Integrative Dialogues in Family Therapy

Abstract

Like many family therapists today my approach to therapy can be described as integrative; it utilises various therapy frameworks and models and combines individual and family therapy approaches in response to the needs of clients and the nature of the work. This paper begins with a brief professional retrospective that illustrates the integrative therapy challenge. It then describes integrative therapy as systemic in the sense of bringing together multiple conversations about therapy based on the idea of an ethic of hospitality. Integration as an ethics of practice is grounded in a finely honed attunement between therapist and client as well as an openness to considering multiple perspectives and frameworks of therapy. This is discussed in relation to the contemporary family therapy literature and illustrated by a practice example.

Creative ways of connecting with ‘self’ and ‘other’: A Conversation with Glenn Larner1

“…because what it opens you to is the magic of the therapy encounter where you seek those points of linking to another person, not just verbally. It's more a way of relating or being with another person and I have described such encounters in my writings, including a recent paper where my own experience as a young person helped me to link with a troubled teenager (Larner, 2022). Yes, I think it opened that up to me.…”

“…Glenn Larner: Well, as earlier mentioned we had a special issue on COVID-19 and Family Therapy in March 2021, a highly impactful time of our lives, edited by you Deisy, which saw several international contributions. Thus our field has evolved into a much more responsive but also creative, flexible approach also seen in the recent issue on Integrative Practice in Family Therapy in March 2022, edited by Leonie White, where I contributed a paper (Larner, 2022). The question is how we can draw on so many amazing ways of thinking about people and change in therapy from both within family therapy and outside, and you are seeing cross-fertilisation more and more across disciplines which I think is fascinating.…”

The distress of one‐dimensional fertility in an African family

“…As in many family therapy practices (Larner, 2022; Rober, 2017) with particular reference to Anderson's (2012) collaborative family therapy approach, the first task I instituted in working with the couple was the task of attunement promotion. This began with a collaborative process to act as host to the couple, coming into the meeting with a professional register of actions that entail a relational position of full attention and presence.…”

“…Several Euro‐American approaches to marriage and family therapy (Anderson, 2012; Boscolo et al., 1987; De Shazer, 1988; Larner, 2022; Mills & Sprenckle, 1995; White & Epston, 1990) have been relevant and instrumental in helping to promote the successful practice of couple and family therapy in continental Africa (Asiimwe et al., 2021; Lindegger & Barry, 1999; Mason & Shuda, 1999; McDowell et al., 2011; Morgan et al., 2018; Nkosi & Daniels, 2007; Nwadiora, 1996; Nwoye, 2002, 2006a, 2006b, 2018).…”

Family therapy and the ecology of parallel universes

“…Part of 'finding my place' in relation to Nicholas and his family involved the menu of assumptions, hypotheses and interventions brought to the therapeutic table through a person-centred portal of creativity and music. Working within a child and adolescent mental health facility, I was mindful that another box could be opened to observe a boy with a diagnosis such as conduct disorder and ADHD, and it may well have been useful to position myself and intervene in a different way as part of an integrative therapy approach (Larner, 2003(Larner, , 2022.…”