Deconstructing theory engaging practice

We live in a constantly evolving world where all our assumptions are open to change, and this is integral to what it means to be systemic as we participate in the living and ecological systems that form us. But what if the very definition of systemic thinking is under scrutiny? What would it look like deconstructed? When you deconstruct theory all languages and perspectives have currency because as Derrida said there is no longer just one language but the Many. 

To deconstruct theory is to put justice and the ethical relation to others at the forefront of family therapy practice. Here one’s preferred theory whether modern, postmodern or post-postmodern is suspended so as not to colonize others or to weaponize it. To move beyond theory is to have all theories available; where there is no prior commitment to any one theory or framework, you can move in and out of perspectives depending on the practice context. There is flexibility and creativity where improvisation is possible and the relationship to the other comes before a therapist’s commitment to a theory or model with the priority how to best help them. To deconstruct theory is to cut family therapy down to the bare bones of the therapy encounter where the focus is what is said and happens in the room when a therapist sits with a client or family. For a deconstructed theory the relational encounter with the other in a practice setting is paramount. To deconstruct theory is to engage practice! 

As Peter Rober (2024) notes, effective therapy has more to do with the quality of the therapeutic relationship including the capacity to be self-reflective, utilize client feedback, build a good working alliance, and foster safety, trust, and empathy than the treatment approach and presumably the theory that informs it.

Biography

Dr. Glenn Larner is a senior clinical psychologist and family therapist from Sydney, Australia with over 4 decades of experience working in child and adolescent mental health services and across the age range in private practice. He has been editor of the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy since 2010 and has published over 30 original peer-reviewed articles, several book chapters and is co-editor with David Pare of Collaborative Practice in Psychology and Therapy (2004; New York: Haworth).  Glenn’s integrative therapy approach with individuals, couples and families is informed by systemic, narrative, psychodynamic and dialogic frameworks. He is a clinical supervisor with the Australian Association of Family Therapy, an Honorary Associate of the TAOS Institute and in 2008 received the ANZJFT bi-annual special award for distinguished contribution to Australian family therapy. Glenn has been a course writer and lecturer in family therapy for the NSW Institute of Psychiatry, Health Education and Training Institute, Sydney HETI and Clinical Supervision Services since 2003 and has presented family therapy papers and workshops in Australia, Europe and the U.K over several decades.