How to Use The Systemic Therapy MicroSkills: The Joining Skills, with Dr. AnnaLynn Schooley

April 2, 2019 Ili Rivera Walter, PhD, LMFT

Systemic Therapy MicroSkills, Part 1 | Family Therapy Basics

This post is the first of several articles in which I discuss the systemic therapy microskills, with Dr. AnnaLynn Schooley.

Dr. Schooley and her co-author, fellow professor and family therapist, Jim Hibel, are writing a book on the small systemic skills that therapists can intentionally practice in order to increase their effectiveness.

Linear vs. Circular Causality: Systemic Therapy Series

September 25, 2018 Ili Rivera Walter, PhD, LMFT

Linear vs. Circular Causality in systemic therapy

Lately, I’ve been reviewing the history of the marriage and family therapy (MFT) field. Including the stories of MFT pioneers, the shift represented in the field from treating the individual to treating the system, and the core concepts that mark systemic thinking and systemic therapy.

It’s been fun!

I’ve decided to begin a systemic therapy series to review the major concepts of systems theory, as well as how to begin and maintain the systemic perspective.

How To Write A Therapy Case Summary

June 26, 2018 Ili Rivera Walter, PhD, LMFT

Conceptualizing a case systemically can be challenging, because of the many family members and influences that are relevant to our work with clients. In the practicum courses I teach, students are required to write a case summary and present the case to the class. In this post, I outline and explain the sections of the case summary assignment.

Maps of Narrative Practice: An Overview of Externalizing and Re-Authoring Conversations

January 16, 2018 Ili Rivera Walter, PhD, LMFT

Maps of Narrative practice: Externalizing and Re-authoring

In his last book on narrative practice, Maps of Narrative Practice (2007), Michael White presents maps as "constructions that can be referred to for guidance on our journeys--in this case, on our journeys with the people who consult us about the predicaments and problems of their lives” (p. 5).

The maps of narrative practice offer therapists a view of the therapeutic landscape--what has been traveled with clients and what is yet to be explored. Like in every theory, remembering the already traveled paths will reveal the possibilities for where to go next.

In Maps, White throughly explains the structure of externalizing conversations, re-authoring conversations, re-membering conversations, definitional ceremonies, conversations that highlight unique outcomes, and scaffolding conversations. In this post, I offer an overview of the first two conversations: Externalizing and re-authoring.