Research Committee

• The EFTA Research Committee’s mission is to provide a forum for discourses and networking promote regarding research in systemic practice (e.g. psychosocial and work-related counseling, psychotherapy, medicine, social and community work, couple and family therapy, supervision, coaching, organizational development) across Europe. Therefore, we try to place systemic research in EFTA conferences, do events (such as the EFTA online research cafés), surveys and publications.

• The committee is involved in the planning of major EFTA scientific conferences, such as those in Ljubljana (2022) and Lyon (2025).

Key Initiatives of the research committee

• Research cafés: This concept of bi-monthly meetings provides an open platform for researchers and practitioners to exchange innovative approaches, share research results, and discuss current challenges in systemic practice.
• Surveys on members’ needs: The committee conducts surveys to understand the expectations and needs of EFTA members, helping to guide future research priorities.
• Ongoing research projects: Among the projects currently supported by the Research Committee is the SCORE Project, which develops tools for evaluating systemic family therapy. This project has been translated and validated in multiple languages, expanding its international impact.

Structure of the current committee

• Committee members:
  • Nevena Calvoska (Serbia)
  • Lucie Hornová (Czech Republic)
  • Matthias Ochs (Germany) (chair)
  • Viola Sallay (Hungary)
  • Joana Sequeira (Portugal)
• Internal operations: The committee coordinate collaborations with other EFTA entities.

Publications and resources

• Key publications: The members of the Research Committee have published several articles in the field of systemic therapy and research. These publications are accessible to EFTA members.
• SCORE project: This project is a key tool for evaluating systemic family therapy interventions. It is used across Europe to measure therapy effectiveness and has been the subject of numerous validation studies.
• Methodological resources: The committee provides tools and methodological guides to support researchers and practitioners in their research efforts.

Research Committee Chairs of EFTA

Peter Stratton

Peter Stratton is a Professor of Family Therapy at the University of Leeds, Institute of Health Sciences (LIHS) in Great Britain. His impact on research within EFTA cannot be overstated. He initiated and continues to run the SCORE project, which aims to develop various formats of a questionnaire for evaluating systemic family therapy. He also led the translation and validation of these questionnaires into multiple languages. You can find more information about SCORE HERE

In addition to his numerous other contributions, Peter Stratton developed a systematization of competencies and occupational standards for systemic family and couples therapy. A key publication on this work is: Stratton, P., Bland, J., Janes, E., & Lask, J. (2010). “Developing a practicable outcome measure for systemic family therapy: The SCORE.” Journal of Family Therapy, 32, 232–258. Access the article HERE

Lastly, he is co-editor, along with Maria Borcsa, of the EFTA Springer series: Access the Springer series HERE

Thierry Darnaud (… – 2020)

Thierry Darnaud is a Professor of Psychology at the Université Toulouse Jean Jaurès, part of the Laboratoire Cliniques Pathologique et Interculturelle (LCPI). As a long-time member of the EFTA General Board, he played a key role in strengthening the French community within EFTA. In 2018, he organized the impactful conference Current Practices with Families at the Université Paul Sabatier in Toulouse, which provided significant research insights. More information on his work can be found on the LCPI website.