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One of Peggy Papp's
longest-standing therapeutic beliefs is in beliefs.
Not her own, but the beliefs
that couples bring to bear on their relationships and how the
beliefs can steer these relationships to destinations few of
the couples would have imagined for their time together.
This belief in beliefs - or "myths",
as she often calls them - is a theme running through many of
the contributions to her latest book, Couples on the Fault Line,
and a cornerstone of her work as Co-Director of the Brief Therapy
Project at the Ackerman Institute for Family Therapy in New York
City.
"Many therapists are stuck on a behavioural
level without taking into account the powerful beliefs and themes
which inform the behaviour," she told the Evolution of Psychotherapy
Conference in Anaheim, California last year.
She and colleague Evan Imber-Black put
together some ideas for use in distilling the themes a couple
carries in their relationship. Some of the questions that would
guide this assessment would include the following, she says:
- What are the beliefs or attitudes that
are held by people in the family that may be affecting the problem?
- What is the daily interaction that takes
place around these beliefs?
- What is the central theme in this, or
what pulls it all together? To this end Papp encourages therapists
to look for attitudinal statements, like "I never finish
anything" or "I don't have a powerful personality,"
in response to which Papp might inquire: "If you did have
a powerful personality, how would that affect you?"
- If this couple were in a short story,
what would be the theme of the story?
- How does this theme play out in other
areas of the couples life?
- Is there any repetition of the theme intergenerationally?
In unearthing these beliefs, themes and
myths and working with them therapeutically, Papp stresses several
things:
- 1. The theme must be co-evolved by the
therapist and the client;
- 2. Ensure always that the theme doesn't
end up laying blame on one person. The process needs to be non-blaming.
- 3. Always challenge the beliefs which
are constricting or empoverishing to both members of the couple.
For each person, there are four circles
to explore in the understanding of beliefs, she says. These are
the personal beliefs, what the beliefs do in the primary couple
relationship, how these beliefs play out in other relationships
and, finally, how they manifest in the family of origin. They
might be represented as follows:
To read the exclusive interview with Papp
about her new book and the cutting edge of couple therapy, order
this edition of New Therapist now. Click
here.
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Peggy Papp
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