On Therapeutic Process |
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| Postmodern Psychotherapeutic Ethics: Relational Responsibility in Practice. The field of psychotherapy (as most professional fields) has been fraught with a concern for ethical action where 'ethical action' generally infers "doing the right thing." Yet, when we operate within a postmodern sensibility – a world that embraces uncertainty as opposed to certainty, continual change as opposed to stability, and local/historical/cultural contingencies rather than universal laws – answering the question of what counts as ethical practice requires an entirely different focus of attention. |
Social Construction as Practical Theory: Lessons for Practice and Reflection in Psychotherapy. Much has been written on social construction, relational realities, and the implications of these views in psychology and psychotherapeutic practice... |
| Reconstructing Therapy in a Postmodern World: Relational Resources. I would like to begin by problematizing the term "psychotherapy" and inviting you into an exploration and reconstruction of the work of psychotherapists. As our attention turns toward our increasing interdependence as cultures that are both diverse and similar in multiple ways and as technology provides evermore means of connection, the idea of treating an individual, a couple, or a family is vulnerable to critiques of insignificance or triviality. . |
Therapy as Social Construction: Back to Basics and Forward Toward Challenging Issues. Perhaps the most useful way to enter into the conversation about discursive therapies is to address what I see as a central issue that we must confront as spokespersons of therapy as social construction: What does it mean to approach therapeutic practice from a constructionist stance? What do we do, as therapists, once we propose that meaning emerges in the on-going flow of persons in situated activity? |
| The Social Construction of Psychotherapy. Psychotherapy, by its very name, draws our attention to a person's inner life. In fact, the term 'psychotherapy' is derived from the Greek psycho (soul) and therapeuein (to nurse or nourish) thus suggesting that the purpose of psychotherapy is to nourish the soul. The reference to soul implies a romantic orientation to therapeutic process where emphasis is placed on those aspects of a person that are essentially intangible yet ever-present. Phrases such as "moral fiber," "emotional sensibility," "creativity," and "passion" come to mind when we think in romanticist terms. Typically, we locate these "qualities" within the person and therapy is the profession designed to help us get at them. | The Social Construction of Disorder: From Pathology to Potential. As I rushed down the highway at nearly 80 miles an hour, late to give a talk to a nearby group of colleagues (because I had taken the time to check my morning email), I heard a report that declared the discovery of a new mental disorder, internet addiction. Alarmed, I realized that I must be suffering from this addiction if, indeed, my burning need to check my email had put me in a situation where I would surely be late to give my talk and might, in fact, be endangering myself physically by driving so fast. Since the talk I was rushing to give was focused on the pathologizing effects of psychological diagnosis, I found my present situation prophetic. The challenge was before me. Do I accept the radio's report and chuck my own arguments out the window? Or do I follow my position thereby locating alternative narrative descriptions that are focused on generating possibilities rather than pathologies? Clearly, my own well being was best preserved in the latter choice. |
| Promiscuity in the Practice of Family Therapy. Family Therapy has continually confronted choices between polarized positions, each one taken up with zeal because it solved an old dilemma but eventually encountering its own limitations. In this article, I suggest that we have evolved to a point where, instead of deciding which is better, we can focus on how to use theories, models, and techniques as fluid and flexible resources for action in the therapeutic conversation. Doing so focuses our attention on how we can move in and out of various positions including those that simplify issues and those that embrace complexity. In addition, our attention is drawn to the ways in which we can make choices between following a model as opposed to engaging in spontaneous dialogue. This promiscuous stance can help trainers and therapists answer questions concerning how we make decisions in therapy. Such promiscuity also positions us to confront our images and expectations of what it means to be a professional. | Therapy and Identity Construction in A Postmodern World. The vast expansion of technological capabilities in this century has had a tremendous impact on our identity construction. With a simple flip of the television channel, radio station, newspaper or magazine page we have at our disposal an enormous array of possible identity models. Specifically, we can learn by watching "Dallas" how wealthy Texans live, including a view of their backstage (Goffman, 1959) attempts to craft the desired image. In contrast, we have the "personalities" of the rural, small town characters of television's "Northern Exposure." These differing portrayals are only a small fraction of the hundreds available. Contrast these fictional identities with the varied images we can view daily of national and local leaders, news reporters, economists, talk show personalities, and so forth. Any specific person filling one of these "roles" is very likely to be seen at some time or another "out of character." That is, we might see an interview with the President where the focus is on his family, not on his political identity. |
| Creating New Narratives in Family Therapy. This article examines a family therapy session from a social constructionist perspective (Gergen, 1985). The purpose is epistemological and pragmatic. I will try to illustrate a way of thinking about how we think as researchers, clinicians, and people in the world and to show how emphasizing a way of thinking can be generative to families, researchers, and therapists. Recursively, the actions of the therapist and the family members in the therapy session, as well as the researcher's active interpretations, generate ways of knowing the world. | Constructionist Provocations for Therapeutic Conversations About Sexuality. In this article I attempt to deconstruct our dominant discourse about sexuality, with special emphasis on sexuality as a topic within the psychotherapeutic context. As a social constructionist, my concern is with the ways in which people coordinate their activities together to produce particular beliefs and values (otherwise referred to as “realities”). The beliefs and values we articulate concerning sexuality, then, are not universally or objectively true. Instead, they are constructed byproducts of social relationships which are historically, culturally, and locally situated. What is central, to the constructionist, in both the case of psychotherapy and sexuality, is the issue of meaning; the meaning of both psychotherapy and of sexuality. I offer a very brief overview of the individualist tradition that dominates the profession of psychotherapy, followed by an overview of the constructionist alternative to individualism and end with some implications for our understanding and practice of psychotherapy as it relates to the issue of sexuality. |
| From Disordering Discourse to Transformative Dialogue. In this chapter, we will explore the discourse of mental disorder. Our attempt is to augment the already articulated “merits” of diagnosis by proposing some of the limitations of such discourse. Specifically, we discuss the ways in which diagnosis – or the discourse of mental disorders – invites us into patterns of stigmatizing, blaming, desecrating traditions, deteriorating relationships, and disempowering people. We offer, instead, the metaphors of dialogue and multiplicity as possible openings toward transformation. | Who is the Therapist? A Social Constructionist Exploration of the Therapeutic Relationship. Perhaps the most useful way to enter into a conversation about the therapeutic relationship and the role of the therapist is to address what I see as a central issue in discussions of social construction as it relates to the practice of psychotherapy: What does constructionism offer in the realm of practice? What do we do, as therapists, once we propose that meaning emerges in the on-going flow of persons in situated activity? And thus, what are the implications of this form of practice for the therapeutic relationship? |
Samples of Sheila's Work
Below is a sampling of published chapters and articles available for reading and downloading. Please do not reproduce without permission.
The documents are in Adobe Acrobat PDF format. To download the free Adobe Acrobat Reader, go to: http://www.adobe.com
