Welcome to IFT-Malta

Institute of Family Therapy & Systemic Practice - Malta

Risk Assessment of Parental Alienation Survey

Who are we?

The Institute of Family Therapy Malta was established in 2010 to deliver state-of-the-art systemic training and therapeutic services. As social constructionists we believe that it is through our social and relational processes that we construct the world, and that human challenges are best addressed relationally and within their relevant contexts. We work hard to make training, therapy, supervision and consultation accessible to individuals, couples, families, organisations and communities in Malta and Gozo.

Having initiated the first accredited training in Malta, the Institute of Family Therapy Malta established itself as a leader in family therapy training and services delivery. It built an excellent reputation and is a member of the Training Institutes Chamber of the European Family Therapy Association and also an Institutional Member in Good Standing of the International Family Therapy Association. IFT- Malta is also committed to deliver relationship education programmes for partners, spouses, and parents, children, schools and organizations to promote well-being in society, based on positive family and work environments, and a healthy balance between the two.

IFT-Malta is licensed as a Higher Education Institution by MFHEA with license number 2011-TC-014

Benefit from Get Qualified Scheme!

By choosing our courses students can benefit from a 70% refund of the total tuition fees upon successful completion of course through the Get Qualified Scheme.

Mission Statement

– To provide multi-level training in the systemic-relational psychotherapies and related fields.

– To assist organizations and communities in achieving healthier psycho-relational environments through systemic consultation.

– To promote the psychological well-being of individuals, couples, families, organizations and communities, through the use of multimodal psychotherapeutic approaches, with a particular focus on systemic psychotherapy.

– To conduct and promote research in couple and family relationships matters.

– To promote social awareness on psychological and relational well-being through the use of various social media presences.

– To promote and spread information about family and systemic psychotherapy approaches throughout the Maltese Islands to individuals, institutions and organisations concerned with the health and development of families and human systems through the use of various media including TV, Radio, Newspapers, magazines, and internet.

– To create links with other local and foreign organisations having common or comparable aims of promoting systemic work in Malta and abroad.

We are part of the European Family Therapy Association!

IFT-Malta is a full member of the Training Institutes Chamber of the European Family Therapy Association.

What are the benefits of Accreditation?

There are a lot of reasons why gaining accreditation can be beneficial both for students and educational providers:

it is a mark of quality that prospective students and employers understand and value;
it entitles graduates for a Warrant issued by the Psychotherapy Profession Board.
it keeps open the widest range of training, development and employment opportunities for graduates.
it is a high-quality benchmarking process that is defined and delivered in partnership with psychotherapists.
it is aimed at getting the best out of programmes, through promoting psychotherapy as a science, ensuring quality and providing solution-focused support;
it provides a direct opportunity for education providers and students to influence the Society, and its policies for the future.

Do I need to take a course that is accredited?

Our advice to students is always to choose MFHEA accredited courses to maximise your future options.

Taking an MFHEA accredited undergraduate course confers eligibility for future training across the European Union.

The vast majority of postgraduate programmes accredited by MFHEA or approved by Psychotherapy Profession Board for registration as a practitioner psychotherapist also require MQRIC approved degrees for entry.

Visa Requirements for Foreign Students

Students from countries other that the European Union may require special study Visa. Please contact https://www.identitymalta.com/unit/central-visa- unit/;

Accreditation of Courses

Accreditation is a standard way of guaranteeing Quality Assurance and how we achieve standards that support students’ achievement of the learning outcomes of the selected courses, and are supported by an appropriate resource base. Quality Assurance is how the local accrediting body, MFHEA (Malta Further & Higher Education Authority) engages in dialogue with us at the Institute of Family Therapy Malta through detailed and meticulous external reviews and audits involving the running of the institute and of the courses we run. IFT-Malta prepares for this through its Quality Assurance Manual.

Our Policies

Student Mitigation Policy

Student & Staff Disciplinary Procedures Policy

Research Ethics Policy

Student Agreement & Payment Policy

Internal Quality Assurance Policy

Institute of Family Therapy-Malta is a pioneer

The first ever Post Graduate Diploma & Masters in Systemic Family Psychotherapy in Malta 2010

The First ever Bachelor Degree in Psychological Therapies in Europe 2018

The First ever Post Graduate Certificate in Parental Alienation in the World 2021

We have a highly professional team

Dr. Charlie Azzopardi is a Systemic Practitioner working the mental health field since 1986. While he spent a substantial number of years working with addictions he was also involved in individual, couple, and family psychotherapy, parenting training, childhood and adolescent problems, eating disorders, as well as consulting family-run businesses. He obtained qualifications in various psychotherapeutic approaches. Dr. Azzopardi has lectured locally and abroad and is now fully engaged running IFT-Malta, and in private practice. His interest remains that of helping individuals, couples, families and organisations find effective solutions to the various difficulties that inevitably befall them.

Karen Bishop is a Systemic Family Therapist. She has worked in various local services dealing with diverse family issues, as well as more specialised services dealing with issues relating to addictions as well as domestic abuse. Ms. Bishop has obtained her Master’s Degree in Family Therapy at the Tavistock Clinic in London. She has been working within a multi-disciplinary team, with children in out-of-home care and their families for the past five years. Currently she is also involved with teaching Family Therapy as well as running her own private practice.

Marika Azzopardi has been involved with the Institute since its inception and has seen it grow from strength to strength over the years. Her wide and varied expertise in organisational administration, social media, writing, journalism and the arts has contributed hugely to the status of IFT-Malta’s standing in the community. She is a History of Art graduate and published extensively on the arts, personality interviews, features and researched articles in various print media, blogs and websites, junior and adult fiction, and varied chapters within specialised literary arts publications.

Tutors and visiting trainers

Our team

Visiting trainers:

Karl Wright, Helen Attard Micallef, Charlene Borg, Claire Borg, Eric Cachia, Delicia Farrugia, Maria Jones, Maria Mifsud, Yanica Richards Chircop, Angelle Vella, Stefannia Gafa, Marilyn Muscat, Joshua Zammit, Romina Baldwin, Vanessa Kurz.

Foreign Visiting Trainers:

Dr. Padraic Gibson
Dr. Matteo Papantuono
Dr. Claudette Portelli
Brian O’Sullivan
Per Jensen
Paolo Bertrando
Umberta Telfener
Elena Ceuca

External Examiners:

Plamena Tsvetanova-Hristova, PhD – Sofia, Bulgaria. Mental health practitioner with Masters in Clinical and Counseling Psychology and PhD in Counseling Psychology with over 9 years of specialization in the field of Systemic Family and Marriage Therapy and Counseling.

Billy Hardy – Senior Lecturer in Psychotherapy, Consultant Systemic Psychotherapist and Co-Director at the Centre for Systemic Studies in South Wales