Course overview

This interactive 2-day workshop is designed for practitioners and helpers who are new to family therapy and systemic approaches. It explores the history of family therapy and systems approaches, outlines the main therapeutic frameworks and modalities, and introduces the foundational skills needed to work systemically with clients.

What you’ll learn

By completing this workshop, you will be able to:

• Understand the underlying history, theory and key principles of systemic family therapy 
• Shift from an individual focus to a relational and systemic understanding of client presentations 
• Begin to develop a systemic assessment and case formulation 
• Decide when family sessions are suitable and useful 
• Recognise common family interaction patterns 
• Identify potential ethical and other challenges associated with this work 
• Apply foundational systems-based interventions. 

Who should attend

Counsellors, social workers, psychologists, family support workers and other helpers who are new to family therapy and systemic approaches. 

Course structure

This interactive 2-day workshop combines presentations, case discussions and practical exercises to introduce family therapy and systemic approaches. Across 14 hours, you will explore key frameworks and practise foundational skills for working with families. 

About the presenters

Jeff Roberts is a clinical educator and facilitator at Relationships Australia Victoria and has developed and delivered a wide range of training workshops and programs specialising in leadership development, coaching, therapeutic modalities, workplace psychosocial risk management and vicarious trauma. Jeff is also a registered clinical psychologist with over 35 years of experience working in the mental health industry in a variety of hospital and community settings as well as a lecturer at Monash University in Masters programs.

Simone Young is a couples therapist and group facilitator with 20 years’ experience in community services and private practice. As Senior Program Facilitator at Relationships Australia Victoria, she delivers couples counselling training and oversees the Clinical Internship program. Simone is a PACFA-registered clinical counsellor and holds a Master of Clinical Family Therapy from the Bouverie Centre, La Trobe University. 

Enrolment and course access

When you register, you will be directed to our secure payment gateway to finalise your enrolment. Once payment is received, a new account will be created for you in our Learning Management System (Moodle), where course details and resources will be available.

Please note:

• Registrations close 48 hours before the event
• Workshops must be paid for at least 2 business days before the training date
• If paying by invoice, proof of payment must be provided at least 24 hours before the workshop.

See our Training Workshops Cancellation Statement (PDF, 1MB) for full policy details.

Technical requirements

To participate in the online workshop, you’ll need access to:

• A desktop or laptop computer
• Reliable internet connection
• Headphones (recommended)
• Microphone and speakers
• A built-in or external webcam.

Contact us

For further details or questions, please contact our Centre for Learning and Innovation:

Phone: (03) 8573 2222

Email: [email protected]