Role: Former Discipline Lead for Counselling and Psychotherapy (University of Derby)

Your connection to the course: I was privileged to work with the systemic practice and family therapy programmes from the beginning of training at the University of Derby in 2001 to July 2017, when I retired as Discipline Lead for Counselling and Psychotherapy to complete my PhD. My roles included contributing to the validation of the programmes, occasionally teaching, and always supporting the teaching team.

JOURNEY OF WORKING WITH THE SYSTEMIC TRAINING PROGRAMMES

My journey of systemic work began long before I started working at the university. It started during my undergraduate degree at the Open University. One of the courses I took involved attending a summer school. One of the people that worked with us was Professor Rudi Dallos. From that time, systemic thinking influenced my work in many ways. So, when I got the opportunity to work with the systemic training team and students, it was really wonderful. I reflected on what words came to mind when I thought about my connection with the Derby system courses.

The image that comes up for me is that our connections and interconnections influence the world.

Systemic thinking has also been a key influence in my PhD. My PhD is concerned with the personal and professional experiences of counsellors and psychotherapists who use the principles and practices of Compassion Focused Therapy. This Interpretative Phenomenological study requires researchers to engage in reflexivity and reflectivity, which I experienced while working with the family therapy team. The influence of systemic thinking is reflected in the diagram below, which summarises my findings.

I feel truly privileged and grateful to have been part of this journey. So many thanks to everyone from the systemic practice and family therapy community at the University of Derby for enriching my work and your friendship. The courses may be ending, but the impact will continue to ripple.

May you be well

May you be happy

May you be free from suffering

And may you bring these things into the world for others