In 1972, Carlos Sluzki created a curriculum in systems thinking and relational therapy for the Family Medicine Residency at the University of California San Francisco. Since then, over 500 systemic physicians have received training in brief systemic therapy through live supervision and reflection. Research suggests that systemic physicians can effectively create trusting caring continuity relationships, develop relational assessments and treat basic emotional and behavioral needs of patients and families. In this growing era of the integration of primary care medicine and behavioral health, systemic therapists can play an important role in both providing collaborative clinical care and training systemic physicians.
Keywords: Systemic therapy, family therapy, training, family medicine, behavioral science, medical education.