Role: Systemic Psychotherapist and Supervisors.

Looking Back and Hoping Forwards

‘Every finish is a new starting line’. Hils heard this on a running app whilst keeping healthy during the first lockdown and this led her to reflect on the ‘finish’ of the systemic training hosted by the University of Derbyshire. In 1996 Gary and Hils spent many hours on the train from Derby to Cardiff where they were training as systemic supervisors. They began to plan the first Introduction to Systemic Thinking and Practice which could be held in the Psychology Dept at Kingsway Hospital where Hilary was based. The course would build on the work of the Psychotherapy Dept at Temple House in Derby, which had run courses on working with families for a number of years. In October 96, we, Bridget Jack Consultant Psychiatrist, Gary Robinson, Family Therapist both from CAMHS and Hilary Howell Clinical Psychologist in Adult Mental Health ably assisted by the wonderful secretary Pat Gibbins, welcomed the first in-house cohort. After Pat in later years the marvellous secretary Sue Cousins took over the administration for us. Our aim was to embed systemic thinking from the ground up. By utilising the rich skill mix of the participants, they would be encouraged to identify and explore the systems in which they worked and experience the group as a living system. This also had implications for the group facilitators who learned so much from their groups and strengthened their relationship as team leaders stimulating both their academic and clinical work. If one of us was having a bad day, there was always support from the others to buoy us up. We began with no dedicated budget, no dedicated staffing but lots of energy, enthusiasm and hope. An opportunity which in today’s world of targets and budgets could be much more difficult. As the courses grew, our wider systems became more aware of what was happening under their feet and began wondering what was going on; another opportunity to spread the idea of systemic thinking and engage the top brass. We were determined to make the courses available to all as a non-profit making low-cost communal venture. NHS colleagues didn’t pay, local partner organisations paid a small fee and those from other areas and organisations paid a little more. Any fees generated paid for the resources needed to run the course, including guest workshops and facilitator expenses. We needed an experienced systemic consultant to help us develop the courses, so Bridget contacted Hugh Jenkins, then Director of the Institute of Family Therapy in London, to see if he could be persuaded to visit Derby regularly. He relished this opportunity and said we could pay him whatever we could afford, and it was fine if it was nothing! Wonderful man. Participants and facilitators of the first two cohorts were founder members of The Derbyshire Association of Family Therapy (DAFT), then known as Daft Prats (Practice, Research and Theory)! After two years we gained AFT accreditation and a couple of years later academic validation with the University of Derby The courses were always self-funding and in surplus, until the government decreed that the NHS would become training purchasers and not providers. The courses were then given to the University. The MSc qualifying level training was added to the successful Foundation and Intermediate level courses, led by our amazing colleague Lesley Novelle.

The training teams have now facilitated courses for twenty-five years, with imagination, creativity, rigour and passion. More than 500 multi-professional multi-agency systemic thinkers and practitioners have benefited from the great partnership between the Derbyshire NHS, the University of Derby and AFT through DAFT. More than thirty course leaders, tutors and workshop facilitators have contributed their unique ideas, knowledge, experience and skills in shaping the culture and reputation of the courses. Many of these people having completed the Derbyshire courses early on in their careers and others from different training organisations bringing new knowledge and ethos from other areas. The courses have celebrated the success of over 500 graduates. They have gone on to support more than a million families applying their unique blend of systemic practice since the courses began. As with many new courses we started with a small group of people with determination, creativity and energy to grow something special. Our graduates are generating systemic contributions far and wide. DAFT continues to be fertile ground to plant new seeds. Sadly, the partnership with the University is ending. We remain hopeful that more generations of people will have the opportunity to develop systemic training, knowledge and skills in Derbyshire and that they will experience the sense of privilege that has enriched our lives. They will want to make their own way, but please let us know if we can support anyone and no doubt AFT will be there to provide support as they did so generously to us. Thanks to everyone who has messaged us on the news that the University is no longer able to support systemic training. In the current climate of cuts to public services hard decisions have to be made and no doubt that was not an easy task. Still, we regret that decision and the inevitable consequences on the services provided locally. We remain hugely grateful to all those participants, tutors and outside speakers who taught us to improve and diversify our training and wish you all the very best in your futures. Looking forward to new starting lines, we will continue to meet, talk and celebrate the joy and importance of bringing systemic thinking to Derbyshire. Patch co-created by Bridget, Gary and Hilary 1996 – 2021