Editorial: Narrative and Poststructural Perspectives in Couple and Family Therapy

• Author: Jay L. Lebow
• Published date: 01 June 2016
• Date: 01 June 2016
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1111/famp.12222

JUNE 2016 VOLUME 55 NUMBER 2

Editorial: Narrative and Poststructural Perspectives

in Couple and Family Therapy

JAY L. LEBOW*

Fam Proc 55:191–194, 2016

We are now 30 years into the post structural perspective about couple and family ther-

apy (Dickerson, 2014; Lebow, 2014; Tarragona, 2008). For a field which was initially

anchored in realist, logical positivist views of ontology and strategies for change that were

highly directive, often structural and strategic, this was quite a revolu tionary perspective.

Poststructural approaches have their origins in the radically different philosophical

treatises of Foucault and Derrida (Derrida & Kamuf, 1991) for whom the text was only a

point of origin for the reader to deconstruct meanings. Realities therefore are viewed as

highly subjective, and the emphasis moves from “what is” to personal (and often internal)

experience.

When applied in the therapy context, poststructural approaches eschew simple formu-

laic methods of intervention for encounters that more fully engage clients as collaborators,

rather than subjects of intervention. People and systems are seen as innately healthy and

resilient, rather than inevitably troubled and homeostatic. Although many of these ideas

were not entirely new or unique among therapies and therapists [e.g., much of the collabo-

rative mode is anticipated by the person-centered work of Rogers (1961) and by Satir

(1988)], it was revolutionary in the world of family therapy, which until then almost

entirely highlighted top-down strategies of change. Furthermore, much of this body of

work evolved in the family therapy context with a foundation in systemic concepts, as well

as notions of social construction. Most crucially, a much more collaborative view of work

with family systems emerged (Anderson, 2012) that now permeates the practice of most

couple and family therapists (Lebow, 2014). Along with this has emerged a creati ve, user-

friendly set of methods for working within this spirit of collaboration (Freedman & Combs,

2015; Sermijn & Loots, 2015; White & Epston, 1989).

The poststructural schools are also among the most prominent approaches that first

highlighted the challenge of fully incorporating culture into couple and family therapy.

*Editor, Family Process and Family Institute at Northwestern.

Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Jay Lebow, Ph.D., Family Institute at

Northwestern, 618 Library Place, Evanston, IL 60201. E-mail: j-lebow@northwestern.edu.

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Family Process, Vol. 55, No. 2, 2016 ©2016 Family Process Institute

doi: 10.1111/famp.12222