Leah Salter

Leah Salter is executive and operational director for The Centre for Systemic Studies (CSS) which she set up in 2020 with Billy Hardy; and now co-directs with Julia Evans.  Since 2020 Leah has taught on all the courses CSS offers; previously as course lead for the Supervisor, Intermediate and Foundation levels of training and now core tutor on the Qualifying level, a satellite course from IFT (Institute of Family Therapy, London) who we are proud to work with.

Prior to The Family Institute being housed by CSS Leah had been a visiting lecturer for The Family Institute at USW on the BSc in Counselling degree and the MSc in Family Therapy. She was also the external examiner for a number of years for the supervisor level of training. 

Leah's time spent studying and teaching at The Family Institute, Wales, was hugely influential and was informed by the potential for Systemic, Narrative and Social Constructionist practices to be overtly concerned with social action and justice doing.

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This led Leah to complete a doctorate at the University of Bedfordshire, where research into her own practice also focused on solidarity, narrative informed group work, social justice informed, systemic community practices; and research as social action. 

Since 2018 Leah has taught on the University of Bedfordshire's Systemic Doctoral (PDSP) programme, previously as a tutor and deputy lead and now supervising candidates with their research; and examining doctoral theses. She has also examined at Bath University, The Tavistock and Portman, and is external examiner for The University of Leeds Foundation in Family Therapy course and Ty Elis Counselling training (level 5).  Leah also inputs into Cardiff University's Foundation in Family Therapy embedded into the Doctorate in Clinical Psychology (DClin Psych).

In therapy practice, Leah works with NHS Wales (CTMUHB) as the Lead Family and Systemic Psychotherapist in Adult Mental Health; and has connections with various voluntary sector organisations/ community groups through consultancy and supervisory practices. She has been an independent trainer for a number of third sector health and social care providers; previously working in the third sector for many years in community work and family support.

Leah is a TAOS associate; a visiting fellow at The Centre for Storytelling at The University of South Wales; previous co-editor and current guest editor for Murmurations: Journal of Transformative Systemic Practice. 

She has been a reviewer and guest editor for a number of other journals including reviewing for The Journal of Family Therapy.

Most of Leah's publications can be found on https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Leah-Salter-3 and https://murmurations.cloud

Recent notable publications include:

Journals:

Salter, Leah and Vivian-Byrne, Kieran (2024). Passing it on – oral traditions and future orientations in a learning community. Murmurations: Journal of Transformative Systemic Practice, 7(1),84-97. https://doi.org/10.28963/7.1.7

Salter, Leah (2021) "Research as an Act of Resistance: Responsive, Temporally Framed Narrative Inquiry" International Review of Qualitative Research  14(1) DOI:10.1177/19408447211049511

Salter, Leah; Kebbe, Lisen & Simon, Gail (2021). Stone Scissors Paper. A Trilogy of Papers. Murmurations: Journal of Transformative Systemic Practice, 4(1), 48-73.https://doi.org/10.28963/4.1.5

Book chapters:

Salter, Leah (2022) " Performing and Transforming the Maternal"  (pp171-184)in Lena Simic and Emily Underwood-Lee (eds) Mothering Performance. London: Routledge

Simon, G. & Salter, L. (2020). "Transmaterial Worlding as Inquiry". The Sage Handbook of Social Construction. Eds. Mary Gergen, Sheila McNamee et al. London: Sage Publications