A social constructionist exploration of therapeutic expertise

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DOI:

https://doi.org/10.38034/nps.v33i78.823

Keywords:

social construction, therapist expertise, forms of practice

Abstract

The issue of therapeutic expertise is important to consider, particularly in the context of training new therapists. Systemic and constructionist training programs — as well as systemic and constructionist therapeutic practice — are confronted with a special dilemma when it comes to articulating the skills or abilities that will be attributed to therapist expertise. Social construction is best understood as a philosophical stance that one takes and therefore, no particular technique or set of actions are prescribed. How then, do we understand the expertise of a constructionist therapist? What forms of practice does social construction, as a discursive option, offer therapists? What do we do, as therapists, once we propose that meaning emerges in the on-going flow of persons in situated activity? What are the implications of this form of practice for the therapeutic relationship? This article examines these questions.

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Author Biography

Sheila McNamee, University of New Hampshire, Durham, New Hampshir

Professora de Comunicação Social, Universidade de New Hampshire. Fundadora e membro do The Taos Institute. Professora visitante, School of Governance, Universidade Utrecht, Holanda.

Published

2024-04-01

How to Cite

McNamee, S., & Soares, C. (2024). A social constructionist exploration of therapeutic expertise. Nova Perspectiva Sistêmica, 33(78), 7–16. https://doi.org/10.38034/nps.v33i78.823

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