Additional information
by Jeffrey L. Zimmerman (Author), Victoria G. Dickerson (Author)
This unique book explores how clients' problems are defined by personal and cultural narratives that can be identified and retold in therapy. The authors share their therapeutic vision through a series of stories, fictionalized discussions, and minidramas, inviting readers to participate in an ongoing conversation by reflecting on their own responses to the case material presented. Written in an engaging and personal style that brings the theory to life, the book challenges normative ideas about both narrative and the therapeutic relationship.
Back Jacket
In this unique book, noted family therapists Jeffrey L. Zimmerman and Victoria C. Dickerson explore how clients' problems are defined by personal and cultural narratives, and ways the therapist can assist clients in co-constructing and reauthoring narratives to fit their preferences. The authors share their therapeutic vision through a series of stories, fictionalized discussions, and minidramas, in which problems have a voice. Written in an engaging and personal style, the book challenges many dominant ideas in psychotherapy, inviting the reader to enter a world in which she or he can experience a radically different view of problems, people, and therapy. A wealth of stories told from the clients' point of view illustrate the creative ways they begin to deal with problems: Individuals escape them, couples take their relationships back from problems, kids dump their problems, and teenagers work with their parents to fight their problems. Training and supervision from the perspective of students are also discussed. As entertaining as it is informative, this book will be welcomed by family therapists both novice and experienced, from a range of orientations. Offering a creative and accessible approach to clinical work, it also serves as a supplementary text in courses on family and narrative therapy.
Author Biography
Jeffrey L. Zimmerman PhD, is Co-Director, with Victoria C. Dickerson, of Bay Area Family Therapy Training Associates in Cupertino, California. Drs. Zimmerman and Dickerson train therapists in the Narrative Family Therapy Externship at the Mental Research Institute in Palo Alto and have collaborated on many book chapters and articles.
Victoria C. Dickerson, PhD, is Co-Director, with Jeffrey L. Zimmerman, of Bay Area Family Therapy Training Associates in Cupertino, California. Drs. Dickerson and Zimmerman train therapists in the Narrative Family Therapy Externship at the Mental Research Institute in Palo Alto and have collaborated on many book chapters and articles.
