychotherapy and their applications to different situations and client groups.
2. Conduct a literature search using a clearly described and reasoned search strategy to identify the evidence relating to a selected aspect of Systemic Psychotherapy.
3. Clearly articulate a research question relevant to the field of Systemic Psychotherapy.
4. Develop a study design to address a research question, demonstrating an understanding of the methodological, ethical and governance issues involved.
Skills Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of the module students will have demonstrated the following skills learning outcomes:
Academic Skills:
AS5 – Information searching: Undertake a relevant literature review to support practice development and submission of assessments.
AS6 – Academic integrity and referencing: Engage in good academic practice with accurate referencing of the work of others and avoiding plagiarism in any form.
Work ready skills:
WR 5 - Problem solving and analytical skills: Gather, analyse and synthesise relevant to service, clinical issues and research and use this in generating solutions to problems in systemic family psychotherapy clinical practice.
Digital Skills:
DS1 – Information, data and media literacy: Make use of digital media and tools including search engines to inform their research, learning and clinical practice.
Enterprise Skills:
ES2 - Identifying Opportunities: Identify areas for development and positive change in mental health care practice.
The syllabus will cover the following topic areas through a combination of lectures and seminars:
- The status, politics and historical context of research in systemic psychotherapy.
- How research methodologies are used to address different research questions relevant to the field of systemic psychotherapy.
- The application of research findings in the therapy room through both evidence-based practice and practice-based evidence.
- How to develop a robust research proposal
- Ethical and governance issues in systemic research
| Delivery type | Number | Length hours | Student hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Supervision | 2 | 1 | 2 |
| Lecture | 4 | 3 | 12 |
| Seminar | 3 | 2 | 6 |
| Private study hours | 130 | ||
| Total Contact hours | 20 | ||
| Total hours (100hr per 10 credits) | 150 | ||
Students will receive formative feedback on an oral presentation of their research proposal during a series of group seminars (6 hours in total) and 2 individual tutorials with staff.
They will receive verbal and written formative feedback based, to support their development of the summatively assessed written research proposal.
| Assessment type | Notes | % of formal assessment |
|---|---|---|
| Coursework | Formative - Oral presentation of research proposal | 0 |
| Coursework | Summative - 2500 words – research proposal to include summary of the evidence base (drawing on research using both quantitative and qualitative research methods) relating to the student’s area of clinical practice with implications for systemic psychotherapists | 100 |
| Total percentage (Assessment Coursework) | 100 | |
Normally resits will be assessed by the same methodology as the first attempt, unless otherwise stated
Check the module area in Minerva for your reading list
Last updated: 30/04/2026
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