Your Role: Lead Systemic Family Therapist Chesterfield Royal CAMHS team.

Your connection to the course: I was a student from 2007 to 2013. Also started attending DAFT events at Derby University before then.

Connections and inspiration.

For about 15 years, I have been linked to Derby Uni, first attending the “conference for a tenner” organised by DAFT and their free lunch workshops. Later, joining the Systemic training courses. All the people I have met either as presenters at day conferences or among attendees to events were inspirational, engaging and so generous in sharing their practice and ideas. I have felt so lucky to have found you (DAFT) back in the day and have continued our connections. In the course I remember we had our first experiences making online groups, we started with a cloud spotter group in the first year, sharing beautiful sky photos. Then we developed online uni groups for discussion, sharing resources. Always felt surrounded by motivated and creative learning partners. The teaching team also have been always supportive, encouraging, patient and I have them all around me as my internal clinical reflecting team, still supporting my work. The groups I was part of have always been diverse in relation to all the GRRAACCEESS and I also felt all other trainees were inspirational. Always feeling that others had such amazing jobs in interesting agencies. We also drew our systemic shoe, which is connecting me to Gill’s patch, thank you Gill and thank you to Kath Williamson who pushed my artistic skills in designing the systemic shoe. I remember the start of the day with Lesley and Kath, doing circular reflections helping us focus on the day ahead. The research tutorials with Paul, supervision with Gary, my training team with Pearl and Lesley. All I hear now is “what a shame the course has closed”. It has been a rich experience and I hope we can keep the connections with the help of DAFT events. 🙂 . Thank you for all the hard work at Derby Uni!