EXPLORE

Certificate Course

Foundation Course In Systematic Practice And Family Therapy

Online Course

  • Theoretical concepts of family and systemic therapy.
  • Observation and discussion of real client/ family sessions.
  • Live sessions with expert faculty.
  • 50 hours over 10 weeks.
  • Individual

Full Fee :
₹ 55000*

  • Individual

Scholarship Fee :
₹ 45000*

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This course is brought to you in partnership with

We are planning future cohorts of the Foundation Course In Systematic Practice And Family Therapy.

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    Know your faculty

    Catherina Sanders

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    Malcolm Robinson

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    Ashlesha Bagadia

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    About The Course

    This is an introduction to family therapy and systemic practice and is a starting step to working with families both in therapy and case management settings. The theory modules have been co-developed by Bower Place and The PARC with a focus on adapting to the Indian setting. This introductory course can lead to the Advanced Clinical Training Programme in Family Therapy in subsequent years.

    Week 1
    Introduction to systemic family work and concepts
    Week 2
    The young couple
    Week 3
    Parent/child relationship
    Week 4
    Parent/adolescent relationship
    Week 5
    Group discussion

    Who is it for?

    This course will help counsellors, psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers and all mental health clinicians understand the theory and practice of family systems therapy, adapted to Indian cultural settings. It is a starting step for those wishing to train further in providing formal family therapy. The course also provides an overview of family dynamics for clinicians who see families of their primary client for education, support and caregiver distress.

    Entry criteria

    • 2 years of clinical experience post Mphil, MD/DPM Psychiatry.
    • 5 years of therapy experience post masters in psychology and/or other recognised training in counselling skills.
    • Prior work with families not required but helpful.
    • Last date to apply is 30th April 2025.
    • Scholarship available to two merit candidates.
    • Last date for payment is 7th May 2025 .
    • Selected applicants will be notified by 4th May 2025.
    • Sessions start from 11th July, 2025.

    Testimonials

    Sreyoshi Ghosh

    Psychiatrist

    Overall, a good course and I would recommend it to therapists. The facilitators were knowledgeable and interactive and addressed all questions.My biggest take away was being reminded not to localise the problem solely in one person, even if they seemed to be struggling the most. The family sessions in the video were well linked to the theory sessions. I would have liked it if there were videos with grandparents too in the room and more coverage of transgenerational family dynamics.

    Padma Srinivasa

    Counselling psychotherapist

    I would recommend every therapist to at least do the foundation course, since even in individual therapy, we not only deal with the individual but also the influence of family in establishing the way with which the individual reacts to the situation and the ongoing patterns. Learning this and much more understanding of approaches to tackle these issues makes this course worth the money and time spent.

    Apoorva Shetty

    Clinical psychologist

    I would highly recommend this course for those entering the arena of family work. My biggest takeaway was how important systemic work is in our Indian context because most roles/rules get mixed up here. The facilitators were brilliant, observing them asking the right questions and managing their clients systematically but gently was a significant learning, besides understanding that one can only facilitate and nothing more. The quizzes were application based and helped me remember better and I plan to use these topics in my sessions too. I really liked the flow of the sessions and the discussions on cases which enabled me to understand the nuances better. Some concepts such as challenging families and situations including violence, infidelity etc. and the therapeutic system could have been more detailed.

    Safwa Abdul Lateef

    Group psychologist

    I have enjoyed the brief introductory program very much. The opportunity to engage actively with systemic concepts in light of my current practice with groups and families has been helpful. Facilitators made enough room to link the learning experience to the Indian context. We were surprised how much of the material brought to us from another continent is similar to the experiences of understanding systems in India. What stood out is the directive and active stance of the therapist when compared to the analytic frame I am familiar with. It was especially helpful in working with difficult boundary issues families bring to our work, setting up the contract up front and opening up blocks to communication in couple and family work. I look forward to future endeavours with family work with The PARC.

    Brought to you by

    The PARC (Psychotherapy Advanced Resource Centre) delivers high calibre multidisciplinary training programmes in mental health for all healthcare workers, mental health professionals and caregivers.

    Bower Place is renowned for its training programs in Australia, which have supported more than 5000 practitioners seeking post graduate education and professional development in counselling and family & systemic practice.

    Got Questions ?

    Frequently Asked Questions

    Clear answers to common questions about our courses, workshops, certification, and support.

    Applicants are required to have:

    • At least 2 years of clinical experience post MPhil/MD/DPM Psychiatry, or
    • 5 years of therapy experience post a Master’s in Psychology or equivalent counselling training.

    Prior experience working with families is helpful but not mandatory.

    The programme involves 50 hours over 10 weeks, including live sessions and independent learning. While it may be possible to undertake alongside full-time work, participants should ensure they can commit to the required time and engagement.

    No, this course is an introductory training in systemic practice and family therapy. While you may begin to apply some of the concepts and approaches from the course in your clinical work, further advanced training and supervised clinical experience are required to independently practice family therapy.

    This course is co-developed by Bower Place and The PARC, with a focus on adapting systemic family therapy concepts to the Indian context. It also combines theoretical learning with observation of real sessions and experiential discussion, and provides a pathway to advanced clinical training.

    Catherine Sanders
    Director, Bower Place
    Faculty, Foundation Course in Systemic Practice and Family Therapy

    Catherine Sanders is a clinical psychologist, family therapist and co-director of Bower Place. With over four decades of experience both as a practitioner and trainer, she has been a part of the changing landscape of multicultural Australian society.

     

    Malcolm Robinson
    Director, Bower Place
    Faculty, Foundation Course in Systemic Practice and Family Therapy

    Malcolm Robinson is a social worker, family and systemic therapist, mediator and director of Bower Place. He has over forty five years of clinical, therapeutic, teaching and management experience across the mental health, welfare, education, disability, and justice systems. He has expertise in working with complex co-morbid mental health matters and therapy with fractured and fragmented families.

    Dr. Ashlesha Bagadia
    Founder and Director

    Dr Ashlesha Bagadia is a perinatal psychiatrist and family psychotherapist at The Green Oak Initiative Community Mental Health Centre with over two decades of experience in mental health.

    She is faculty on several courses including  Systemic Practice in Family Therapy, Perinatal Mental Health for Obstetricians and Psychotropics Medications for Therapists.  She has completed higher training in Perinatal and Women’s Mental Health, Family Systems Psychotherapy and Mentalisation Based Treatment. She has a keen interest in bringing advanced psychotherapy skills to India and making it accessible to areas with limited resources. She hopes to make clinical skills that may originate from western theories, more culturally relevant and adaptable to local settings. She has been conducting workshops and courses with a view to help clinicians make meaningful connections, grow through stronger peer interactions and provide better collaborative care.