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Coming to grips with family systems theory in a collaborative, learning environment.
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Therapist Activity

The therapist is active in directing the therapeutic conversation.
Enactments are halted so as to prevent the escalation of clients' anxiety.
Clients are asked to talk directly to the therapist so that other family members can "listen and 'really hear' without reacting emotionally, for the first time in their lives together" (Bowen, 1971 in Bowen, 1978: 248).  Bowen himself would avoid couple interaction in the room and concentrate on interviewing one spouse in the presence of the other.
Bowen clearly avoided asking for emotional responses, which he saw as less likely to lead to differentiation of self, preferring mostly to ask for 'thoughts', 'reactions' and 'impressions' (Bowen, 1971, in Bowen, 1978: 226).
He called this activity 'externalizing the thinking of each client in the presence of the other' (Bowen, 1975 in Bowen, 1978: 314).
 
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This paper was written by Jenny Brown and was originally published in the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy (ANZJFT, 1999, Vol.20, No.2, pp 94-103).
The full paper is available as a pdf (221K - 10 pages - 2 columns per page).
Please contact us if you would like a printed copy sent in the post.
 
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