Understanding Postmodern Family Therapy

This accessible textbook provides therapy students and practitioners with an understandingof postmodern theories, founders, and practical applications to family therapy.It introduces complex concepts in bite-sized pieces so readers can cultivate andmaster competent real-world applications of postmodern philosophy in therapy.Relying predominantly on primary sources, Kelsey Railsback shows how postmodernistideas influenced the development and implementation of postmodern familytherapy models, focusing on collaborative-dialogic practice, narrative therapy, andsolution focused brief therapy. It describes why certain therapeutic techniques developedand explains the context and history of their development. Each section beginswith an introduction to the model before moving to the philosopher and ending withthe founders' application of philosophical ideas to therapy techniques. These chapterssummarize prominent ideas from esteemed professionals in their fields, covering thephilosophical pioneers Wittgenstein, Foucault, and Gergen and the therapy pioneersAnderson, White, Epston, de Shazer, Berg, and more. Critically, this book demonstrateshow postmodern theory can be applied in mental health practice. By the end ofthe book, students will be able to interweave the philosophers, founders, and applicationsof postmodern family therapy into a comprehensive picture. To better understandtheir 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 summariesthroughout, this book is designed for students and practitioners in systemic andrelational therapy or related fields such as psychology, social work, and mental healthcounseling.