Narrative and Interactional Process for Preventing Harmful Struggle in Therapy: An Integrative Empirical Model

Keywords

therapy, resistance, struggle

Abstract

Resistance or struggle in therapy looms large as a predictor of treatment outcomes. This study organizes the significant empirical data on struggle into a coherent, operational framework for use by therapists in preventing and/or ameliorating harmful struggle in therapy. First, we review the prevalence and significance of struggle. Second, we offer a historical and conceptual overview, with emphasis on a contemporary interactional/systemic perspective on struggle. Thrid, we provide a synthesis of peer‐reviewed research, profiling struggle at speech‐act and episode levels of interaction process and across assessment/joining, intervention, and integration‐consolidation phases of therapy. Fourth, based upon this review, we propose a three‐factor model—consisting of eliciting dialogue, enactments, and accommodation‐for successful therapy process relative to the occurrence of struggle.

Original Publication Citation

Butler, M. H., & Bird, M. H. (2000). Narrative and interactional process for preventing harmful struggle in therapy: An integrative empirical model. Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, 26(2), 123-142.

Document Type

Peer-Reviewed Article

Publication Date

2000-4

Permanent URL

http://hdl.lib.byu.edu/1877/7247

Publisher

Journal of Marital and Family Therapy

Language

English

College

Family, Home, and Social Sciences

Department

Family Life

University Standing at Time of Publication

Full Professor

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