• Toll free: 1800 258 5772

Queen's University Belfast

Belfast , Northern Ireland ,United Kingdom

Systemic Psychotherapy MSc

Systemic practice and family therapy helps people in close relationships to better understand and support each other. It enables individuals and family members to express and explore difficult thoughts and emotions safely, understand each other’s experiences and views, appreciate each other’s needs, build on family strengths, and work together to make useful changes in their relationships and their lives.

Systemic family therapy has been found to be effective across the life course in helping children, young people, adults, couples and families struggling with a broad range of difficulties and circumstances.

Systemic Practitioners and Family and Systemic Psychotherapists work in many health and social care settings such as children’s services, older people’s services, physical health and disability, substance misuse, justice and mental health services.

Our multidisciplinary Systemic Practice and Family Therapy programmes are suitable for professionally qualified staff who wish to enhance their skills of working with families, couples, individuals, other systems and relationship networks.

There are three levels of systemic practice clinical training: Foundation (PG Certificate), Intermediate (PG Diploma) and Qualifying (MSc Systemic Psychotherapy).

This MSc in Systemic Psychotherapy is designed for those who have completed Intermediate level training and who wish to qualify as a Systemic Family Psychotherapist and achieve full registration as a Family and Systemic Psychotherapist with the UK Council for Psychotherapy.

Campus Information

Belfast

STATE OF THE ART FACILITIES Across health sciences laboratories, business, engineering and computing. Including a financial Trading Room with Bloomberg terminals, interdisciplinary health and life sciences research facilities and innovative engineering hubs.

Intakes

  • Sep

Application Processing Time in Days: 30

Application Process

More Information Required
20 Days
Possible Interview Call from Institution
10 Days
Provisional/Unconditional Offer
10 Days
Visa Process
35 Days

Minimum English Language Requirements

English Level Description IELTS (1.0 -9.0) TOEFL IBT (0-120) TOEFL CBT (0-300) PTE (10-90)
Expert 9 120 297-300 86-90
Very Good 8.5 115-119 280-293 83-86
Very Good 8 110-114 270-280 79-83
Good 7.5 102-109 253-267 73-79
Good 7 94-101 240-253 65-73
Competent 6.5 79-93 213-233 58-65
Competent 6 60-78 170-210 50-58
Modest 5.5 46-59 133-210 43-50
Modest 5 35-45 107-133 36-43
Limited 4 32-34 97-103 30-36
Extremely Limited < 4 < 31 < 93 < 30

Job Opportunity Potential

The Queen’s Careers Team are here to support students and graduates with all aspects of career planning and decision making.

We’ll help you set career goals, communicate your worth to employers and equip you with the skills you need to stand out in the competitive global job market. The skills we help you build, will benefit you forever.

What type of support do we offer?
We can help you with everything from building a career plan to engaging with employers, refining your CV or perfecting an application.

We can also support you to secure placements, work experience or study abroad opportunities. Our diverse range of employability programmes and events are designed in consultation with industry to help you lead, achieve, develop and succeed.

Book a programme or event

SUPPORT FOR GRADUATES
Have you graduated recently? Have a look at our graduate resources, such as recorded webinars from our recent Gradfest events and GradGuides, to help you achieve your personal development goals and enjoy career success.

Access our services
In the below sections, you’ll find online tools and resources to help with your career planning, along with information advice and support on a host of careers-related topics. Can’t find what you need

Take part in an event or programme 
From employer panels to Careers fairs, discover our virtual activities for autumn 2020

Access advice on CVs and Interviews
From writing the perfect cover letter to nailing a virtual interview, we're here to support you through the job application process.

Find a job through MyFuture
Whether you want to find part-time work on campus, an internship or a graduate role, MyFuture is your go-to jobs board.

Develop your employability
We have collated a range of online resources to help you develop and enhance the skills that employers are looking for.

Make your extra-curricular activities count with DegreePlus
Our employability award lets you gain recognition for work-related experience you gain during your time at Queen's.

PSW Opportunity

2 Years PSW is applicable after the course completing (Bachelors level or above)

Admission Requirement / Eligibility Criteria

Graduate
Normally a 2.2 Honours degree or above or equivalent qualification acceptable to the University. Equivalent qualifications include the Pre-2007 Post-Qualifying Award in Social Work. Where this is not met, applicants must show that their experience and qualifications enable them to study at postgraduate level through the uptake of references and through completing a reflective assignment on their practice.

This two year pathway is suitable for applicants with a prior relevant professional qualification in a mental health or social care related discipline or equivalent (e.g. social work, nursing, clinical psychology, psychiatry) working in a range of service settings who wish to become qualified Systemic Family Psychotherapists. The course is accredited at Qualification-level by AFT, a member organisation of the UK Council for Psychotherapy (UKCP). The degree is recognised by the core professions' continuing professional development arrangements. Applicants must have successfully completed Systemic Practice and Family Therapy training accredited by AFT at Foundation and Intermediate levels or equivalent qualification acceptable to the University. Those who have completed the CYP-IAPT (SFP) Practitioners Course are eligible to apply.

Applicants who do not hold one of the designated relevant professional qualifications, but who have completed AFT accredited Intermediate training (or equivalent) and would find the Qualifying level course useful to their work, may be accepted in accordance with the AFT training standards. This is at the discretion of the Programme Director and will be decided in consultation with AFT course requirements. Additional information and a full CV will be required and a discretionary interview may also be undertaken.

Applicants must be able to evidence 200 hours of systemic practice in their own work setting, and have access to suitable systemic supervision by a qualified Systemic Psychotherapist/Supervisor. Where systemic supervision is not available in their place of work, students may access independent systemic supervision to meet this requirement. The Programme Director will provide additional guidance and support in these circumstances.

At least two references will be sought, one of whom must be the student’s current employer. Additional references should be from someone with knowledge of the students’ systemic practice and another from a previous training course.

An individual and group interview constitute part of the selection process for this programme.

Applicants who score above the cut-off point at interview will be ranked in order of their score, and places will then be offered in rank order up to the maximum number of supervised clinical placements available. Any applicants who score above the cut-off point at interview, and who are not ranked sufficiently high to be offered a place, will be kept on a waiting list and will be offered a place (in rank order) if a supervised clinical placement becomes available.

Please note that this programme is only open to applicants who are working as Social Care Professionals within a suitable setting in NI/UK/RoI. Social Work applicants must have a recognised social work qualification and be registered with the Northern Ireland Social Care Council. It is important that Social Work applicants include their NISCC Social Care Registration Number in the Additional Information section of the application form.

English Language Requirements
Evidence of an IELTS score of 6.5, with not less than 5.5 in any component, or an equivalent qualification acceptable to the University is required. Taken within the last 2 years.