IFT-Malta

The Institute of Family Therapy and Systemic Practice, known as IFT-Malta, is a place where people can both receive therapy and train to become therapists. It stands at Gnejna Mansions in Żabbar, a town in the south-east of the island close to the Grand Harbour and the historic Three Cities. If you are a British reader looking for relationship, family or parenting support in Malta, or a graduate weighing up a postgraduate course on the island, this is a practice built around exactly those two needs.

The institute began in 2010 and describes its approach as systemic and social constructionist. In plain terms, that means it treats difficulties as something that sits within relationships and surroundings, so the work usually involves partners, parents, children or wider networks rather than one person alone. The page sits within our directory of psychologists in Malta, where you can compare other practitioners across the islands.

Who IFT-Malta is and how it began

IFT-Malta was set up in 2010 to offer systemic training alongside therapeutic services. Its first major step was launching the first accredited training of this kind in Malta, a Postgraduate Diploma and Masters in Systemic Family Psychotherapy. Since then it has added several further firsts, including a Bachelor degree in Psychological Therapies in 2018 that is presented as the first of its kind in Europe, a Postgraduate Certificate in Parental Alienation Studies in 2021, and a Postgraduate Diploma and Masters in Parental Alienation Studies in 2025. A Doctorate in Systemic Practice is presented as the first of its kind in Malta.

The institute is licensed as a Higher Education Institution by the Malta Further and Higher Education Authority, under licence number 2011-TC-014. It is a full member of the Training Institutes Chamber of the European Family Therapy Association and an institutional member in good standing of the International Family Therapy Association. It also co-founded Systemic Voices for Peace, a movement of institutes that sees systemic practice as rooted in social justice and peace, and which has published a ten-point manifesto.

Its mission covers training at several levels, consultation for organisations, research on couple and family life, and public education about psychological wellbeing.

Therapy and the training clinic

The institute describes its therapy as collaborative: therapists work with people rather than on them, drawing out the strengths a person or relationship already has and building on them. Sessions are offered to individuals, couples, families, organisations and communities in both Malta and Gozo.

The training clinic is the most distinctive part of the service. It is run as a group practice with live supervision. A specialising trainee, typically in the last two years of the programme, sits with the clients, while two more trainees and a warranted supervisor watch from an adjoining room by live video and feed in ideas during the session. The approach follows the classical Milan team model, so clients hear several perspectives, their own included. Appointments are held on fixed dates Monday to Friday at 4.30pm or 6.30pm, and because referrals can build up, a waiting list may apply.

The clinic is intended for people facing financial hardship who still want a professional service, and it is printed at €15 per one-hour session, with the fee described as negotiable. Agencies and charities can refer clients through a referral form on the institute's own website. Fixed appointment times and a possible waiting list mean it may not suit anyone needing flexible or urgent help.

The institute also runs Locked Out, a service for families and children affected by arrest and imprisonment. Everything discussed is confidential: information stays within the institute unless the client asks for it to be shared or a court requires it, and in the rare event of serious concern for someone's immediate safety another service may need to be consulted, with a conversation with you first wherever possible. Records are stored securely. Staff are fully qualified and warranted by the relevant Maltese regulatory bodies.

Issues the practice works with

The institute lists a broad set of everyday and serious concerns that it sees regularly in therapy and supervision. They include parenting at every age, children's behaviour, couple and marital wellbeing, divorce, separation, step-parenting and lone parenting, the effects of illness and disability, alcohol and other substance use, and family issues in LGBTIQ households. It also names coping with the aftermath of violence, sexual or emotional abuse in the family, rebuilding relationships after traumatic events, stress in relationships, the challenges of different life stages, and problems linked to running a family business.

Mental health difficulties such as depression and anxiety, eating disorders and personality disorder are also on the list. This describes what the service works with and is not advice; discuss any specific concern with a qualified practitioner.

Expatriates and long-stay visitors sometimes find that moving abroad adds pressure to a relationship, to parenting or to a family business. If you are weighing up a move, our Malta relocation guide sets out the practical side, and the Malta guide for new residents and visitors gives wider background on the islands.

Courses and qualifications

Training is the other half of the institute. Its programmes are described as EQF and MQF level 7 or level 8, and the institute advises students to choose courses accredited by the Malta Further and Higher Education Authority, since an accredited undergraduate qualification opens eligibility for future training across the European Union. Accreditation also makes graduates of the relevant programmes eligible for a warrant from the Psychotherapy Profession Board, according to the benefits listed. Students from outside the European Union may need a study visa, and the institute directs them to Identità Malta.

The course list on the institute's own pages includes a Postgraduate Certificate in Parental Alienation Studies, a Masters in Strategic Coaching, a Certificate in Therapeutic Care with Children and Adolescents in Out-of-Home Settings, a Masters in Systemic Family Psychotherapy, an Award in Clinical Supervision, a Postgraduate Diploma in Systemic Family Psychotherapy, a Masters in Parental Alienation Studies with exit points, and a Doctorate in Systemic Practice. Printed prices include €2600 for the Award in Clinical Supervision, €4500 a year for the Postgraduate Diploma, €8400 a year for the Masters in Systemic Family Psychotherapy, €2950 for the parental alienation certificate, €4900 for the parental alienation diploma and Masters stage, and €9500 a year for the Doctorate. Start dates are shown from June 2026 to October 2027, so check the current intake before you plan.

Many courses are marked as eligible for the Get Qualified Scheme, under which students can receive a 70 per cent refund of the total tuition fees on successful completion. To apply, you register your interest, receive a form to print and return signed, and send a CV, at least one written reference, a copy of your relevant certificate, a recent original police conduct certificate and a non-refundable processing fee of 50 euros. Only a completed, signed form with all documents counts as an application.

Supervision, workplace wellbeing and CPD

Qualified professionals can book individual or group clinical supervision, and teams inside organisations can arrange team supervision, which can be combined with bespoke training for an agency's specific needs. The institute also offers consultation to agencies and charities.

Workplace Wellbeing is its programme for businesses that want a mental health framework. It includes group supervision for customer-facing roles, policy development, mental health training for managers and mental health literacy training for all staff, and it can lead to an employee assistance programme consultation. This may interest British companies with staff in Malta, a theme that also appears in our Malta guide for digital nomads and remote workers.

Continuing professional development events complete the picture, with workshops and webinars run by local and visiting trainers, including international names in systemic practice. One recent workshop is priced at €200, and a course on working with addictions is aimed at professionals who support people with substance use disorders and their families. Past events have included residential summer schools and a meeting of European trainers held in the capital, Valletta's historic centre.

The team

Dr Charlie Azzopardi chairs the institute. He has worked in mental health since 1986, including long experience with addictions, individual, couple and family psychotherapy, parenting training, adolescent problems and eating disorders, and consulting for family-run businesses. He lectures in Malta and abroad and also sees clients privately.

Karen Bishop is a director, coordinator and tutor. A systemic family therapist with a Master's degree in Family Therapy from the Tavistock Clinic in London, she has worked in local family services, addictions and domestic abuse, and in a multi-disciplinary team supporting children in out-of-home care. Marika Azzopardi is a director and the administrative secretary who has been with the institute since it began, bringing a background in administration, writing, journalism and the arts.

A wide panel of visiting trainers from Malta and overseas teaches across the programmes, and an external examiner reviews the standard of the courses.

Getting to Żabbar and starting an enquiry

Żabbar lies a short drive from the harbour area, so visitors staying near historic Vittoriosa or on the Grand Harbour side can reach it without crossing the island. Anyone planning a trip around an appointment can find flight and travel information in our guide to flights to Malta from the UK, and an overview of where to stay in Malta if you are visiting for a longer course.

The simplest way to begin is the VisitMalta.co.uk enquiry form on this page. Tell us whether you are interested in therapy, supervision, a course or workplace wellbeing, and we will pass your message to IFT-Malta.