A record-keeping format for training systemic therapists

Training in systemic therapy necessitates a structured approach to teaching systemic thinking. The Systemic Therapy Sessions Summary Form, a record-keeping method, is presented as a tool for enhancing training in systemic therapy. The purpose of this form is to provide the structure for the trainee to develop circular hypotheses, to connect reflexively the assessment and intervention components of therapy, and to maintain a sense of the evolving nature of therapy across sessions. A case example illustrates the use of this record-keeping format.     

The therapeutic use of self in constructionist/systemic therapy

The introduction of a constructivist orientation to family therapy has promoted a reconceptualization of the therapeutic use of self. The multiply-engaged therapist is seen as positioned within rather than as acting upon a system. Such a therapist facilitates change through participation in, and active engagement with, each system member's perceptions and experience. Multiple engagement synthesizes the "instrumental" and "noninstrumental" perspectives through use of the idea of systemic influence, or systemic positioning. Multiple engagement stresses the relational perspective over the extremes of either pure interventionism or pure facilitation. Five specific therapeutic stances are introduced and are clinically illustrated; taken together, these stances articulate one model for a constructivist family therapy.     

Simulation in training family therapists: Process and outcome

This article reviews procedures for using simulated families in the training of novice-level family therapists. An evaluation of one training experience is described. The evaluation utilized a repeated measures analysis and found an increase in the student's observational and conceptual skill development.The authors would like to express appreciation to Douglas C. Breunlin, M.S.S.A. for helpful comments in the preparation of this article.     

T groups: An essential model in the training of group therapists

This paper argues for the T group (training group) model as the preferred experiential aspect of training in group psychotherapy. The rationale for preferring the T group model centers around aspects of: 1) contractual clarity; 2) the management of the learning regression; 3) the effectiveness of the T group as a professional holding environment; and 4) the development of a professional identity as a group therapist. Some difficulties with the model are also noted, and some case examples are offered to illustrate various aspects of the work within the T group model.     

Significant and other: systemic family therapists on lesbians and gay men

This paper discusses a questionnaire survey done with a sample of 130 systemic family therapists, which investigated their training in, and experience of, working with lesbian and gay male clients and attitudes towards lesbians and gay men using the Index of Attitudes to Homosexuals. The findings indicate that the majority of respondents had received relatively little training in working with this client group within their systemic training. It also indicated that their attitudes towards lesbians and gay men generally may have been influenced by the degree of social, professional or familial contact that they had with them.     

Humor in therapy: the case for training therapists in its uses and risks

Formal humor training for therapists is proposed as an elective part of their academic curriculum. The paucity of rigorous empirical research on the effectiveness of this historically controversial form of clinical intervention is exceeded only by the absence of any training for those practitioners interested in applying humor techniques. A representative sample of its many advocates' recommendations to incorporate humor in the practice of psychological therapies is reviewed. Therapeutic humor is defined, the role of therapists' personal qualities is discussed, and possible reasons for the profession's past resistance to promoting humor in therapy are described. Research perspectives for the evaluation of humor training are presented with illustrative examples of important empirical questions. In addition to its potential salubrious effects on clients, therapeutic humor might have the positive side effect of preventing or minimizing professional burnout in therapists. This potentially major psychotherapeutic resource, highly praised by some, remains insufficiently evaluated and essentially untapped.     

From denial to hope: A systemic response to clergy sexual abuse

This article offers a definition of sexual abuse in the ministerial relationship and describes a systemic approach for intervening that cares for the needs of victims and perpetrators, and provides an opportunity for congregations to move from denial to hope both spiritually and organizationally.He is the author of many articles on organizational structure and Christian social action.     

From archaic narcissism to empathy for the self: the evolution of new capacities in psychoanalysis

The concept of the selfobject was central to Heinz Kohut's psychology of the self. With an eye to studying the development of narcissism and its implications for the growth of new psychic structure, this concept is reviewed and reassessed. Post-Kohutian complexities regarding its definition and use extend our consideration of the development of narcissism beyond archaic configurations toward further evolution of the self and the nature of mature narcissism. The hypothesis is offered that developing narcissism and the growth of self-regulation impact the acquisition of new structure and new capacities through the emergence of newly potentiated aspects of the self. The implications of these emergent qualities of the self are examined in the context of our understanding of self-esteem regulation, the state of the self, and the goals of psychoanalysis. A clinical example illustrates how technique and process in an analysis may be organized around the development of such new capacities.     

From novice to expert: Issues of concern in the training of psychologists

This article raises a specific concern that is highlighted by the recent decision to raise the minimum standard for registration as a psychologist in Australia to postgraduate masters degree level. It is suggested that such an objective is limited because it does not address other, more important variables required to ensure that minimum standards for registration as a psychologist are achieved. Specifically, it is proposed that unless the existing methodology and content of both undergraduate and fourth year graduate university training for psychologists is improved to incorporate vital areas of practice, standards will continue to remain low regardless of the introduction of compulsory fifth and sixth years of postgraduate education. This article provides an overview of the issue while suggesting an alternative approach for developing professional expertise in those wishing to embark on a career in psychology.     

The use of the self in group leadership: a relational perspective

This article, written from a relational perspective, describes a shift that is taking place in the thinking of many psychodynamically oriented psychotherapists regarding the practice of therapy and the implications it has for group therapists. The shift, from one-person to two-person and multi-person theory, has particular importance for group leaders since it recommends making the subjective involvement of the therapist in the interactional field of the group much more a part of the treatment process. Theory and research on the use of countertransference, non-interpretive interventions, humor, and spontaneity by the leader are reviewed and vignettes are presented to illustrate the application of these ideas. Guidelines regarding the application of such ideas in group therapy are also discussed.     

Reflections on the use of spirituality to privilege religion in scientific discourse: incorporating considerations of self

Many lay writers have claimed that psychologists and other scientists need to integrate something called “spirituality” into their work. This spirituality, usually undefined, is not something the truth of which may be determined by scientific means, yet it should be called upon to guide or govern our actions in certain all-important ways. This paper deconstructs two such calls that, in the end, are based on the notion of revealed, or religiously held, truth. A paradigm by which spirituality can be investigated integrating the individual self with culture is proposed, and use of this paradigm when considering modernization and supply-side theses of religious propagation is suggested.

New branches on the Tree of Knowledge. Challenges for systemic family therapists

Faced with today's challenges, I question whether the framework for family therapy provided by systemic thinking is sufficient when working with children and teenagers. The aim of this paper is not to argue for an eclectic model for therapy, but rather to encourage a critical dialogue between various bodies of knowledge. The paper raises the discussion of how family therapists relate to knowledge external to the therapy field. Contemporary developmental psychology, neurobiology, behavioural genetics and group socialization theory are highlighted as useful bodies of knowledge for family therapists. Examples from clinical practice are used to illustrate this.     

Projective identification and the therapist's use of self

This article addresses how therapists can recognize and therapeutically utilize client projective identification in therapy. Splitting and projective identification are conceptualized as occurring in sequence. Transference, countertransference, and projective identification are discussed as interrelated phenomena, which underlie the therapist's effective use of self as an instrument in therapy. A three phase intervention process, which emphasizes the importance of the timing of interventions, is introduced.