What can be learnt about power relations in family therapy to reduce power differences in the therapeutic relationship? AND Curious about curiosity in family therapy

This volume contains a literature review paper and an empirical paper. The literature review examines the family therapy literature that explores power in the therapeutic relationship. It is argued that therapists have elevated influence and status compared with clients. The conceptual understanding of power is elicited from the literature, alongside the clinical implications for clinical practice for reducing power differences in the therapeutic relationship. Creative ideas from the literature are proposed to promote a more egalitarian relationship in therapy, but empirical research is required to support claims and develop concepts. The empirical paper is a qualitative study that implemented Foucauldian Discourse Analysis and Interpersonal Process Recall (IPR). Therapists were interviewed about curiosity, a key principle in family therapy, to learn about how they constructed it, to contribute to the limited evidence base. Findings highlighted how curiosity was understood in context of patterns of discourse related to a commitment to the systemic model. Further discourses constructed curiosity in relation to skill and as a natural personal quality. Clinical implications are discussed. The IPR process appeared to provide insight into the clinical practice of participating therapists, suggesting that it could be used as an effective supervision tool