Integrating Postmodern Therapy and Qualitative Research

This book integrates postmodern theories of therapeutic research and practice to demonstrate how these approaches can be effectively integrated into methods of data collection and analysis. Drawing from theories of counseling, and marriage and family therapy, the book thoroughly explores the similarities between therapy and qualitative research. Chapters consider therapies which offer a humanistic "way of being," such as collaborative language systems, narrative therapy, and solution-focused brief therapy, and identify complementary philosophies and traits that can be used to guide the qualitative researcher's practice. Transcripts and vignettes of the author's practice as both a therapist and a researcher further help to illuminate how readers might enrich their processes of research and data analysis. Suitable for use on graduate-level qualitative research courses, as well as an adjunct to marriage and family therapy courses, Integrating Postmodern Therapy and Qualitative Research innovatively encourages readers to reflect on and develop their personal practice and approach to analyzing key information.

Dr. Carlos Perez is an associate professor and chair of the Department of Psychology and Counseling at Lubbock Christian University. He is a licensed professional counselor, a licensed marriage and family therapist, and a certified family life educator. His research efforts focus on issues of masculinity and marital infidelity.

1. What is a researcher? What is a therapist? 2. Epistemology and Philosophy 3. Postmodern Therapies and Approaches 4. Collaborative Language Systems in Research 5. The Narrative Interviewer 6. Solution-Focused Brief Therapy Approach to Research 7. Hierarchy and Self-disclosure 8. On Writing