Context magazine
In this edition
Editorial
Editorial – Mark Chidgey and Jo George
Feature articles
Kinship and community: Harnessing the power of family group conferencing for children in care – Alexandra Benyon
Heart and hope: The meaning of home for children and young people in foster care – Andrea Warman
Holding onto hope, talking and being with heart. Towards building home: Centring narratives of gain and moving away from narratives of loss – Shakila Emmanuel and Anees Fatima Hakim
From herd to community: How horses inspire hopeful journeys in residential childcare – Deborah Judge
Exploring art-making in therapeutic group work with unaccompanied, asylum-seeking, young men – Lucy Gorell Barnes
Complex caring systems: Systemic work within residential childcare – Abi Jordan and Samantha Hogan
Having to be systemic to survive: Personal and professional stories of being in care – a conversation – Susan Crawford and Mark Chidgey
Be-longing – Emma Palmer
The sleeping giant: Working systemically with sleep issues – Christy Reynolds
Reports and reviews
EFTA-NFTO Norway: Family therapy and systemic practice in Norway – Lennart Lorås
Looking back and forwards – Gillian Petrie
Association news
About Context
Context is the Association for Family and Systemic Psychotherapy (AFSP)’s well-respected bi-monthly magazine. It’s a valued, accessible, user-friendly resource and forum for qualified family and systemic psychotherapists, students and other health professionals interested in systemic practice.
The magazine is packed with news and views on the issues that matter to professionals working with families, adults and children in a therapeutic environment. A space to share and stimulate therapeutic ideas, it features the latest events, publications, training, conferences and workshops.
Accessing Context
Context is included with AFSP membership. Full, retired and student members can access digital versions of previous issues back to 2010 below, and have the option to receive new issues in the post. Those with free student memberships can only access digital copies.
Non-members can subscribe to receive print copies of Context. This costs £55 per year if you live in the UK or £79 if you live overseas.
You can also buy individual issues. Digital versions cost £7.50. Print versions cost £11.50 if you live in the UK or £15.50 if you live overseas.
If you haven’t received a copy of Context you should have received in the post, please let us know within 1 month so we can send you another copy.
Writing for Context
Interesting in writing an article for the magazine? We welcome views on family and systemic psychotherapy from everyone, regardless of where you are in your career or what your background is.
Back issues
Contents snapshot
Editorial – Brian Cade
Words are not trivial: Taking care with language – Mark Hayward
Facilitating a staff support group for an older adult community mental health team – Claire Lee
Dialogical writing in supervision – Rachel Ames and Beth Ruffell
The beginnings of what was to become a major development in the field – Brian Cade
Working privately: A shy story – Maggie Usher
The GRACES and Brexit – Vince Hesketh
Bringing systemic thinking and ideas to mental health liaison work – Shagufta Balquis
Daniel, G. (2019) Family Dramas: Intimacy, Power and Systems in Shakespeare’s Tragedies. Abingdon: Routledge – Reviewed by Sara Barratt
AFT conference, Newcastle, 19-20 September 2019 in association with AFT North East
- Reflections on and in the landscapes of practice: A participant’s thoughts from the AFT 2019 national conference in Gateshead – Steve Harrison
- The AFT conference first-timer – Laura Lane
- Acknowledging the climate emergency: Lunchtime meeting at the AFT conference – Catherine Allen
- Reflecting on the research tapestry – Joy Bates
Parenting a child with ‘diabulimia’: An interpretative phenomenological analysis – Fiona Kennon
Markovic, D. (2017) Working With Sexual Issues in Psychotherapy: A Practical Guide Using A Systemic Social Constructionist Framework. London: Palgrave Macmillan – Reviewed by Jim Sheehan
AFT news
Contents snapshot
Editorial – Yoko Totsuka and Sylvia Metzer
Initial family meetings in adult mental health – Derek Batten, Ryan Holmes, Lucy Hickey and Maeve Malley
Family interventions in the Sheffield Early Intervention Service – Kevin Simmons and Diane Morrison
Challenges and observations working with adult eating disorders patients and their families – Marilyn Brennan and Sylvia Metzer
Who’s driving your life? A group for adults with eating disorders – Ian Lea
The masks we wear in friendships: A systemic therapy and dramatherapy group for adults with learning disabilities – Paul Kimber and Laura Blatherwick
NewDAy, an innovation project: Bringing systemic ideas to working with domestic violence in a child protection context – Rebecca Infanti-Milne and Lee Walton
“Hearing my story”: Collaborative teaching of narrative therapy with an expert-by-experience – Matt Selman
Managing risk and making connections in independent practice: Aspens 2020 conference – Gretchen Siglar and Penney Hames
AFT news
Contents snapshot
Reflections on the Covid-19 pandemic – John Hills
Uncertain times and certainty – Joanne Hipplewith
Editorial – Joanne Hipplewith and John Hills
Meeting each other: Improvisation and a generous spirit – Jim Wilson
Coming ‘together’ in a family therapy clinic as trainees – Vicky Bristow-Smith, Simone Doffoh, Melissa Nicholas and Eszter Szabo
On both sides of the wall – Henry Cockburn
The tactics of mistake – on being pushed and pulled – David Steare
Thinking about engagement and joining with asylum seeking and refugee families – Matthew Hodes
Engaging and being – Gill Wyse
Engaging clients through re-engaging ourselves – Hendrix Hammond and Derek Nasseri
Working together across country lines: Cultural familiarity and unfamiliarity in both professional and personal contexts – Joanne Hipplewith
Engaging those with complex trauma through ‘belonging’ – Michelle Newman Brown
Reflections of joining from boy to man to therapist: Influenced by a Joiner – John Cavanagh
Growing old disgracefully and working with the disgracefully old: Significant landmarks in the ‘unexplored territory’ of older adulthood – Melanie Shepherd and John Hills
Jones, V & Haydon-Laurelut, M. (eds.) (2019) Working with People with Learning Disabilities: Systemic Approaches. London: Red Globe Press. Book review by Joanne Hipplewith
From ‘joining’ to ‘social distancing’ – John Cavanagh
Lennox Thomas, 1952 – 2020
Annie thinks about ways of using online continued professional training
Branching out: Oxford and Chiltern AFT branch update – Shona Reed-Purvis and Sarah Coles
AFT news
Contents snapshot
Editorial – Ged Smith
Ways of working during the COVID-19 crisis – Sarah Helps, Conny Kerman and Carol Halliwell
The good enough family therapist: We may choose to be family therapists but not necessarily in circumstances of our choosing – Amy Urry
The Dillington conference – family therapy learning jewel in the South West – Richard Clarke
Exploring human and societal connection to the climate crisis through the lens of systemic theory – Beki Brain
Islamophobia – a systemic perspective: Unpacking prejudices and assumptions – Nasif Nijabat
Dr Strangeloop or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Mindfulness – Davy Evans
“Systemic suitcases, storms and smooth sailing”: Some of my experiences of supervising a family therapy team in a CAMHS disability service – Rachel Ames
Groups in family therapy – Ged Smith and Richard Curtis
The situation is hopeless but not serious: A tribute to Steve Bennett – Gary Robinson
Reflexive positioning as a tool for organisational change: Systemic approaches to implementing outcome measurement – Rob Whittaker and Chloe Lack
Spotlight on the AFT office
Report of the Directors and Unaudited Financial Statements for the Year Ended 31 December 2019 for The Association for Family Therapy (a Company Limited by Guarantee)
45th AGM agenda
Minutes of the 44th AGM of The Association for Family Therapy and Systemic Practice held on Thursday 19th September at the Hilton Hotel, Newcastle, NE8 2AR from 5.30pm to 6.45pm
Acting chair report
Chief executive officer report
Treasurer’s report for the 2020 AGM reporting on the financial year ending 31 December 2019
Journal of Family Therapy report
Branch reports
AFT news
The Association for Family Therapy (AFT) Proxy form for the AGM to be held on Monday 19 October
Contents snapshot
Editorial – Pete Brown
“You cannot pour from an empty cup”: Self-care in continuing personal and professional development – Gerrilyn Smith
The Breakfast Club: A journey of peer supervision and mutual care – Mark Dumbrill, Jason Maldonado-Page and Lottie Scull
Am I responsible for all this? From individualising to re-responsibilising NHS organisations – Rachel Dean and Sarah Coles
A journey of self-care discovery – Rachel Samuel
Towards positions of positive delinquency – Pete Brown
Why self-care in education is a three-dimensional process and how therapeutic supervision can benefit all professionals involved – Linda Hafez
Looking after ourselves at work: Embracing the principles of non-violent resistance as a method of self-care – Luke Cousins, Mark Batterham and Ramon Wilson
“Physician, [first] heal thyself…” Have we lost the art of practitioner self-care? – Charlene Amey
Tales from the dark side: Prison nursing, burn-out and the dilemmas of organisational care and self-care – Francesca Antoncino
Is this systemic? Navigating occupational risk as a newly qualified family therapist – Deirdre Finneran
The resilient practitioner: Self-care strategies for helping professionals – Pete Brown
Working in teams: Developing “We-dentity” – Jo Culver, Bruce Kissell, Mike O’Connor, Tim Roberts and Sara Skoglund
An antidote to despair: Narrative therapy and burnout – Matt Selman
“Being kind to yourself is one of the greatest kindnesses” said the mole: Twelve questions about self-care using a non-violent resistance framework – Nicky Maund and Lydia Stafford
The cost of caring – Christiane Sanderson
AFT’s webinar programme – bringing continuing professional development to you: A student review – Sezer Fahri and Becky Midlane
Branching out – Isle of Wight
AFT committee annual reports
AFT news
Self-care activities
Contents snapshot
Editorial – Phil Arthington and Rhonda Mitchell
Bringing up baby – the power of a script in infant mental health – Helen Vincent
Mighty oaks from little acorns grow: Why beginnings matter – Phil Arthington
Co-creating a ‘context of love’: How video can help increase confidence and compassion in our relationships – Helen Gibson
“Seeing the wood and the trees”: Repositioning attachment within a dialogical discourse – Rhonda Mitchell
Conceiving, gestating and starting to deliver ‘baby family therapy’ services – Michael Galbraith
When beginnings look different to what we had planned – the impact of becoming a father to a premature child – Carmel Gould
Family therapy in perinatal mental health: A practical approach to using systemic ideas within a developing perinatal mental health service – Abigail Kent
To begin and how to begin: Seeking the ‘pattern which connects’ in working systemically with resettled refugee families – Mona-Karina Theodosius
“It isn’t what’s said, it’s what’s not said; what says it all” – Lemn Sissay (2016) – Nicola Herring
Working systemically with high conflict parents: Encapsulating basic systemic ideas through a process of change – Joanne Jackson and Shadi Shahnavaz
Beginnings: On being and becoming a family therapist – Marianne Le Coyte Grinney, Paula Edgington and Sam Wild
AFT webinar series: Working Online with Families – presented by Sarah Helps, 9 September 2020 – Reviewed by Amanda Hess
AFT webinar series: Insights from the Reducing Parental Conflict Programme – presented by Emily Ingle, 20 August 2020 – Reviewed by Kam Kaur
AFT webinar series: BLACK Lives Matter: Let’s Talk about Race – Sharon Bond and Nigel Jacobs in conversation, 19 August 2020 – Reviewed by Victoria Sharman
Branching out: AFT Hull and East Riding branch c dreams, aspirations and activity of a new AFT branch – Charlotte Cosquer
Screens and teams in systemic psychotherapy: Beginnings, evolution, legitimacy – from the clinic room to professional affairs talk – Lorraine Davies-Smith, Gill Goodwillie and Tracey Woodcock, on behalf of AFT
AFT news
Also of interest
Advertise with us
Advertise in Context to reach over 3,000 engaged family and systemic psychotherapy professionals and students in training.
Contribute to Context
We’re always looking for contributions to the magazine. Read our guide to find out how you can write for Context.