What is systemic therapy?

Systemic family therapy is based on an understanding of the importance of the social relationships that take place in the life of every individual.

There are many problems that arise in a person's daily life, such as a bereavement, a rebellious child or children, or an emotional break-up, among many other events. This type of situation blocks the person, causing them to make unsuitable and positive decisions, which is why specialists such as psychologists are often called in.

With the degree in Psychology in Madrid or the degree in Psychology in Valencia at Universidad Europea you will be able to help and provide tools to patients in this type of situation.

Systemic therapy definition

Within the environment in which we live there are several systems to which we belong, the main one being the family nucleus - our colleagues and friends belong to another system. With all of them we interact constantly every day, receiving values, attitudes and ideas that shape our lives over time.

Based on the above, a person, as a member of a system, ends up acting according to what surrounds them. In other words, they act and behave according to certain influences. Systemic therapy seeks to identify and diagnose the different relationships within a system to understand a person's individual behaviour. It does not treat the person in isolation but considers that the way we are depends in a certain way on what we learn in the systems with which we have a relationship from childhood to adulthood.

Family systems therapy techniques

Psychologists working with systemic therapy techniques must recreate something like a "family map" where they can see the different forms of connection between family members, using various tools, including:

• Circular questions in sessions to probe the situation.
• Introducing new elements with "miracle questions". For example, the family member is asked to answer what would happen if there was a miracle and the problem disappeared.
• Positive reformulation, trying to transform the negative charge with which a family member has been labelled.

Types of systemic therapy

These are some of the types of systemic family therapy carried out by psychologists in the clinic.

• Brief strategic therapy: focuses on the diagnosis and resolution of the problem without altering or making modifications to the family group.
• Structural family therapy: focused on the structure of the family, i.e. the roles and limits that a family has.
• Multigenerational family therapy: studies the forms of behaviour and the different conflicts that are transmitted from generation to generation.
• Narrative family therapy: this therapy is based on the fact that the stories that families create about themselves end up influencing their beliefs and developing certain behaviours.

How to become a therapist?

Professionals working in the field of systemic family therapy are mainly therapists or clinical psychologists with specialised training in the field or experience with family therapy. This type of specialist has received specific training, techniques and tools to be able to carry out this type of therapy.

To begin their training, the majority of those therapist will have studied a degree in Psychology, such as the ones offered by Universidad Europea, before going on to study more specialised programmes at master's level and beyond.

If you choose to study in Madrid or in Valencia, you will receive the most up-to-date training at some of the finest facilities of any private university in Spain. With an academic model based on experiential learning, throughout the four-year degree, you will carry out more than 600 hours of internships, working alongside experienced professionals in clinics and other external centres and helping treat real patients. 

In addition, you will also have access to facilities such as our simulated hospital and psychosocial assistance centre, where you will work alongside students from other programmes in the medical field, replicating a multi-disciplinary approach you’ll experience in the real world once you complete your degree.