Be a Family Therapist
See the family differently. Create meaningful change. Become a more authentic therapist.
2027 Certificate in Multigenerational Family Therapy
This 12-day intensive certificate programme introduces a multigenerational approach to family therapy. Participants will learn to work with families across generations, engage children and adolescents, support couples and parents, mobilise extended-family resources, and use themselves effectively as therapists.
The programme combines teaching, demonstrations, case discussions, experiential learning, skills practice and supervision.
Who is this for?
The certification programme in family therapy is suitable for clinical psychologists, social workers, psychiatrists, counsellors, mental health practitioners or educators who are currently practising counselling/therapy and have the interest to cultivate skills in working with families. This program is also suitable for final-year, counselling and psychology masters students.
More about the programme
The certification programme is conducted through in-person classes and online sessions, encompassing the following:
In-person classes
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Module 1: 1 to 4 May 2027
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Module 2: 7 to 10 Aug 2027
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Module 3: 30 Oct - 2 Nov 2027
Venue: AFTC @ Publika
Group Supervision
8 sessions,
2 hours per session
By the end of the programme, participants will be better equipped to:
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See families through a multigenerational lens
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Understand developmental and relational patterns
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Engage children, adolescents, parents and couples
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Use relational questions, reframing and enactment, and other skills
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Mobilise family strengths and support networks
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Recognise and manage their own responses
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Integrate clinical thinking, therapeutic action and use of self
Programme Outline
Module 1: Seeing the Family Across Generations
Learn to understand presenting problems within the wider family and relational context.
Topics include:
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Three-generation family systems
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Therapeutic genograms
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Family myths, legacies and invisible loyalties
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Family life-cycle transitions
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Alliances, coalitions, triangles and boundaries
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Relational questions and case formulation
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Cultural considerations in Malaysia
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Experiential methods using space, movement and objects
Module 2: Doing Multigenerational Family Therapy
Develop practical skills for entering the family system and creating therapeutic movement.
Topics include:
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Engaging children and adolescents
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Working with parents and couples
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Intergenerational couple therapy
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Enactment, metaphor and reframing
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Working with conflict and emotional intensity
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Mobilising grandparents and extended family
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Network therapy and community resources
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Family resilience and forgotten relationships
Module 3: The Therapist as an Instrument
Explore how your personal history, emotional responses and professional patterns influence your work with families.
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Topics include:
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The self of the therapist
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Authenticity and therapeutic presence
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Over-identification, rescuing and taking sides
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Working with anger, grief, trauma and anxiety
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Recognising therapeutic impasses
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Structuring therapy from assessment to ending
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Ethics and clinical integration
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Practicum and live consultation, where possible
Eight Monthly Group supervision
​Following the training modules, participants will receive ongoing supervision to integrate theory, clinical practice and use of self.​
Meet Your Facilitators
Darrel Lourdes K.B.; P.A.
Darrel Lourdes is the Managing Director of the Andolfi Family Therapy Centre and a certified Multigenerational Family Therapist, trained by the world-renowned family therapist Professor Maurizio Andolfi. Since 2020, he has continued his professional development under Professor Andolfi’s clinical supervision.
Darrel holds a Master’s in Counselling from HELP University (Malaysia), a Graduate Diploma in Multigenerational Family Therapy from the Family Therapy Academy (Italy), and a Certificate in Family Therapy from the Delta Clinic (Australia). Since 2023, he has also been teaching family therapy through live consultations for psychiatric interns at Universiti Putra Malaysia.
Before becoming a therapist, Darrel spent over 20 years in Human Resources, holding leadership positions at Intel and Shell. He lived and worked in the Netherlands for five years, completed international assignments in the United States, Hong Kong, China, Costa Rica and the Philippines, and was the Human Resource Director at Shell Malaysia before pursuing his passion for family therapy.
Articles and blogs by Darrel:
Expanding Family Therapy in Indonesia
Learning from the Source: Why Live Supervision Matters