Moving toward a systemic training model in a university program

While the medical model continues to provide a basis for clinical service and the preparation of future speech-language pathologists, the instructor who teaches and uses systemic principles enriches the world view of students and prepares them for new roles being assumed by speech-language pathologists. Experiences of the author are described as she became aware of systemic principles and began teaching them to undergraduate and graduate students. Two formal strategies are discussed. These are linked to a Triadic Interaction Model and a Family-Based Treatment model. Students commented favorably on their experiences as they attempted to learn systemic principles and put them into practice in their clinical practicum.