Talk as Therapy

Proffering Connections: Psychologising Experience in Psychotherapy and Everyday Life

“…This may be one reason for the longstanding difficulty in determining how diverse approaches to therapy share a common capacity to alleviate mental distress ( Rosenzweig, 1936 ; Rosenthal and Frank, 1956 ; Stiles et al, 1986 ; Wampold and Imel, 2015 ). Although some psychotherapy researchers consider psychotherapy as a social or cultural practice (e.g., Wampold and Imel, 2015 ; Jørgensen, 2019 ), ongoing research is needed to understand what distinguishes therapy from social or cultural practices that occur in other contexts ( Siegfried, 1995 ; Kozart, 1996 ; Mondada, 1998 ; Pawelczyk, 2011 ; Jørgensen, 2019 ). Comparative conversation analytic research affords opportunities to explore this matter ( Drew and Heritage, 1992 ).…”

“…It is possible that the bulk of therapeutic encounters are comprised of mundane interactional practices ( Mondada, 1998 ), which are used in ways that suit the particular roles and activities that comprise this institutional activity ( Lakoff, 1982 ; Drew and Heritage, 1992 ; Pain, 2009 ; Pawelczyk, 2011 ). In recognition of this possibility, the current study involved directly comparing psychotherapeutic and mundane interaction.…”

“…Third, it is possible the practice of proffering candidate connections was originally developed for psychotherapy and subsequently appropriated in everyday contexts for purposes such as psychologising. That is, rather than being a mundane interactional practice that is used to accomplish the business of psychotherapy, it is possible that this practice originally developed in psychotherapy and has been subsequently adopted for use in mundane settings (see Pawelczyk, 2011 ). Notwithstanding these limitations, the current study illustrates the promise that comparative research holds for understanding what unites diverse approaches to psychotherapy and how this might be distinct from other types of supportive encounters.…”

“…Sustained research is needed in this area to continue specifying the precise ways diverse psychotherapeutic approaches share a capacity to alleviate clients’ difficulties ( Rosenzweig, 1936 ; Rosenthal and Frank, 1956 ; Stiles et al, 1986 ; Wampold and Imel, 2015 ). Sustained research will also inform understanding how psychotherapy differs – if it differs at all – from other types of ‘helping relationships’ ( Rogers, 1958 ), such as those that one might have with a close friend or family member ( Siegfried, 1995 ; Kozart, 1996 ; Mondada, 1998 ; Pain, 2009 ; Pawelczyk, 2011 ; Jørgensen, 2019 ). The current study is designed to address these matters by exploring how psychological accounts of experience are progressively developed in conversations that occur across different types of helping relationships.…”

Measuring Verbal Psychotherapeutic Techniques—A Systematic Review of Intervention Characteristics and Measures

“…We define verbal techniques as the verbal utterances of the therapist within the therapeutic dialogue. Non-verbal techniques (or behavior, communication) are closely intertwined with verbal information and prosodic features (Madonik, 2001 ; Pawelczyk, 2011 ; e.g., mimic signals, affective expressions, movement patterns, see Geißler, 2005 ).…”