This section of the forallthat web-site was originally to link you to papers from the conference in Stirling in March 2000, "Connections in Practice". Now it also carries any other material on the themes of Demystification and Systemic Practice. This website, Forallthat, and the (initially Scottish) Systemic Practice Network was conceived and coordinated by Nick Child. Nick hopes that his settling into relative retirement will see things becoming more active now!

One broad and simple definition of Systemic Practice is: 'any way of working that aims to bring out, share, and respect the views and stories of all involved, so to integrate a constructive way forward'.

That covers a lot of human and professional activities, doesn't it?! And that's a key point - they are all derived from universal ordinary human life and activity. Characteristically it describes Family Therapy. But there are several meanings to the term. Click to find out More Meanings of Systemic Practice.

It is in the nature of demystification and Systemic Practice that there will be a network without institutional structure. The internet is perfect for it! There should be lots of web-pages and email networks - please let Nick know of other web-pages, list coordinators, and material to link to. To join this Systemic Practice Network, please email Nick at: nick.child@virgin.net. You will then get intermittent emails updating you about forallthat and informing you of relevant events, publications and developments on "all that"!

As well as the papers and materials here from Stirling in 2000, there are now other articles here. Please suggest others and see the links to other websites page. Recently family therapists themselves have done the impossible and written detailed manuals of the method in a way that needs no demystifying. Go to Leeds Family Therapy & Research Team website if you want to download for free a full, close up, "manual" account of what is both good ordinary systemic practice and of specialist Systemic Family Therapy (SFT). But please email them where invited to feedback to them what you do with it.

The Potential of Systemic Practice . . . . Holding the Line: Social Work Now: Bernadette Docherty . . . . Workshop Feedback . . . . Alasdair Macdonald: SFT in Social Work . . . . What Next?. . . . Systemic Practice: Fitting and Teaming Up. . . . Family Therapy:The Rest of the Picture. . . . More Meanings of Systemic Practice

nick.child@virgin.net