The Map of Competencies in Systemic Therapy: A Qualitative Study of the Systemic Competencies in Child and Adolescent Mental Health that Target the Associated Abnormal Psychosocial Situations

The overarching aim of this research project is to identify a comprehensive and detailed
outline of the systemic therapist competences in the Norwegian child and adolescent mental
health (BUP) that target the psychosocial difficulties that are categorized as associated
abnormal psychosocial situations in the multiaxial classification of child and adolescent
psychiatric disorders/axis 5 (ICD-10). The project is based on twelve qualitative in-depth
interviews with six experienced systemic family therapists, fieldwork observations of the
therapists (participants) in practice and an analysis of the Norwegian Directorate of Health’s
guidelines for child and adolescent mental health institutions. The specific research questions
for this research project are:
1. In the context of child and adolescent mental health, what are the different
competences in a systemic family therapy approach that address the associated
abnormal psychosocial situations?
2. What are the legally binding requirements in the Norwegian Directorate of Health’s
(2008) guidelines for child and adolescent mental health?
3. How does systemic family therapy interconnect with the Norwegian Directorate of
Health`s (2008) guidelines for child and adolescent mental health?
Grounded theory (GT) was chosen as the main methodology for this study. During the
analysis, the following six overarching categories were identified: (1): legally binding
requirements; (2) the importance of ethical and contextual awareness in systemic therapy; (3)
the systemic therapist’s stance; (4) therapeutic processes; (5) therapeutic practices; and (6)
session-specific features. Challenges, such as limiting the systemic approach to six
overarching competences, are discussed alongside this study’s strengths and limitations, and
suggestions for future research are presented. The detailed outline of the systemic therapist
competences and the legally binding requirements in the Norwegian Directorate of Health’s
guidelines was compiled into a “map of competences”. The findings show that the legally
binding requirements interconnect and overlap with the identified systemic competences,
although their wording and their inclusion of diagnosis can challenge the systemic ideas of
using a non-pathologizing language. The map of competences is intended to be applied as a
tool for clinical supervision, clinical practice, education and training in family therapy. This
research may also facilitate a “bridge-building process” between mental health and
postmodern systemic ideas.