Your role: Counsellor / Director

Your connection to the course: Course participant on University Advanced Diploma and Postgraduate Certificate in systemic thinking and practice

Reflection

I started my journey in systemic training after noticing an area for developing my practice working as a Counsellor in the local community. Within my organisation we often worked on projects with children and young people, supporting them through counselling to improve their emotional well-being and mental health. I had started to feel there must be more we could do to help the children and young people we worked with, as they often shared feelings of hopelessness when it came to changes in their family relationships. Learning of systemic training at the University of Derby was an exciting opportunity. I knew I would be able to develop the knowledge and skills I needed to work on our projects with improved outcomes and with greater confidence. Very quickly I was gripped by systemic ideas, reading, patch groups and group learning. I was curious about how these ideas would influence my practice. I learned that I could still be authentic, holding my past experiences, training and ideas, whilst embracing new ways of thinking in my practice. I was challenged to develop self-reflexivity, noticing how I positioned myself in relation to my clients, the systems around them and the systems around myself. I noticed that I valued working collaboratively with my clients and grew an appreciation for the significance of family/significant relationships across generations. I am appreciative of the long-lasting relationships that I built during the course. The breadth of skill, knowledge and experience created a richness in the discussions and learning. I became a part of a system in which I could share my vulnerabilities and strengths. The support given by the tutors and course leader helped me to focus in on my own practice and personal development. In my position of influence within my organisation, I have been able to make changes that promote working with the wider systems of individuals and families. This is only a glimpse of the impact that systemic training has had on me both personally and professionally. I very much look forward to continuing along my journey in practice, supervision and MSc training.