Strong2005

From emcawiki
Jump to: navigation, search
Strong2005
BibType ARTICLE
Key Strong2005
Author(s) Tom Strong
Title Understanding in Counselling: A Preliminary Social Constructionist and Conversation Analytic Examination
Editor(s)
Tag(s) EMCA, counseling
Publisher
Year 2005
Language
City
Month
Journal British Journal of Guidance & Counselling
Volume 33
Number 4
Pages 513–533
URL Link
DOI 10.1080/03069880500327538
ISBN
Organization
Institution
School
Type
Edition
Series
Howpublished
Book title
Chapter

Download BibTex

Abstract

Increasing numbers of counsellors practise using social constructionist (e.g. narrative, collaborative language systems and solution-focused) approaches. Social constructionist theory holds that matters such as ‘understanding’ are constructed and upheld in human interaction though counselling approaches derived from this theory offer little insight on how this might occur. The present study adopts a theoretically compatible research approach (ethnomethodology and conversation analysis) to empirically examine how understandings were purportedly constructed in counselling interviews. Understanding is depicted in conversational interaction terms, in how speakers make evident to each other that their shared talk is adequate for ‘moving forward’. Counsellor and client perceptions of their participation in researcher-selected passages of ‘understanding’ supplement the analyses. This preliminary study sheds light on some pragmatic considerations useful in practising constructionist forms of counselling.

Notes