Constructivism: An approach to clinical practice∗
- 1 March 1993
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Taylor & Francis in Smith College Studies in Social Work
- Vol. 63 (2) , 127-146
- https://doi.org/10.1080/00377319309517382
Abstract
Constructivism, a view that we cannot know reality apart from our constructions of it, along with social constructionism, a belief that knowledge is socially, historically, and culturally situated, form the basis of a new approach to clinical practice. In the explication of this perspective, assessment is defined as a collaborative inquiry. Multiple theoretical perspectives are used as viable alternative explanations, with no single perspective privileged. In treatment, clients’ narratives are emphasized and meaning is co‐constructed. The therapeutic relationship is construed as reciprocal, with more attention given to the client's perceptions. Values have a central role in treatment.Keywords
This publication has 24 references indexed in Scilit:
- A Consideration of Intimate and Non‐Intimate Interactions in TherapyFamily Process, 1992
- Commentary on constructivism in clinical psychoanalysisPsychoanalytic Dialogues, 1992
- Interpreting the relative and absolute unconsciousPsychoanalytic Dialogues, 1992
- Some practical implications of a social‐constructivist view of the psychoanalytic situationPsychoanalytic Dialogues, 1992
- Discussion: Toward a social‐constructivist view of the psychoanalytic situationPsychoanalytic Dialogues, 1991
- The Power of Not Understanding: The Meeting of Conflicting IdentitiesThe Journal of Applied Behavioral Science, 1989
- Meaning Construction and Social Work PracticeSocial Service Review, 1989
- Feed‐Forward: Future Questions, Future MapsFamily Process, 1985
- The social constructionist movement in modern psychology.American Psychologist, 1985
- A woman's view of DSM-III.American Psychologist, 1983