‘Systemic Ideas in Social Work: Toward Relational Practice’

This presentation was held on a conference of the project „STEP“. The project „STEP“ has been

funded with support from the European Commission.

This publication [communication] reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be

held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.

‘Systemic Ideas in Social Work: Toward Relational Practice’

Tracey Johnston, Senior Social Worker/Counsellor/Family Therapist in training

&Peter Robinson, Psychotherapist

InSyT (Scotland)

Plan• Introductions.• Aims. A celebration.• What is InSyT?• Importance of Systemic Practice Groups.• What is Systemic? Time for the Gay Gordon’s.• Questionnaire findings.• Interview with a ‘systemic’ social worker.• In what ways are questionnaire findings

meaningful?• Reflective discussion.• Questions.

Peter Robinson, Psychotherapist

Peter Robinson, PsychotherapistPeter Robinson, Psychotherapist

What is InSyT?InSyT is the Institute of Systemic and Family Therapies

(Scotland). It is consortium of systemic psychotherapists who provide:

- training, - supervision, - consultation and - Therapy/intervention in systemic practice approaches including solution-

focused, CBT, collaborative and narrative ways of practicing.

Peter W Robinson, PsychotherapistPeter W Robinson, Psychotherapist

InSyT courses and eventsLongCourses:PQ FoundationPQ Certificate

Systemic Practice Groups

LocalWorkshops- Resilience and Recovery.

National Workshops- Working with Multi-Problem families.

Short Courses: - Systemic Skills in Social Work

- Systemic Supervision in Social Work

Systemic Supervision Groups

- Systemic Practice in Child Protection.

- The ‘Audacity of Hope’.- Supporting the Child in Placement.

-Challenging Exclusion.

- Practical Ideas for Effective Supervision.

-Working with Self-harm.

Possibilities: InSyT’sClinical Arm

ConsultationGroupsMultifamily groups

- Systemic Practice in Adult Mental Health.

- The Vulnerable Adult.

-When Bullying Takes Its Grip.

- Enhancing the Space-Between.

What is Systemic?

• Basic idea: People are connected in recursive relationships.

• What one person does has an effect on other people in the system as well as on relationships.

• Systemic practice is also about the relationship between our stories, ideas and beliefs and their impact on how we relate to one another and the potential possibilities we have in the world.

• Contexts give meaning.



What is Systemic?

• The Gay Gordon’s

Systemic PracticeHas changed in response to historical, political and cultural context changes. AMT.

• Systemic Practice is about people. • Systemic Practice is relational. EG our relationship to the problem. Problem-determined systems.

• Systemic practice addresses issues of power and ethics:

Social GRRAACCEES (Gender, race, religion, age, ability, class, culture, ethnicity, sexuality.)

• Systemic Practice is multi-contextual. CMM - From ‘contexts of failure to ‘contexts of competence’. - Creates contexts that bring forth ie clients strengths rather than sets forth.



Systemic Practice Context

From Latin/Middle English: ‘Contextus’ meaning woven/sewn together or connected.

“Without context there is no meaning.” (Bateson)

“Context is about the process of making connections and co-creating meanings.” (Hedges, 2005)

What is Systemic?Multiple Contexts and the Communication of Meaning -CMM:

Co-ordinated Management of Meaning (Pearce & Cronen, 1991)

Political, Cultural and Societal stories

Neighbourhood stories

Family stories

Relationship stories

Definition of relationship

Self (gender) stories

Episode stories: eg a fight

Behaviour/Speech Act: ways of communicating.Peter Robinson, Psychotherapist


Systemic Practice• Systemic practice is multi-positional (Harre,

2001) and about multiple perspectives and mutual influence.

• Systemic Practice fosters ‘cultures of contribution’.

• Systemic Practice is about creating contexts within which there are ‘possibilities’ for change.

• We believe that Systemic Practice helps social workers help their clients better.


Post-Qualifying Foundation Courses in Systemic Practice and Family Therapy: Course content.

Approaches

Methods

Techniques

From systemic models: Strategic, Structural, Milan, Post-Milan, Solution-Focused and Narrative with a ‘systemic constructionist’ slant.


Resources

Problems

Restraints

Possibilities

(Solutions)

Systemic


Post-Qualifying Foundation Courses in Systemic Practice and Family Therapy

Course: 8 monthsStructure:

Teaching Days

Small ‘practice-based’ tutorial group Days


Post-Qualifying Foundation Courses in Systemic Practice and Family Therapy: Course Evaluation Questionnaires Completed by Social Workers

53 Social Workers from all over Scotland, mainly Central belt.

Level of experience: • Range between 2 to 25 years as social workers. • Most very experienced (in 6 to 14 years range). • Most main grade.• Mainly child and families social workers.

Q. To What extent has Systemic Practice Training improved your skills in: Creating and Maintaining a Collaborative

Relationship with Clients? Number: 53 Social Workers

1 =Not At all 7 = a Great Deal .

Peter Robinson, Psychotherapist, InSyT

0

5

10

15

20

25

1 2 3 4 5 6 7


At the end of the course, what are the most noticeable differences in your practice?

• “I feel that I think about cases differently.”• “I feel relieved at not having to be the

expert.”• “I’m much more positive with clients.”• I consider the wider context and various

hypotheses.”• “I’m always ‘panning for gold’ and remaining

curious.”



• “I’m much more confident and positive with clients. The course has changed my life.”

• “I’m more focused in my practice and more able to engage with my clients in a meaningful way.”

• “I have put down more solid foundations in the way I work.”

• “The systemic methods and techniques are very useful in my day to day work.”

Peter Robinson, Psychotherapist, InSyTPeter Robinson, Psychotherapist, InSyT

Q. To What extent has Systemic Practice Training improved your skills in: undertaking assessments?

Number: 53 Social Workers 1 =Not At all 7 = a Great Deal.

0

5

10

15

20

25

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Mapping the Client System: Relationships

HV John Sally Paediatrician

Police

GP Refuge Social Worker

Andrew Jane

Foster Foster ParentParent Matthew Sharon

Peter Robinson Psychotherapist, InSyT – Institute of

Systemic/Family Therapy (Scotland)

45 39

2222

312

Child Panel



• “In my client work, I take more time to prepare and reflect.”

• “I have noticed that my work is more structured and this seems to help my clients focus more.”

• “I feel that I have more effective tools and techniques to use with clients.”

• “I feel more curious and freed-up.”• “I have a better awareness of what I’m doing

and why.”


Q. To What extent has Systemic Practice Training improved your skills in: developing a better understanding of complex

cases? Number: 53 Social Workers

1 =Not At all 7 = a Great Deal.

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

1 2 3 4 5 6 7



• “I now have more confidence and enthusiasm for my work. The course has re-focussed me.”

• “I have more confidence to experiment and take risks together with service users.”

• “I have found my enthusiasm at work and become unstuck!”

• “I have changed the way I talk with service users. Its made a big difference.”


Q. To What extent has Systemic Practice Training improved your skills in: effectively intervening in complex cases?


0

5

10

15

20

25

1 2 3 4 5 6 7



• “I now have a more holistic and analytical way of working.”

• “Before I struggled to think in a systemic way but now I have the skills to work directly in a systemic manner, I love it!”

• “I take more time to reflect instead of rushing around and feeling useless.”

• “The course has inspired me. I try to use systemic tools at every opportunity.”

• “Both professionals and service users have received this approach positively.”


Q. To What extent has Systemic Practice Training improved your skills in: effectively intervening in routine cases?


0

5

10

15

20

25

1 2 3 4 5 6 7


In Your View, Which Areas of Systemic Practice Training Most Improved Your Effectiveness as a

Practitioner?In order of importance chosen by social workers:• Locating problems in their wider systemic context.• Genograms and transitions.• Circular questioning.• Reflecting practices and reflexivity.• Reframing.• Hypothesising.• Structuring meetings.• Adopting positions of curiosity.• Externalising problems.• Scaling questions.• Use of safe/uncertainty.• Eliciting clients strengths and hopes.• Eliciting client feedback.


Which Areas of Systemic Practice Training Most Improved Your Effectiveness as a Practitioner?

ApproachesLocating problems in their wider systemic context.

Adopting positions of curiosity: use of safe/uncertainty.Reflexivity.

MethodsReflecting practices

Structuring meetings.

TechniquesCircular questioning. Genograms and transitions.

Reframing. Hypothesising. Reflecting.Externalising problems. Scaling questions.

Eliciting clients strengths and hopes.Eliciting client feedback.


What has Facilitated or Thwarted Your Use of Systemic Practice in your agency?

• “I have a lot of work to do and was given no extra time for study.”

• “In work, I don’t get any space to plan and reflect on my practice.”

• “There is little hope of changing the social work department!”

• “I’m going to move to a job where I’ll get more time to practice ‘systemic’ social work.”

• “I have gained more time for systemic practice by relinquishing my management role.”


What has Facilitated or Thwarted Your Use of Systemic Practice in your agency?

• “I plan to attend the monthly Systemic Practice Group to further develop my skills.”

• “My manager is very enthusiastic and interested in my new ideas.”

• “A number of my colleagues have completed the course including my senior who gives me lots of support.”

Scatterplot 6: Showing Strong Correlation between Improvement in Systemic Skills (S 5) and

Improvement in General Case Management Skills (S 4)

Total score for section 4

70605040302010

To

tal s

core

fo

r se

ctio

n 5

80

70

60

50

40

30

20


Questionnaire: Tentative Main Conclusions It appears that Systemic Practice may help social

workers to:• Become relational and more human.• View their clients in multiple ways which opens up

possibilities.• To generally do their jobs better.• Improve their confidence, self-esteem and job

satisfaction by giving them tools that help them become more useful.

• Become less certain, less expert, more curious and; therefore, more effective.

• More research is required.


Interview

Tracey interview social worker regarding systemic practice now a few years after finishing the Foundation course.


Exercise: in threes

In what ways are these findings meaningful, if at all?

From the positions of:Front-line social workerSocial Work Manager.Social Work Client

Each person to talk from one of the above positions to the others about the meaning of these findings and their fears and hopes.


Resources

Problems

Restraints

Possibilities

(Solutions)

SystemicSocial Work

Documents

‘Systemic Ideas in Social Work: Toward Relational Practice’