Recognised Prior Learning

The FSI activities that count as Recognised Prior Learning (RPL) options towards the Advanced Certificate or Certificate in Family Systems include:

Workshops / Reading and Discussion Groups
Family of Origin Research Groups (Year 1 and Year 2 groups)
Family Systems Clinical Supervision Groups (Year 1 and Year 2 groups)

Each of these activities are open for registration to anyone and do not require you to be enrolled in a Certificate program. You can register for any of these activities as a one off activity, or over time as you do more, gather RPL hours for credit towards enrolling in an FSI Certificate Program.

How does ‘Recognised Prior Learning’ work?

While the core program is offered as a 2-year training program, the FSI offers ‘Recognised Prior Learning’ (RPL) as part of its core programs learning pathway and encourages students to take time to complete different program elements prior to enrolling in the 2-year program.

Any workshops, Family of Origin Research Groups or Clinical Supervision Groups that are undertaken in the eight years prior to enrolment in the Advanced Certificate are counted as RPL in your program. When you apply for the Advanced Certificate, you can list any RPL in your application.

Applicants for the Certificate programs are prioritised for places based on the amount of Recognised Prior Learning hours they have completed prior to applying – so applicants who have completed the most amount of RPL activities with the FSI (workshops, reading groups, FOO groups) will be offered places first from a list in order of highest RPL hours. When places are full, applicants will be notified, and a waiting list created. Those on the waiting list will be given priority for groups on offer the following year, so they can continue to build up their RPL hours for application the next year.

For example. Karen completed a Family of Origin Research Group five years ago (21 hours), and has attended 3 workshops since then (9 hours). She has 30 RPL hours. Karen would be offered a place before Tom, who has 12 RPL hours after attending the Introduction to Bowen Theory group (6 hours) and 2 workshops (6 hours) last year.

Why should you take advantage of the RPL system?

The FSI encourages people to take advantage of the RPL learning pathway for a number of reasons:

Bowen Family Systems Theory is a practical theory that provides a way of thinking that takes time to digest and apply in practice, rather than being a set of techniques to teach in just two years. Having a learning pathway where individuals can enrol in workshops and groups separately, and these all count as RPL toward the program, provides the opportunity to grapple with the theory more fully and reflects Bowen’s own descriptions of differentiation of self being a lifelong journey.
Spreading out different program elements over a period of time makes working towards the core program affordable, flexible and manageable alongside work commitments.
It provides professional development activities that count towards working towards a certificate for those who enrol in the core program. Many people enrol in workshops and groups for general Continued Professional Development (CPD) for their own professional registration requirements. Including these RPL activities as part of your CPD calendar means your CPD can build towards the goal of a certificate with the FSI.
In years that the quota of enrolments for the Advanced Certificate are full, having RPL activities on offer throughout the year provides the opportunity for individuals to keep working towards the certificate program in a meaningful way.
Family of Origin work is hard work! Many participants provide feedback that this unique aspect of the FSI program offerings is unexpectedly more challenging but also more rewarding than they had anticipated, and have been glad to separate this from the core program years.

Recognised Prior Learning