Systemic Family Therapy and Non-Violent Resistance (NVR)

Family and systemic psychotherapy (also known as family therapy) can help those in close relationships to better understand and support each other.

Systemic Family Therapy

It enables people to express and explore difficult thoughts and emotions safely, understand each other’s experiences and views, and by working together, make useful changes in their relationships and their lives. Our Family Systemic Psychotherapist can work with children and adults on their own or with other family members. Typically, this involves 6 weekly or fortnightly sessions, the first of which is an initial consultation to find out whether this is the intervention most appropriate for the young person in question and their family.

Please read this leaflet for more information about Systemic Family Therapy (doc. 948KB).

Non-Violent Resistance (NVR)

We do not have groups scheduled at the moment. We run NVR groups for parents and carers following specific requests and commissions by organisations. Groups open to all parents and carers in Suffolk will be advertised here as and when they are scheduled.  If you would like to discuss commissioning an NVR group for your client group, please contact the NVR team at psychology&therapeuticservices@suffolk.gov.uk 

NVR is an innovative form of systemic family intervention, which has been developed for aggressive, violent, controlling, and self-destructive behaviour in young people. It can help parents/carers to re-establish a warm, loving and containing parental presence. NVR has its roots in the socio-political movements created/adopted by leaders such as Mahatma Ghandi and Martin Luther King Jr.

NVR is designed for parents who are experiencing significant difficulties. However, its concepts (such as de-escalation, active resistance, and reconciliation) are useful for everyone.

Please read this leaflet for more information about NVR (PDF, 340KB).

Multi-family groups in school

The use of multi-family groups is intended to support children and young people in schools who are having difficulties with learning because of social, emotional, and mental health difficulties. It is an approach based on education that engages parents and carers and school staff as active partners.

Parents join the groups in schools primarily because they want to help their children change so that they can be happier, achieve better and attend school more consistently. A consequence of attending the group is that relationships and behaviour improve at home as well. Through the collaborative process of the group, parents and carers are encouraged to feel that they are not the problem and that ‘we’, the group, are together in working towards solutions, so that mutual respect and trust can grow between parents and teachers in support of good outcomes for children.

These groups run when commissioned by organisations. If you are interested in commissioning this kind of work for multiple families, please contact please contact the NVR team on psychology&therapeuticservices@suffolk.gov.uk.

Contact details and making a referral

For more details on NVR/Systemic Family Therapy please email psychology&therapeuticservices@suffolk.gov.uk or call 01473 264700.

Before making a referral please view our list of criteria (doc, 20KB).

Please note that we are not able to accept self-referrals from parents or families, all referrals must be made by a professional involved with the family.