Post Modern Definitions Flashcards
What is an Alternative Story?
The story that develops in counseling in contradiction to the dominant story embedded in a client’s problem.
What does Coauthoring mean?
The process by which the therapist and client share responsibility for developing alternative stories.
What is Deconstruction?
The exploration of meaning by unpacking the taken-for-granted categories and assumptions underlying social practices that pose as truth.
What is a Dominant Story?
A widely accepted narrative within a culture that appears to represent ‘reality.’ These stories shape how people see, feel, and do.
What are Exception Questions?
Solution-focused questions exploring times when problems did not occur, helping clients recognize that problems are not all-powerful.
What are Exceptions?
Past experiences in a client’s life when problems could have been expected but did not occur.
What is an Externalizing Conversation?
A way of speaking in which the problem is spoken of as a separate entity from the person.
What is the Formula First Session Task?
Homework assigned to clients after the first therapy session, asking them to observe what they want to continue happening in their lives.
What are Mapping-the-Influence Questions?
Questions aimed at helping clients understand the relationship between themselves and their problems.
What is the Miracle Question?
A solution-focused technique asking clients to imagine how their life would change if their problem no longer existed.
What is a Narrative?
A social constructionist conceptualization of how people create meaning in their lives.
What is Narrative Therapy?
A postmodern approach based on creating a climate that encourages clients to rewrite their stories, finding new meanings and possibilities.
What does Not-Knowing Position refer to?
A therapist’s stance inviting clients to become experts on their own narratives.
What is Positive Psychology?
Focuses on what is right and working for people, rather than on deficits or weaknesses.
What is Postmodernism?
A philosophical movement that critiques assumptions of established truths, acknowledging complexity and relativity.
Who is a Postmodernist?
A believer in subjective realities that cannot exist outside observation, focusing on problems agreed to exist.
What is Pretreatment Change?
Inquiry at the first session about positive changes that occurred since scheduling the appointment.
What is a Problem-Saturated Story?
The narrative clients bring to therapy, often focused on problems they feel dominate their lives.
What is Reauthoring?
A process in which the client and therapist co-create a new, alternative life story.
What are Scaling Questions?
Solution-focused questions asking clients to rate changes in their feelings, moods, thoughts, or behaviors on a scale of 0 to 10.
What is Social Constructionism?
A therapeutic perspective emphasizing the importance of meaning-making within relationships.
What is Solution-Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT)?
A postmodern, future-oriented approach emphasizing client strengths and creating solutions rather than focusing on problems.
What are Totalizing Descriptions?
Categorical descriptions that confine individuals to one-dimensional identities.
What is a Unique Outcome?
Aspects of lived experience outside dominant narratives or contradictory to problem-saturated stories.
