Rate My Professor Grace Heaphy

Dr Grace Heaphy is a Senior Lecturer in Family and Systemic Psychotherapy Education within the Child & Adolescent Psychiatry section at King's College London's Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience (IoPPN). She holds the position of Course Director for the Graduate Certificate and MSc in Family Therapy, overseeing the professional training program that develops systemic psychotherapy skills for clinicians working with families, couples, and individuals. This role positions her at the forefront of family therapy education at an institution renowned for its contributions to psychiatry, psychology, and neuroscience.

Heaphy's research and academic interests emphasize cultural competence, power dynamics, and diversity in systemic supervision and therapy practice, particularly in multicultural settings. Her key publication, co-authored with Alexandra Divac in 2005, 'Space for GRRAACCES: Training for cultural competence in supervision' (Journal of Family Therapy, 27(3), 280-287), critically reviews the MA/DSTTS systemic training course and introduces 'Space for GRRAACCES'—a framework addressing Gender, Race, Religion/Affiliation, Age, Ability, Class, Culture/Ethnicity, Sex/Sexuality, Spirituality—in supervision to tackle issues of difference and power. This work enhances supervisors' preparedness for diverse client groups. In 2021, she co-authored with Josefa González Moller and Jorge Urrutia Ortiz 'The Feasibility of Systemic Interventions for the Prevention and Treatment of Children and Adolescents Experiencing Domestic Abuse' (Journal of Family Therapy, 43(4), 576-620), a systematic review assessing the feasibility and effectiveness of systemic family therapy interventions for young people affected by domestic violence. Heaphy has also endorsed influential texts like 'Working with Embodiment in Supervision: A Systemic Approach' (2016), underscoring her impact on systemic training methodologies. Through her teaching, publications, and professional engagements, she advances culturally attuned family therapy practices.