This self-access class examines major shifts in how people form and organise their intimate lives, and what these developments mean for couple therapy. Professor Hannah Sherbersky explores contemporary configurations — including polyamory, open relationships, digital intimacy, blended households, and chosen family systems — and how these developments challenge long-standing assumptions within therapeutic work.
Drawing on systemic thinking, practice-based research, and approaches such as the Exeter Model and Couple Therapy for Depression (CTfD), the presentation considers how structured, evidence-informed approaches can be used across varied couple systems.
This presentation from the conference is now offered as a COSRT self-access class and is a recording from COSRT’s Winter Conference 2025.
Learning Outcomes
- Describe changes in contemporary couple and family systems.
- Reflect on the implications of polyamory, open relationships, digital intimacy, and chosen families.
- Identify the features of the Exeter Model and CTfD and consider their use in different contexts.
- Recognise assumptions within therapy that may need reconsideration.
- Integrate systemic and evidence-informed thinking into work with diverse couple systems.
Presentation Structure
- Mapping Today’s Couple and Family Landscape
- Contemporary Configurations and Their Implications
- The Exeter Model and CTfD in Current Practice
- Re-evaluating Assumptions in Therapy
- Clinical Integration and Considerations
- Summary and Key Points
About the Trainer
Professor Hannah Sherbersky
Professor Hannah Sherbersky is a Family and Systemic Psychotherapist, Associate Professor at the University of Exeter and CEO of the Association for Family and Systemic Psychotherapy UK.
She has over 30 years of experience working within the mental health service as a clinician and trainer. At the University, she is Deputy Director of the clinical training department CEDAR, and Co-Director of the Systemic Portfolio, where she helped to establish one of the most prolific systemic training providers in country. She has co-developed and manualised a model of couple therapy in a research-based couple clinic, and still works clinically as a psychotherapist and supervisor.
In 2020 Hannah completed her doctorate, researching notions of ‘home’ within an adolescent inpatient context. She is past Associate Editor for the Journal of Family Therapy and is interested in the innovative delivery of systemic ideas, contributing to a BBC documentary about family therapy (2019), an online couple therapy app (2020) and various podcasts. She presents nationally and internationally in both her leadership roles and has published on numerous related subjects.
