The Systemic Way

In this episode we talk with systemic psychotherapist, supervisor and trainer Karen Partridge about the role of creativity and improvisation in systemic supervision. Karen takes us on a journey of metaphors through "swampy lowlands", "constructive awkwardness", "positioning compass" and her "rememberall".Karen shares her ideas of connecting to our creative selves and how to embrace it within the supervision process.

Welcome back after a short summer break.In this episode we reflect on the wonderful AFT 2022 Conference entitled: Transgenerational stories of hope across cultures; old wisdoms and new truths which was host by the West Yorkshire AFT at the Queens Hotel in Leeds.We share our reflections, highlights and the experience of the conference and also speak to attendees, presenters and organisers about their favourite moments and what the conference meant to them.Massive thank you for everyone who took their time to speak with us and in this episode we feature:Carole HuntHugh PalmerPaul WaltonDiane Holdsworth Kevin SimmonsDiane MorrisonMichaela Wickham-HillsMarian DixonHannah SherberskyApologies for those we spoke with at the conference but could not include due to some audio issues. 

In this episode we meet with the filmmakers of the documentary film "KCC Stories Lived and Stories Told" which was premiered at the AFT conference 2021.  We meet with the creators, Rick Murphy, Helen Mahaffey, Ayesha Aslam, Mark Chidgey and Karen Partridge as they share their reflections on key moments from the film, their thoughts on making the film and their memories of the KCC and what it means to them. We invite you to all watch the film (if you haven't already) and  share in  reflecting about the memory and legacy of the KCC.You can watch the full film here:https://youtu.be/j48EfTVsJooPlease do share with us your reflections, memories and thoughts about the KCC, the documentary and this episode at  https://www.instagram.com/thesystemicway/

Dr Imelda McCarthy PhD. joins us to share the story, development and practice of the Fifth Province. Imelda talk with us about how the Fifth Province evolved within the context of Ireland, the wider systemic community and the connections it has with spirituality. She gives us examples of using the myth  in practice and how the model invites space into the therapy room. We also hear about thematic diamonds and to work with oppositional positions. Dr Imelda  McCarthy, PhD. is a systemic/social constructionist therapist, supervisor and consultant.   She has affiliations with School of Applied Social Science at University College Dublin where she was a director of the PhD program in families and systemic therapies and a senior university lecturer. She currently works in private practice while she teaches and consults nationally and internationally.  Imelda is also affiliated with Kensington Consultation Centre (London, UK), is on the faculty of the TAOS institute PhD programme. She has written and presented both nationally and internationally in over 20 countries on the topics of Women, Child Sexualised Abuse, Poverty and Spirituality and Therapy. From 1981 – 1995 Imelda was a member of a clinical team, the Fifth Province Associates whose work along with her own has been translated into eight languages. She is also a co-founder of the Irish Family Therapy Association and Ireland’s first professional training programme in family therapy at the Mater Misericordiae Hospital in Dublin.Check out Imelda's website:www.imeldamccarthy.com

Introducing our new podcast adventure - The Systemic Lens. We are a group of systemic therapist with a love for film, TV, music, literature and theatre and will be using systemic theory to share our reflections, thoughts and resonances on some our our favourites. Through these podcast we hope to expand the bounds of systemic application and offer alternative forms of analysis to film, TV, Music, literature etc. We also hope to provide new ways for people to connect with systemic ideas.We begin with an a systemic exploration of the classic Wizard of Oz and discuss issues of gender, power and the discovery of self through relationships. Enjoy. 

In this episode we talk with Dr Ged Smith about his ideas on taking a 1.5 order position in therapy. Ged introduces us to the meaning of the 1.5 order position and shows us ways to operate within and between first and second order positions from his own experience. In this podcast we discuss the therapeutic conundrums and tensions between the therapists  position as expert and collaborator; having certainty and exploring and knowing and not-knowing.

Nick Pendry is a social worker and family therapist. He is currently employed as the deputy director of children's services at the London Borough of Wandsworth. He identifies as a Brown-Indian man. Nick has worked in various roles in the NHS and local authority children’s services. He is particularly interested in embedding systemic ideas and practices into children’s social care and in the construction of race and racism.In this conversation Nick Pendry shares his thoughts and reflections on race and racism and how they inform and shape his practice. Nick invites us to consider our own positions and how together we can open the door to more authentic, meaningful and transformative conversations about race and racism. 

In this episode we hear about Inga-Britt Krause's professional life with a focus on race and equity - the importance of teaching it and the nuances that need to be held in mind. The conversation is framed around her paper "Can we teach race and equity? (2022)" and we hope it invites a lens of curiosity and reflection on where we are at with race and equity as a systemic community.Inga-Britt Krause is Training and Development Consultant with special reference to race and equity at the Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust where she also worked as a Consultant Systemic Psychotherapist in a Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service. She first trained as a Social Anthropologist at the London School of Economics and Political Science and teaches widely, nationally and internationally, on the subject of social science and psychotherapy and about the place of culture and race in clinical practice and theory.Paper discussed in this episode:Krause, I. B. (2022). Can we teach race and equity?. Journal of Family Therapy, 44(1), 157-170.New publication:Barbetta, P., Cavagnis, M. E., Krause, I. B., & Telfener, U. (2022). Ethical and aesthetic explorations of systemic practice: New critical reflections. Taylor & Francis.

Dr Victor Yalom, founder of Psychotherapy.net joins the Systemic Way in a conversation about developing your best therapeutic self. We hear about his experiences of becoming a therapist, creating Psychotherapy.net and also tips on developing a more dynamic, authentic self so that you can better connect with and support your clients along their therapeutic journey. Being self-aware, comfortable sitting with difficult emotions, and truly present for our clients are essential skills that cannot be learned from books and classes. Yet these are key to forming strong therapeutic alliances and promoting meaningful growth and change.Dr Victor Yalom shares his ideas on continuing professional development beyond the books whether you’re an established clinician with years of experience or a new practitioner just starting out. www.psychotherapy.net

In this episode, Julie and Sezer speak with Gwyn Daniel about her connection to politics and systemic thinking and how she navigates the two in the systemic community. Gwyn talks about gender, power, class and geography in this rich and insightful episode.Gwyn Daniel is a Systemic Family Therapist, Trainer, Clinical Supervisor  and co-founder of the Oxford Family Institute. She has authored or co-authored many professional books and articles and we welcome Gwyn back to talk to us about this important topic.