Proposal for a European Masters in Family Therapy

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Proposal for a European Masters in Family Therapy

• Jim Sheehan Per Jensen

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Purposes and Functions of a European Masters in
Family Therapy

• For EFTA
• To strengthen the identity of Family Therapy in
  Europe
• To have a recognisable award structure that does
  justice to the strength of European family
  therapy
• To develop the profile of EFTA within European
  institutions providing family therapy education,
  training and service

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Purposes and Functions of a European Masters in
Family Therapy

• For Individual Professionals in Training
• To obtain an award at a significant level that is
  recognisable across Europe
• To build links and bonds with student colleagues
  from other parts of Europe through shared
  training experiences
• An opportunity to obtain a richer and more
  diversified training experience by receiving some
  of their training in other European training
  centres

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Purposes and Functions of a European Masters in
Family Therapy

• For EFTA Training Institutes
• An opportunity to receive a greater variety of
  students from other parts of Europe into their
  programmes for planned modules
• An opportunity to provide a richer training
  experience for their own students and
  trainers/faculty

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The Design of an Award of European Masters in
Family Therapy

• EFTA could contract with either one European
  University or a number of European Universities
  for the provision of the award of
• European Masters in Family Therapy
• EFTA could develop a consortium of Award
  providers from European Universities already
  providing family therapy education at Masters
  level.

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Possible Values Underpinning a European Masters
in Family Therapy

• The operation of a European Masters in Family
  Therapy might be underpinned by
• An Ethic of Hospitality
• Of individuals towards other individuals
• Of institutes and institutions to other
  institutes
• Of teachers to other teachers
• Of knowledges to other knowledges
• Of languages to other languages
• Of training traditions to other training
  traditions

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A European Family Therapy Association Membership
for Students

• A small registration fee for the European Masters
  might entitle individuals to a Student Membership
  of EFTA and receipt of a Website Newsletter for
  Students
• EFTA might set up online professional chat rooms
  for students to dialogue in different languages.

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A Model of Operation of a European Masters in
Family Therapy

• Currently the criteria set for psychotherapy
  training in Europe is that it is a postgraduate,
  part-time training of no less than 4 years
  duration and students are required to undertake
  no less than 1600 hours training in total with
  specified minimum numbers of hours to be
  completed in each of the following
• (a) supervised clinical practice
• (b) the theory and methodology of
  psychotherapy, and
• (c) personal psychotherapy exercises

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A Model of Operation of a European Masters in
Family Therapy

• One model for the awarding of a European Masters
  in family therapy might be that a student would
  successfully complete no less than 150 (and no
  more than 200) hours of training in no less than
  3 different training institutes in countries
  other than that in which they are training.
  Universities or Institutes wishing to participate
  in the European Masters would be asked to design
  one or more 50 hour training modules which they
  would open to European Masters candidates.
  Students would

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A Model of Operation of a European Masters in
Family Therapy

• be required to undertake one of these modules per
  year in each of the final three years of their
  training. The assessment of students in these
  training modules would be the responsibility of
  the host institution and they would communicate
  student results both to the individual and the
  individuals home training institution who would
  be responsible for monitoring each individuals
  progress towards satisfactory completion of the
  four-year training.

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A Model of Operation of a European Masters in
Family Therapy

• The criteria for these modules - content areas,
  design, assessment procedures - would be set by a
  wing of EFTA

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A Model of Operation of a European Masters in
Family Therapy

• In terms of training hours students proceeding
  towards the European Masters in Family Therapy
  would not have to undertake any additional hours
  training than those required for gaining the
  Masters award from their own home-based
  institution. The extra piece that would make
  them eligible for the European Masters would be
  the undertaking of 3 training blocks in 3
  different European countries than their own.

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Proposal for a Curriculum for a European Masters
in Family Therapy

• Before a European Masters in Family Therapy could
  be awarded students would have to satisfy the
  awarding University that their 4-year
  postgraduate training in Family Therapy included
  the following modules or their equivalents

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Proposal for a Curriculum for a European Masters
in Family Therapy

• Module Group A Foundational Understanding
• Module I Theory of Science and Systemic
  Foundational Understanding
• Module II Theories of the Family
• Module III Systemic Practice and Method

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Proposal for a Curriculum for a European Masters
in Family Therapy

• Module Group B
• Theories of the Family and Systemic Practice
• Module IV Knowledge about the Family and Family
  Therapy
• Module V Methodical Work with Families and Larger
  Systems, and Work with Special Problems and
  Problem Contexts
• Module VI Interaction Between Professionals
• Module VII Research Methodology and Construction
  of a Research Proposal

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Proposal for a Curriculum for a European Masters
in Family Therapy

• Module Group C
• Depth Understanding and Method
• Module VIII Introduction to Quantitative and
  Qualitative Research
• Module IX Masters Thesis Seminar
• Module X Masters Thesis

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Proposal for a Curriculum for a European Masters
in Family Therapy

• Module Group D
• Practice and Supervision
• Module XI Clinical Practice at Masters Level
• Module XII Clinical Supervision

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Proposal for a Curriculum for a European Masters
in Family Therapy

• Module Group E
• Personal Development and Relational Context
• Module XIII Participation in Personal/Professional
  Development Groups

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Financing of a European Masters in Family Therapy

• What level of fees would a candidate have to pay
  for registering with the University granting a
  European Masters?
• Who would pay for the modules taken away from
  home by the student? Would the student pay?
  Would the students home institution pay in lieu
  of the fact that the student was not undertaking
  complete training in their own institution?
• Might some funding organ within the EU be found
  to support student travel and accommodation to
  some degree?