Kieran Vivian-Byrne M.Sc.

Consultant Systemic Psychotherapist and Educator
The Family Institute (Wales)

Email: kieran.vivianbyrne@gmail.com

Kieran is a Systemic Psychotherapist, Consultant and Educator and is registered with the UK Council for Psychotherapy. He joined the clinical and teaching team at The Family Institute in 2004 (then at the University of Glamorgan – which became the University of South Wales in 2013). He led the development of the first undergraduate programme in Systemic Counselling in the UK. He taught on the post graduate courses also running at The Family Institute.

In the 1980s Kieran worked in spiritual and faith retreat work in Ireland. He studied at the Mount Oliver Institute (Co. Louth) and the Grubb Institute (London) where he was introduced to Narrative and Systemic ideas. He trained in Social Work in London at the West London Institute. From there he moved to and settled in South Wales in 1994 where he developed his interest in working with children and families in need of protection within their communities, and children in the Looked After system. He worked for many years in Child and Family Mental Health services. He trained as a Systemic Psychotherapist at the Family Institute and has been practicing as a therapist and supervisor since 2000.

Kieran has presented workshops and published articles on a range of subjects which include working with looked after children; use of language in therapy; education and training; and ethics.

Kieran consults to a range of practitioners and organisations working in health, education, and social services work. He is especially interested in reflexivity and its relationship with the development of communities of practice within and between organisations, which sustain workers towards generative practices and promote well being with their clients and one another. Much of this work is done in reflective forums and collaborative practice groups.

Kieran is part of the group developing The Centre for Systemic Studies (established in 2020) and under which The Family Institute continues to run.

Kieran is a musician and composer and plays a variety of instruments (though usually not at the same time) He has produced 4 albums of his music. He is a
poet and illustrator.

He is married to Sue and has a daughter Hannah and son Ronan.