Why Pragmatics Is Probably Enough for Now

Narrative psychotherapy was developed to question traditional, essentialist, foundational epistemologies of clinical practice. However, the very practices it sought to take on may be sneaking in through the back door. Narrative however might escape historical tendencies of reification and dominance. In fact these tendencies are only a slight miscue in its development. Instead of succumbing to old habits of perfectability, or certainty, narrative can relax, and just learn to relate. This article presents three key points in this regard: concentrate on what is useful, work backwards from what people want to achieve and 'widen the circle'.

Section: Why Narrative Therapy Should Visit Empiricism and Pragmatismmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Why narrative therapy need not fear science and ‘other’ things

Amundson

2001

“…Constructivism and the pragmatist position of William James (Orange, 1995;Amundson, 1996) may help to moderate our contribution to this continual work/play of understanding. The former accepts that our ideas cannot predetermine the response of family members -but they may fit.…”

Section: Privileging the Subjective Experiencementioning

confidence: 99%

Feeling Understood in Family Therapy

Pocock

1997

“…Against the prevailing and possibly destructive postmodern fundamentalism of the recent past, a new consensus seems to be emerging; some truths can be better than others, and it is worth testing explanatory models against reality to see how well they stand up and how long they last (Orange, 1995). Some therapists have also argued in favour of having a plurality or repertoire of theories available, any of which may turn out to be pragmatically useful in a particular clinical situation (Amundson, 1996). In a previous article, I suggested that doctors can make use of both a biological and social constructionist stance within medical consultations.…”

Section: Evolution and Family Therapy: Clinical And Theoretical Implimentioning

confidence: 99%

Whatever happened to biology? Reconnecting family therapy with its evolutionary origins

Launer

2001

This article argues for a rapprochement between family therapy and biological science. In spite of the prevailing tendency nowadays to write biology out of the story of family therapy, it has played a central historical and conceptual role in the origin of our discipline. Family therapists may have done themselves and their patients a disservice by distancing themselves from the discipline of biology; ignorance of modern biological ideas may be a serious handicap in the practice of therapy. The gap between contemporary biology and the kind of postmodern thinking currently favoured by many therapists is not as great as it appears, and may be bridged.