Chiara Santin

Systemic and Family Psychotherapist, Systemic Supervisor and Trainer

I am an Italian national and lived in UK since 1998. I have attained a first class Social Science and Psychology Degree in 2002 from the University of Brighton after which I trained as a systemic and family psychotherapist. I am a UKCP registered systemic and Family Psychotherapist since 2008 and fully qualified systemic supervisor since 2012.

I have been a professional training tutor and lecturer at the Institute of Family Therapy, and the Tavistock and Portman NHS Trust in London for 5 years where I taught the foundation course. I am a visiting lecturer for the Institute of Psychiatry, London, delivering seminars on systemic theories and practice for Master level students and act as an external examiner for vivas at diploma and master level at the Tavistock.

I have worked in a statutory agency for 10 year developing a dual expertise in social care and systemic psychotherapy using and promoting a systemic approach to working with children and families at high risk who have experienced various forms of abuse, domestic violence, trauma and severe disruptions to their early family attachments. I am part of a project to develop systemic practice and systemic supervision to transform social care services in Camden through the Tavistock.

In the last 3 years I have been developing a specialist expertise in providing post adoption therapeutic support to traumatised children and their adoptive families under the Post Adoption Agency within East Sussex County Council. In particular I offer tailor made packages of support to families including systemic life story work, family bereavement, trauma work, work on family attachments, and tailor-made parenting support. I also provide adoption support for another adoption agency i.e. PACT in Brighton.

I have been trained in NVR (non-violent resistance) and run a pilot project for adoptive parents and families where child to parent violence is a feature. I have completed a specialized training in EMDR (Eye Movement desensitization and reprocessing), a highly effective treatment for trauma.

I have extensive experience in group leading having worked with young people and mothers with low self-esteem, in adult learning and professional organizations. I have been a systemic consultant to two children’s homes in East Sussex for 4 years providing basic systemic training, agency consultations and individual supervision. I also led personal and professional development groups for professionals, I provide supervision and training in systemic theories and skills.

I am a national Rep for the local Association of Family Therapy, which promotes systemic thinking and practice, networking in the local professional community through organizing regular one-day workshops. I am currently the lead for organizing the annual national conference in Brighton in September 2016. I am a panelist of CRED, the accreditation body for the Association of Family Therapy for foundation courses in systemic practice in UK.

I have published seven papers on the national Family Therapy magazine, Context from 2008 to date and a paper has been accepted on the Journal of Human systems. I have presented at several national and European conferences.