Why do we need a European Chamber of Training Institutes?

Over the past years we have witnessed the field of Family Therapy in Europe evolve into a strong scientific modality encompassing increasing diversity. This process has contributed to the founding of a substantial number of family therapy training institutes. The prospect of promoting further enriching developments through the networking of institutes emerges.

What are our challenges?

1. Legislation: anticipating the inevitable development of laws by national governments regarding training and the practice of psychotherapy we need to be ready on the European level with a broad consensus respecting the diversity and creativity of training in our field. We will then be in a strong position to negotiate.

2. Training in Training: the many diverse training approaches developed throughout Europe offer a major resource for experiential learning through the professional and human transaction among trainers. We aim at creating a structured process of interchange where we, as trainers, learn from each other and thereby contribute to the maturing of our profession of training as a whole.

3. Sharing Specialists’ Expertise: colleagues from European training institutes have developed high levels of expertise in specific areas of our field. We wish to regularly organise events across Europe where the acquisition and sharing of this expertise will be enhanced.

4. Exchange of Students: freedom of working all over Europe demands experience in training in institutes of other European countries. We hope to co-ordinate a framework of exchange to facilitate students’ experience through their immersion in training activities of other institutes.

5. Research: with current pressure for evidence-based practice and our own need to monitor the effectiveness of training programmes, it is crucial that we share evidence and, where possible, co-ordinate research efforts. Furthermore, a unified Europe increases our need for research in cross-cultural processes regarding family dynamics, therapy and training.

6. Internet Newsletter: the access of information on the activities of the Chamber is of importance. A newsletter available through our internet web page will be developed providing an ongoing forum for the sharing of ideas and experiences.

The programme of the EFTA Training Institutes Chamber will be best served through co-operation between our Chamber (TIC) and the Chambers of Individual Members (CIM) and National Organisations (NFTO) - a cooperation respecting mutual autonomy and interdependence. To achieve these challenging and exiting goals, let us all - the Family Therapy Training Institutes of Europe - join together and make EFTA-TIC a creative and rewarding reality.