Why Choosing a Qualified Family and Systemic Psychotherapist Matters — For Every Family

When families struggle — whether it’s conflict between parents, difficult children/teenage behaviour, breakdowns in communication with adult children, long-standing patterns repeating across generations, or overwhelming stress in the home — the question many people ask is:

“Who can help us?”

On the surface, the answer seems simple: Find a therapist who works with families.

But here’s the part most people don’t realise:

In the UK, not everyone is fully qualified to offer family therapy.

Some people use the title without accredited training. Others are trained in something else (clinical psychology, counselling, psychotherapy) and add family therapy ideas, then present themselves as systemic therapists.

And that can be risky.

Because when a practitioner doesn’t have the deep training required, the work can become:

• superficial,

• unsafe,

• misattuned,

• or unintentionally harmful.

• unethical

  
  

This isn’t fear-mongering — it’s about public protection, clarity, and informed choice.

What “Qualified” Actually Means (UK Standards)

A fully accredited Family and Systemic Psychotherapist (as defined by AFT and UKCP) has:

• completed Masters-level, qualifying systemic psychotherapy training,

• gone through supervised clinical practice,

• demonstrated competence working with couples, families, adults, and children,

• and is eligible for registration with UKCP and membership of AFT.

  
  

(Source: AFT Standards & Code of Ethics; UKCP Register)

A Systemic Practitioner, by contrast, has completed intermediate systemic training — valuable, but not equivalent to the full psychotherapy qualification.

And yet many people outside the profession — and even some professionals — don’t understand the difference.

Why This Matters for Every Family

Family and systemic therapy is about working with complex relational systems and other contextual influences, not one-person problems.

A practitioner without rigorous systemic training may:

• treat an adult or a particular person in the family as “the problem” without understanding the larger system they belong to

• impose individual-therapy models that don’t fit relational dynamics

• miss crucial influences like power issues, cultrual influences, gender...etc.

• or fail to recognise generational patterns that need to be addressed together

  
  

A qualified systemic psychotherapist is trained to hold multiple perspectives simultaneously — not just one person’s narrative, but the relational field in which everything happens.

Risk Comes from the Gaps

Here’s what can go wrong when someone with limited systemic training tries to “do family therapy”:

• They may over-focus on one person, creating triangulation or scapegoating

• They may not know how to manage conflict safely in the room

• They may misinterpret behaviour without understanding cultural or relational context and more

• Their intervention maybe focus on the individual instead of facilitating systemic change

• They may unintentionally escalate patterns rather than de-escalate them

  
  

And families often blame themselves afterward when nothing changes —when in fact the issue was the training level, not the family.

What Good Systemic Psychotherapy Looks Like

A properly qualified family/systemic psychotherapist will (not an exhaustive list):

• explore the wider system (family, culture, history, roles, relationships)

• create safety and neutrality in the room

• work with the patterns, not the “problem person”

• help family members understand each others perspective

• notice power dynamics

• use evidence-based systemic models, not a patchwork of techniques

  
  

How to Know If Your Therapist Is Truly Qualified

In Uk, Family and Systemic Psychotherapist is a proctected title, and registration is governed by UKCP.

Ask them directly:

• “What systemic training did you complete?” As mentioned earlier, you need to acehive a Masters level for registration.

• “Are you accredited by AFT or registered with UKCP as a family and systemic psychotherapist?”

• “What models or approaches inform your practice?”

  
  

A qualified practitioner will answer confidently and transparently. If they become vague, defensive, or dismissive — that’s your red flag.

Your family deserves better.

Final Reflection

Whether you’re navigating teenage challenges, couple conflict, estrangement, adult sibling issues, or deep relational wounds — systemic work can be transformative. But only when it’s done by someone with the right training, the right accreditation, and the right relational awareness.

Because family systems are delicate. They deserve the skill of someone who understands them deeply, not someone who has only skimmed the surface.

If you’re looking for relational support delivered with warmth, expertise, and accredited training, you can learn more about how I work with families here:

👉 Work with me

Your family’s story is too important to place in unqualified hands.

Pei-I