Understanding Postmodern Family Therapy

This accessible textbook provides therapy students and practitioners with an understanding of postmodern theories, founders, and practical applications to family therapy. It introduces complex concepts in bite-sized pieces so readers can cultivate and master competent real-world applications of postmodern philosophy in therapy. Relying predominantly on primary sources, Kelsey Railsback shows how postmodernist ideas influenced the development and implementation of postmodern family therapy models, focusing on collaborative-dialogic practice, narrative therapy, and solution focused brief therapy. It describes why certain therapeutic techniques developed and explains the context and history of their development. Each section begins with an introduction to the model before moving to the philosopher and ending with the founders' application of philosophical ideas to therapy techniques. These chapters summarize prominent ideas from esteemed professionals in their fields, covering the philosophical pioneers Wittgenstein, Foucault, and Gergen and the therapy pioneers Anderson, White, Epston, de Shazer, Berg, and more. Critically, this book demonstrates how postmodern theory can be applied in mental health practice. By the end of the book, students will be able to interweave the philosophers, founders, and applications of postmodern family therapy into a comprehensive picture. To better understand their epistemology and why they are more inclined toward certain practices over others, students can utilize the included self-quizzes to deepen their understanding. Filled with etymological explanations, reflective questions, keywords, and summaries throughout, this book is designed for students and practitioners in systemic and relational therapy or related fields such as psychology, social work, and mental health counseling.

Kelsey Railsback, Ph.D., LMFT, is an AAMFT Approved Supervisor and a core faculty member at Touro University Worldwide. She provides classroom instruction and oversees clinical supervision of master's and doctoral students in Marriage and Family Therapy.

Part 1: Introduction Part 2: Collaborative-Dialogic Practice (Formerly Collaborative Therapy) 1. An Introduction to Collaborative-Dialogic Practice Philosophers 2. Kenneth (Ken) Gergen 3. What Ideas from Gergen Resonated with Harlene Anderson? Part 3: Narrative Therapy 4. An Introduction to Narrative Therapy 5. Michel Foucault 6. What Ideas from Foucault Resonated with Michael White? The Path to Externalization Part 4: Solution Focused Brief Therapy 7. An Introduction to Solution Focused Brief Therapy 8. Ludwig Wittgenstein 9. What Ideas from Wittgenstein Resonated with Steve de Shazer and Insoo Kim Berg? The Path to Solution Talk Part 5: Conclusion 10. Interweaving Theory and Practice