The role of mentalizing and epistemic trust in the therapeutic relationship.

Abstract

Fonagy, P; Allison, E; (2014) The role of mentalizing and epistemic trust in the therapeutic relationship. Psychotherapy 10.1037/a0036505. 1 (Fonagy & Bateman, 2008). In this paper we will argue for the role of mentalizing in the therapeutic relationship, suggesting that although Mentalization-Based Treatment (MBT) may be a specific and particular form of practice, the "mentalizing therapist" is a universal constituent of effective psychotherapeutic interventions. RESEARCH ARTICLE

“All my relations”: experiences and perceptions of Indigenous patients connecting with Indigenous Elders in an inner city primary care partnership for mental health and well-being

“…Most participants entered the Elders program from a position of epistemic mistrust in their interactions with the health system -a pervasive wariness about trusting others as a source of knowledge that would be relevant or helpful to them. 42 For many Indigenous patients, the legacies of colonization have left a deep epistemological chasm that cannot be easily traversed by health care professionals, no matter how well intended or culturally competent. 43 Participants repeatedly emphasized the importance of shared histories of colonial oppression as a "common ground" for building trust and openness with the Elders, enabling them to establish therapeutic alliances they had not previously experienced with health care providers.…”

Personality Disorder in Childhood and Adolescence comes of Age: a Review of the Current Evidence and Prospects for Future Research

“…Taken together this points toward the importance of common factors, extra-therapeutic factors, and placebo effects (206,(212)(213)(214)(215)(216). It may thus be proposed that some of the most important factors related to effecting change have less to do with the specific techniques promoted by the various schools of psychotherapy and more to do with the core and common elements shared across these various therapies (113,161,170,206,(217)(218)(219).…”

Mentalizing, Attachment, and Epistemic Trust in Group Therapy

“…The theory of mentalization has recently developed to consider another important function of attachment relationships, namely their role in the development of epistemic trustthat is, trust in the authenticity and personal relevance of interpersonally transmitted knowledge about how the social environment works and how best to navigate it (Fonagy & Allison, 2014) (Fonagy, Luyten, & Allison, 2015). Given the complexity of the human social and cultural environment, much of the information that juveniles are presented with is complicated and needs to be explained by an experienced elder.…”