| Abstract: | Reviews the book, The handbook of constructive therapies: Innovative approaches from leading practitioners by Michael F. Hoyt (see record 1998-07937-000). The range of therapies fitting within the "constructivist" rubric includes (but is not limited to) narrative, solution-focused, solution-oriented, possibility, dialogic, reflective, and various aspects of family therapy. How does one teach-or learn-constructivism? A handbook, after all, is designed as a guide that tells you how to do things. For some of these authors, constructivism is an attitude, a perspective, a way of listening and being in dialogue. It is evanescent, in the unique moment. Others share specific techniques, some of which have become nearly reified through workshop presentations. Taken as a whole, these chapters work both within and across each other, comparable to the effective functioning of reflecting teams. The many voices complement and add further meaning. Most chapters are engagingly and clearly written, inviting the reader to further comprehension. Case examples, some in considerable detail, add to that understanding. As the chapters intersect and "speak" to each other, the reader can reflect on the "meta issues": the role of therapist, who is therapist, what is therapy, and what is therapeutic. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved) |
