Module manager: Kate Hall
Email: k.hall1@leeds.ac.uk
Taught: Semesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun) View Timetable
Year running 2026/27
See programme entry requirements
| FAMT5661M | Systemic Psychotherapy Research |
| FAMT5771M | Systemic Psychotherapy Theory (One) |
| FAMT5881M | Systemic Psychotherapy Practice (One) |
| FAMT5662M | Systemic Research Project |
| FAMT5772M | Systemic Psychotherapy Theory (Two) |
FAMT5460M FAMT5480M
This module is not approved as an Elective
This module builds on first-year systemic systemic family therapy practice in module FAMT5881M. Students will continue to develop their clinical practice and skills under live supervision building on learning developed in Module FAMT5881 in the first year. Students will develop their self-reflexive capacity to examine and develop their clinical practice, building practice coherence within service and wider system expectations and constraints Attention to the ethics of systemic family therapy is twofold. Students will progress skills in maintaining the therapeutic relationship through dilemmas of practice through to planned endings. Students will also maintain reference to issues of power and social difference in terms of anti-discriminatory and decolonising practice in the experience of therapy and in wider relevant contexts including their own professional work context. Students will their skills development in contemporary approaches to systemic psychotherapy with an emphasis on development of new meaning through co-construction and critical reflexivity in relation to the evaluation of the effectiveness of their activities. Sophisticated use of supervision and client feedback supports development of practice. Students will be identifying areas for ongoing continuous professional development in readiness for independent practice as a systemic family therapist. An adult learning approach is used and students will build upon existing professional knowledge and abilities through on-going reflective practice, tutor led teaching, clinical supervision and self-directed learning.
This module aims to provide students with teaching and learning activities to develop and consolidate sophisticated systemic therapeutic skills.
Students will learn to integrate clinical methods and techniques associated with advanced contemporary systemic psychotherapy models of practice in their weekly clinical placement under live supervision.
Students will participate in small group teaching and learning to examine ongoing personal professional development (PPD) and ethical concerns for systemic psychotherapists with a focus on increasing critical awareness of oppressive and discriminatory contexts in people’s lives and the ability to respond to these in practice.
Class teaching will focus on skills in discursive practice in systemic family therapy and application of skills in different areas of practice
Personal professional topics will be explored in small group settings to give opportunities for considering the influence of students personal and professional life experiences with a focus on preparation for independent practice in systemic family therapy.
Students will develop skills in presenting and accounting for their clinical practice to prepare them for independent practice
On successful completion of the module students will have demonstrated the following learning outcomes relevant to the subject:
1 - Demonstrate ethical accountability and autonomous professionalism by placing public / client / service user needs at the centre of practice whilst adhering to legal and professional standards, workplace routines, policies and protocols and a commitment to anti-discriminatory and anti-oppressive practice in Systemic Psychotherapy.
2 - Undertake systemically informed risk assessments, formulation and case management to inform multi agency understandings, decision making and actions.
3 - Demonstrate knowledge of systemic and other perspectives on common mental health problems and practice effectively and ethically with others and in multi-disciplinary settings where differing understandings co-exist.
4 - Effective systemic family therapy skills in to engage people attending for therapy in a collaborative therapeutic process of relational change.
5 - Develop and maintain therapeutic relationships, working collaboratively within highly distressing, emotionally charged and challenging circumstances, whilst managing own, and other’s wellbeing.
Skills Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of the module students will have demonstrated the following skills learning outcomes:
Academic Skills:
AS2 - Presentation skills: Present the theory of systemic family psychotherapy in a clear, concise, and structured manner, in both verbal and written form.
AS4 - Ethics: Identify and challenge social discourses and power practices that marginalise and oppress people creating inequity in mental health experience and healthcare.
Work ready skills:
WR2 - Communication: Communicate information related to systemic family psychotherapy in a clear, concise, and structured manner, both in verbal and written forms including clear, timely and factual clinical records.
WR 7 - Ethical practice and personal capacity: Critically evaluate their own practice and recognise personal resources and limitations and make appropriate use of clinical supervision and feedback.
WR 9 - Intensity: Work safely with others in contexts of intense emotion and interpersonal distress to progress helpful change.
Sustainability Skills:
SS1 - Systems thinking: The application of systemic skills in the analysis of human systems in research, social and healthcare and other relational contexts to support understanding of problems and collaborative approaches to change.
SS3 - Ethical professional - Work safely and within their level of competence fit for independent practice in statutory and non-statutory settings and critically compliant with the Association for Family Therapy Code of Ethics and Practice.
SS4 - Ethical - anti-oppressive practice: Practice sensitively and effectively across social difference and intersectionality and challenge power imbalance and its effects in human relational contexts
Enterprise Skills:
ES3 - Managing Uncertainty, Ambiguity and Risk: Work effectively in managing uncertainty, ambiguity and risk using the systemic principles of safe uncertainty and ethical practice in ‘grey zones’ .
The syllabus will cover the following topic areas through a combination of lectures, seminars and clinical supervisory discussions:
- Critical evaluation of practice and examination of limits in competence
- Developing skills in anti-oppressive clinical practice
- Further developing skills in meaning making and change processes.
- Working with clinical risk in multi-agency contexts.
- Effective practice in multi-disciplinary teams.
- Working with couples
- Working with people with identified learning disabilities
| Delivery type | Number | Length hours | Student hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clinical Practice | 20 | 5 | 100 |
| Fieldwork | 82 | 82 | 82 |
| Lecture | 15 | 1.5 | 22.5 |
| Seminar | 6 | 2.5 | 15 |
| Private study hours | 162.5 | ||
| Total Contact hours | 219.5 | ||
| Total hours (100hr per 10 credits) | 382 | ||
Students have two formative assessments in this module for which detailed developmental feedback is given.
Students spend receive fortnightly written and verbal feedback on their clinical practice from their clinical supervisor.
Students meet with tutors in small group contexts for 6 x 2.5 hour personal professional development groups (PPD) and receive feedback from tutors to their contributions to discussions of theory, practice and PPD.
Students meet with tutors individually as needed to review feedback and progress on all assessments. Individual tutorials are scheduled at the beginning of this module and further tutorials are offered on request in which feedback can be discussed and developed as needed.
Student progress is closely monitored, and any difficulties are identified at the earliest opportunity and tutorial and clinical supervisory support is offered.
| Assessment type | Notes | % of formal assessment |
|---|---|---|
| Coursework | Formative assessment - Presentation of recorded clinical practice | 0 |
| Coursework | Formative clinical profile - skills 1000 words; Student presents a self - reflexive evaluation of their skills in practice. Formative feedback to be given by clinical supervisor to evaluate the clinical competencies achieved by the student | 0 |
| Coursework | Formative; Presentation of a Portfolio of Clinical practice detailing practice hours and supervision undertaken. Reflexive learning journal, supervisor and client feedback | 0 |
| Coursework | Clinical practice; Approximately fortnightly feedback from clinical supervisor | 0 |
| Coursework | Summative; Presentation of a Portfolio of Clinical practice detailing practice hours , reflexive learning journal and supervision undertaken | 0 |
| Coursework | Summative assessment; Clinical Practice Presentation - Presentation of recorded clinical practice, 2000 word case summary and critical review of development in clinical practice and readiness for independent practice | 60 |
| Coursework | Summative clinical profile – skills 1000 words; Evaluate your use of systemic psychotherapeutic skills and your ethical use of self in systemic psychotherapy, with specific reference to issues of power and social difference Summative feedback to be given by clinical supervisor with supervision of supervision and moderation by course staff to evaluate the clinical competencies achieved by the student and the student’s ability to critically evaluate their own practice. | 40 |
| Total percentage (Assessment Coursework) | 100 | |
Coursework assessment in this module assesses knowledge and performance of systemic family therapy methods, skills and techniques of clinical practice at an advanced level and in readiness for independent clinical practice. The final assessment ‘Clinical Practice Presentation’ includes a brief account of the theoretical basis for the student’s practice as integration of theory and practice is central to the delivery of systemic family therapy. PSRB Practice hours requirements The PSRB The Association for Family Therapy and Systemic Practice (AFT) stipulate the practice hours under live supervision which provides the context for the student to learn the application of theory and skills to practice. AFT also stipulate that the student undertakes additional practice hours in their own employment context or by placement and organises clinical supervision on a 1/6 hour ratio by a qualified family therapist ( agency supervisor). The quality of this practice is not assessed by the University but the student is required to keep a log of the practice and verify the hours of practice and supervision with their supervisor. The supervisor is asked to raise any ethical or related concerned with the course team and enters into a signed agreement with the student and the course to do so in the event of such matters arising. Evidence of all practice hours is presented to the University at the end of the programme to meet conditions for course completion and professional qualification. This is included in a Portfolio in module Systemic Psychotherapy Practice (one) FAMT5881M and module Systemic Psychotherapy Practice (two) FAMT5882M. The clinical profile formative and summative assessments compliment those in Systemic Psychotherapy Practice (one) FAMT5881M and together form a reflexive exchange between the student and their clinical supervisor who provides detailed feedback on the student’s actual practice in the clinical context and their ability to take a reflexive position in the review of their practice. A final mark is given with the summative clinical profile entry. Clinical practice supervision is itself supervised by the core university staff who also contribute to the marking by supervision and final moderating of supervisor’s feedback marks. The final Clinical Practice Presentation requires students to present a written case summary of a case from their clinic placement practice and then to present a segment of their recorded therapeutic practice with the same family and present their work with a focus of specific interest or development chosen by the student. The presentation is followed by questions from the marking panel and a final mark is given In this module more than one assessment component assesses the same subject specific learning outcomes because the requirement of clinical practice is such that assessed work cannot easily attend to some aspects of systemic family therapy practice and not others. For example, attention to risk would always be required for passing a clinically based component in any format. All components of the module assessment must be passed independently. In the event of failure of one or more component(s), the module mark will be capped at 50 on successful resit of failed assessment components.
Check the module area in Minerva for your reading list
Last updated: 30/04/2026
Errors, omissions, failed links etc should be notified to the Catalogue Team