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*

Sign-up to register and get access

This course is brought to you in partnership with

Applications are open for the next cohort of the Foundation Course in Systematic Practice and Family Therapy.

Applications are now open. Register through the form to apply for this year’s cohort.

  • Last date for submission: 15 August 2026, midnight
  • Selected applicants notified by: 20 August 2026
  • Last date of payment to complete registration: 23 August 2026
  • Course begins: 26 August 2026
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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 masters.
  • Prior work with families is not required but helpful.
  • Last date for submission: 15th August 2026, midnight.
  • Selected applicants will be notified by 20th August 2026.
  • Last date of payment to complete registration: 23rd August 2026.
  • Course begins on 26th August 2026.

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.

Continue Your Learning Through Monthly Case Discussions & Group Supervision

Family and systemic therapy is best learnt through ongoing reflection, conversation, and supervision. After completing the Foundation Course, you are invited to continue your learning through our monthly Case Discussions & Group Supervision sessions.

Facilitated by Catherine Sanders, Clinical Psychologist, Family Therapist, and Director of Bower Place, Australia, together with Dr Ashlesha Bagadia, Psychiatrist, Family Therapist, and Director of The PARC, India, these sessions provide a dedicated space to deepen your systemic thinking alongside a community of practitioners.

The sessions mirror the structure and principles of systemic family therapy supervision. Participants are encouraged to bring clinical questions from a systemic perspective, moving beyond individual or linear explanations. Discussions may include theoretical input, suggested readings, reflections on the impact of the work on the practitioner and the wider system, and shared learning from similar cases.

Who can attend?

These sessions are exclusively for mental health professionals who have completed foundational training in family and systemic therapy. They are intended as an ongoing supervision and learning space rather than an introductory training.

Upcoming Sessions

All sessions are held from 9 to 11 am IST.

  • 24 July 2026
  • 21 August 2026
  • 18 September 2026
  • 16 October 2026
  • 13 November 2026

Registration for each session opens a few weeks before the scheduled date.

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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.