Narrative Therapy : An Introduction for Counsellors

Rating:
Summary: Wish I had read this one first.
Review: Having read just about every book on Narrative Therapy I can safely say this is one of the best of the bunch. Clear explanations, the author's personally-revealing case transcripts and a practical clinical focus make this a great introduction to Narrative Therapy. I wish I had started here. Phillip Ziegler, co-author of Recreating Partnership: A Solution-Oriented, Collaborative Approach to Couples Therapy

Rating:
Summary: Helpful, Yes... But Undeniably Sexist
Review: This fairly readable and reasonably comprehensive treatise on Narrative Therapy would provide a good introduction to the subject, were it not to fail notably in its unfair representation of males as abusers. It is no exaggeration to say that every abusive act described in this book is perpetrated by a male, and that roughly half the male clients described herein actively engage in some sort of abusive behavior.

To quote the author: "My politics are liberal-left, so I do not invite persons to consider the harmful effects of liberal-left ideas in the production of their problems; though, holding liberal-left views, I do believe that considering the nature and sources of racism, gender stereotyping and unacknowledged power politics may have a beneficial effect." Although Mr. Payne may be correct in reckoning that his own views are consistent with some types of liberal-left politics, he fails to express that such views also have a good deal to do with gender stereotyping, and that to so politicize therapy is to oneself engender such "unacknowledged power politics".

As a liberal and psychotherapist myself, I believe such an arguably indoctrinating approach to therapy to be hypocritical and counterproductive.