Long Term Systemic Therapy: Individuals, Couples and Families (Palgrave Texts in Counselling and Psychotherapy)

Systemic psychotherapy has long been conceptualised and practiced as brief psychotherapy, in both the public sector and in independent practice, but it is now increasingly becoming a longer term practice. This ground-breaking book examines the ways in which systemic theory can accommodate and formulate long term practice, and locates the boundaries of the systemic theories that both help to explain and give direction to such work. In doing so, it asks important questions such as: at what point might a practitioner need to incorporate and integrate other explanatory models into their systemic thinking? What does this mean for systemic practice? How does the relative longevity of the work impact the way practitioners build and maintain therapeutic relationships with the relational systems they assist? And what implications does such longevity have on, and for, the supervisory needs of systemic psychotherapists at the heart of the work? Given the absence of a rigorous evidence base for long term systemic therapy and practice, this book explores how practitioners can hold themselves ethically accountable for what they do and think. Written by some of the leading names in systemic thinking, this book provides an important new resource for both students and experienced professionals in family therapy seeking to enhance their practice and research. Arlene Vetere is Professor of Family Therapy and Systemic Practice at VID Specialized University, Oslo, Norway. Her previous books include Supervision in Family Therapy and Systemic Practice (2017) co-edited with Jim Sheehan, and together with Rudi Dallos she co-edits the Palgrave Texts in Psychotherapy and Counselling book series. Jim Sheehan is Professor of Family Therapy and Systemic Practice at the VID Specialized University, Oslo, Norway and Adjunct Senior Lecturer in the School of Medicine, University College Dublin, Ireland. He is a social worker, family therapist, trainer, consultant and systemic supervisor. His previous publications include Supervision of Family Therapy and Systemic Practice (2017) co-edited with Arlene Vetere, and Family Conflict After Separation and Divorce (2018) published by Palgrave Foreword 6 Editors’ Introduction 10 Contents 15 Notes on Contributors 17 List of Figures 21 Part I Long Term Systemic Work with Couples and Families 22 1 Couple and Family Therapy as Meta-Theory: Doing Relational Therapy in the Longer Term 23 The Emergence of Systemic Family Therapy 24 The Inter-Related Levels of Change 25 Inter-Generational Patterns of Attachment: Looking Up and Down the Generations 26 Patterns of Inter-Generational Trauma in Families 27 Inter-Personal Trust in Long Term Systemic Psychotherapy 30 First, We Attend to the Current Dilemmas, and then, the Trauma Stories 33 Empathy 37 In Conclusion 38 References 39 2 Couples with Chronic Illness: Challenges and Opportunities in the Long-Term Therapeutic Relationship 40 Couples, Chronic Illness and Long-Term Systemic Therapy 41 Building and Maintaining Attachment in Long-Term Systemic Therapy 45 Availability 46 Flexibility 47 Variations in Intensity 48 Loyalty/Solidarity 50 Systemic Frameworks in Long-Term Therapeutic Work with Chronic Illness Couples 51 Solvable and Non-solvable Concerns 53 Supervisory Adjustments in the Context of Long-Term Therapeutic Contracts 54 Conclusion 56 References 57 Part II Long Term Systemic Work with Individuals 60 3 Olena’s Battle for Utopia 61 The Beginning of the Beginning 61 Beginning Proper 64 Getting Going 68 Stuff Happens 71 My ‘Real Life Stuff’ 73 What’s in the Box? The Progress of Therapy 73 Caring—Wanting To, Seeking To, Needing To 73 Caught 76 Space 76 Father 77 Tired of Sleeping 79 Trying 79 Mother 80 The Therapist’s Story 82 Post Script 84 References 85 4 And It Takes as Long as It Takes 87 Introduction 87 Beginnings and Endings 88 Conclusion 106 References 112 5 Journeying Together Through a Landscape of Uncertainty: Long-Term Systemic Work with Young People 114 Contexts 116 The Developmental Context 116 The Social Context 117 The Family Context 118 The Cultural Context 120 Relationship 122 Connection 123 Positioning 124 Skills 126 Journey 129 References 132 Part III Long Term Systemic Work with Professional Practitioner Groups 136 6 Psychological and Emotional Support in the Workplace: Can It Make a Difference for the Longer Term? 137 Introduction 137 How It Started in Leeds 140 What Is Psychological Support? 141 Do Professionals Have a Duty to Look After Themselves? 144 Trust and Resilience Operating at Work 147 Conclusion 149 References 150 7 Long-Term Supervision in Groups: Opportunities and Challenges of a Language-Systemic Approach 153 Introduction 153 A Non-expert Approach to Supervision: A Dialogic Paradigm 153 Much Like Peer Reviews 154 An Example 156 The Groups 157 A Contract Defines the Context 158 “How?” “Why?” and “Who?”—The Necessity of a Deep, Reciprocal, Shared Understanding 158 The Group as a Language Game 159 Development Within a Professional Context 161 The Core of Supervision: Becoming a Reflective Subject in One’s Professional Practice 162 Critical Analysis of Professional Issues: The Group as a Language System 163 Supervision as a Reflection on Practice 164 Outside the Hamster Wheel 165 Laying Down the Foundations: The First Meeting in Detail 166 Trusting the Structure and the Process: The Format of Each Session 168 What Has Experience Taught Us? 169 Conclusion 170 References 173 8 Ministering Reflectively: A Story of Two Groups 175 Beginnings 176 Developing a Reflective Ministry Group 176 What Happened 178 Further Developments 180 The Meetings—Preparation, Structure, and Process 181 Preparation 181 Structure and Process of Meetings 182 Examining the Experience 184 Participants’ Reflections 184 Surprise 184 Exploration Focused 185 Life Focused 185 Combats Isolation 185 Validation and Respect 186 Disadvantages 186 Facilitators Reflections 186 Credibility 186 Investment of Time and Effort 187 Co-facilitation 187 Protection of Relationship 187 Managed Risk 188 Benefits and Constraints 188 Influences 189 References 193 Part IV Long Term Systemic Work with Family Businesses 195 9 Families in Business—The Longer Term Perspective 196 Introduction: Families in Business 196 The Present Situation: Complex Dual Attachment and Relationships 197 Features of the Relational Work 198 The Longer View 198 The Profile of Family Members 199 When the Family Addresses Disharmony Within a Generation: Sibling Rivalry 200 When the Family Faces “Hunger in the World of Plenty” 201 The Specific Needs of the Business and Its Own Life Cycle 204 When the Leadership Changes in an Unexpected and Unplanned Way 204 When the Family Faces Unplanned Adjustments in Their Relationship Agreements 206 When Trust Is a Concern 207 Financial Strains of the Business on the Family 208 Conclusion 210 References 211 Editors’ Reflections: The Way Forward 212 Index 215 Front Matter ....Pages i-xxi Front Matter ....Pages 1-1 Couple and Family Therapy as Meta-Theory: Doing Relational Therapy in the Longer Term (Arlene Vetere)....Pages 3-19 Couples with Chronic Illness: Challenges and Opportunities in the Long-Term Therapeutic Relationship (Jim Sheehan)....Pages 21-40 Front Matter ....Pages 41-41 Olena’s Battle for Utopia (Chip Chimera)....Pages 43-68 And It Takes as Long as It Takes (Ros Draper)....Pages 69-95 Journeying Together Through a Landscape of Uncertainty: Long-Term Systemic Work with Young People (Sarah Houston)....Pages 97-118 Front Matter ....Pages 119-119 Psychological and Emotional Support in the Workplace: Can It Make a Difference for the Longer Term? (Helga Hanks)....Pages 121-136 Long-Term Supervision in Groups: Opportunities and Challenges of a Language-Systemic Approach (T. K. Lang)....Pages 137-158 Ministering Reflectively: A Story of Two Groups (Paddy Sweeney, Martin Daly)....Pages 159-178 Front Matter ....Pages 179-179 Families in Business—The Longer Term Perspective (Ana Aguirregabiria)....Pages 181-196 Back Matter ....Pages 197-209