Therapy as Social Construction

Book excerpt: `An interesting collection of the state of the art of social constructionism and therapy, and a major contribution to reflection on therapeutic theory and practice′ - Changes `The chapters are interesting as windows into wider debates beyond therapy to those within the human sciences over the organization of meaning and change in culture... the value of this book is that it makes it possible for the reader to step back and think that therapy may mean different things to different communities, that therapy is not the touchstone but only one of many social constructions′ - British Psychological Society Counselling Psychology Review This volume explores the exciting possibilities for the therapeutic process of adopting a social constructionist perspective. A key concern is with socially constructed lives. Our senses of self, identity and life purpose are socially and culturally embedded, but no single cultural `script′ proves all-powerful. In social constructionist therapy, client and therapist work to co-create new, more satisfactory `stories′ in ways which recognise their social, relational character. The book firstly examines the theoretical basis for this process. It also looks at the implications for client-therapist relationships and discusses various approaches in practice, including `irreverent therapy′, the `not-knowing therapist′ and the role of reflexivity. A number of case studies are presented. The final section offers an exhilarating mix of overview, self-critique and agenda for the future.