Navigating Critical Theory and Postmodernism: Social Justice and Therapist Power in Family Therapy

• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1111/famp.12236
• Author: Carmen Knudson‐Martin,Amy Tuttle,Justine D'Arrigo‐Patrick,Chris Hoff
• Published date: 01 September 2017
• Date: 01 September 2017

Navigating Critical Theory and Postmodernism:

Social Justice and Therapist Power in Family

Therapy

JUSTINE D’ARRIGO-PATRICK*

CHRIS HOFF*

CARMEN KNUDSON-MARTIN

†

AMY TUTTLE

‡

The family therapy field encourages commitment to diversity and social justice, but

offers varying ideas about how to attentively consider these issues. Critical informed mod-

els advocate activism, whereas postmodern informed models encourage multiple perspec-

tives. It is often not clear how activism and an emphasis on multiple perspectives connect,

engendering the sense that critical and postmodern practices may be disparate. To under-

stand how therapists negotiate these perspectives in practice, this qualitative ground ed the-

ory analysis drew on interviews with 11 therapists, each known for their work from bo th

critical and postmodern perspectives. We found that these therapists generally engage in a

set of shared constructionist practices while also demonstrating two distinct forms of acti-

vism: activism through countering and activism through collaborating. Ultimately, deci-

sions made about how to navigate critical and postmodern influences were connected to

how therapists viewed ethics and the ways they were comfortable using their the rapeutic

power. The findings illustrate practice strategies through which therapists apply each

approach.

Keywords: Postmodernism; Critical Theory; Collaborative Activism; Social Justice; Social

Constructionism; Family Therapy

Fam Proc 56:574–588, 2017

Finding ways to attentively consider the impact of sociocultural and sociopolitic al

issues on clients’ lives and therapeutic processes is a growing concern for family thera-

pists (e.g., Dickerson, 2013; Knudson-Martin & Huenergardt, 2010). Navigating varying

perspectives concerning the role and position of therapists around activism is particularly

complex (Almeida, Dolan Del-Vecchio, & Parker, 2008; Anderson & Gehart, 2007; Madsen,

2007; Monk & Gehart, 2003; White & Epston, 1990). Although both critical and postmod-

ernist perspectives promote attending to contextual issues, critically informed therapy

approaches are typically seen as more explicitly social justice oriented, emphasizing

*Department of Counseling and Family Sciences, Loma Linda University, Loma Linda, CA.

†

Department of Counseling Psychology, Lewis & Clark College, Portland, OR.

‡

Graduate School of Education and Psychology, Pepperdine University, Pepperdine, CA.

Justine D’Arrigo-Patrick is now at Department of Applied Psychology, Antioch University New England,

Keene, NH. Chris Hoff is now at California Family Institute, Costa Mesa, CA.

Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Justine D’Arrigo-Patrick, Department of

Applied Psychology, Antioch University, New England, Keene, NH 03431. E-mail: justinedarrigopa-

trick@gmail.com.

This manuscript is based on data also used in a doctoral dissertation.

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Family Process, Vol. 56, No. 3, 2017 ©2016 Family Process Institute

doi: 10.1111/famp.12236