relatedfields1028

[Adam Blatner]

Re: related schoolsJim Sacks wrote 10/27:
It's always good to inclusive,no? No. Certainly all the "related fields"  that Adam has so impressively set out should be included  but seeing only the advantages of inclusivity  evades the necessity of defining the boundaries. Should we really accept absolutely anything as a related field for purposes of the exam? What about astro-drama that an individual has invented? We would have to have some criterion to decide what is not a related field. Jim 

 
Responding AB:  Good point. Under what conditions would it be wiser to identify how a given approach should NOT qualify as a related field? I agree that Joe Blow or Adam Blatner's personal set of ideas should not qualify; nor should they even if he has put a "name" on his approach, like "fixitological therapy." Nor if he had 20 faithful disciples. Some broader consensus is needed---a professional organization, some conferences, a newsletter or journal, perhaps at least, say 3, 5, or 10 papers in the professional literature, maybe at least 1 book, plus evidence that at least 100 practitioners respect it as a field. Thus, a field that has only an inventor and 99 practitioners is too small to make the game worthwhile.
     More, if a field is not known to an average examiner, the writer of such an essay would have to show using something like the aforementioned criteria that such a "field" exists and has attained "critical mass."
       Now my proposal is very preliminary, just seeking to lay out some criteria, expecting to revise it up down or sideways depending on your input, feedback. Play with us.

     One of the problems I noted on the list as it is established is that there are theoretical orientations that are yet far from being any revision (or at least not much) in the way people actually do therapy. Erik Erikson's psycho-social model hardly offers much guidance for shifting the way therapy is done---and there are thousands of such theoretical refinements, sub-theories, etc.  So should these be included in the list? 
       Similarly, a variation or elaboration of method may well be worth thinking about---e.g., Hudgins and others developing Therapeutic Spiral Method--- but I don't think it's a related field.

   Is Playback Theatre a related field or still within the boundary?  What about Theatre of the Oppressed?

    Should group therapy be allowed to be a field or is it far too broad?  Perhaps some approach within that needs to be specified. The same for "family therapy" or "pastoral counseling," etc.

    I would tend to vote against a general orientation such as "existential psychiatry," Humanistic Psychology," "Depth Psychology," Eclecticism, because these are so general and tend to include more specific approaches within their more general categories. 

      Well, ball back in your court. Warmly, Adam

      So let's keep playing with this boundary business. Thanks Jim. Warmly, Adam
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: James Sacks 
  To: Adam Blatner 
  Cc: list at grouptalkweb.org 
  Sent: Sunday, October 28, 2007 8:48 PM
  Subject: Re: related schools
         Hello, Listserve, what do y'all think of this discussion? To restate, I would like to influence the Board of Examiners to expand and refine their policy and section on "related methods" in the Board Exams. As in the guide, it... well, it needs re-examination.
          
             The exchange with Peter Howie below may add to this exploration.


    I've considered a number of other related fields.
        In my book on Interactive & Improvisational Drama (an anthology that I edited), there are chapters on over 30 approaches that are as related to psychodrama as, say, Montessori education----and one could well argue that their relation is even closer. Approaches such as process drama in education, theatre in education, Theatre of the Oppressed, Playback Theatre, bibliodrama, etc.--- all might be considered.
         In my chapter on psychodrama in Corsini & Wedding's Current Psychotherapies text, I note other related fields, such as the Pesso-Boyden System Psychomotor (see their book, Movement in Therapy)--- which some psychodramatists have been integrating; Hal & Sidra Stone's "Voice Dialogue." In Corsini's Handbook of Innovative Psychotherapy, there are many other approaches.
          Related to drama therapy, there's also expressive arts therapy (mixing two or more modalities, including drama)--- and again some international psychodramatists do this. All the variations of drama therapy are also related.
          There are approaches to improvisational dance/movement work that bridge to the spontaneity work in psychodrama.
                 and on and on.

       ----- Original Message -----

      From: Peter Howie
      To: Adam Blatner
      Sent: Sunday, October 28, 2007 12:20 AM
      Subject: Re: related schools


      Hi Adam,

      Yes lets keep the conversation in the open space.

      Cheers

      Peter

      At 10:05 PM 10/26/2007 -0500, you wrote:

        Yes, I agree, that Ellis is an important school---becoming increasingly obscure here.  Funny you should say that he's in any way at all like Moreno. I can't see it, but perhaps if you prod me I will.
         
           Re postmodern, I've been messing with that. Let's just say that any trend---liberalism, existentialism, new age, postmodernism, etc. can be done foolishly as well as wisely. So those who espouse postmodernism to excuse bland anything goes are misusing some good ideas. It shouldn't be seen as a coherent specific movement, though.
            As for science being the criterion for assessing psychotherapy---i.e., hard data--- in the USA, cognitive behavior therapy is a modality that can be assessed more specifically. However, I think it misses many things.
             I'm pretty dubious about the degrees to which science can measure or assess much of value in psychology. It hasn't addressed love much, or "cute," or meaning. A bit more on happiness, and little that isn't pretty intuitively obvious.
              I might concede that this or that research has shifted our thinking, but 96.92% (I just make these numbers up) are "Duh," as in "Duh, that's pretty obvious, dude."   Research done by college and grad students to get their careers started. Perhaps I'm unduly cynical.
         
               One postmodern concept I do sustain is the inclination to view as a political maneuver (to inflate status and be worthy of increased salaries, grants, etc.) the efforts to claim the aura of great science by following the methods. Basically, I see this as equivalent to being a loyal toady in the church and thus being promoted. Authority, I suspect, is at least 53.6% given not on the basis of demonstrated competence in or for the role but on the basis of loyal service, nepotism, heredity, ruthless psychopathy, being non-threatening to a superior, or malleable, being bought (simony), etc. I refer to authority in almost all human institutions.

              Anyway, do you want to include listserve again in this conversation?
         
         
         
           


          ----- Original Message -----

          From: Peter Howie

          To: list at grouptalkweb.org

          Sent: Friday, October 26, 2007 6:13 PM

          Subject: Re: related schools


          Hi Adam,


          I don't think The RET folks think they are out of date - they have a somewhat thriving or at least enthusiastic mob around here. Having been 'done on stage' by Albert Ellis on one of his many Aussie trips I can heartily endorse people knowing about his perspective - his essential ideas are Morenian in many ways - i.e. biases in our worldviews lead to view our experiences as bad or miserable. What I liked most about him was the ways he talked about other therapies and approaches - he was scathing about psychoanalysis, jung, glasser and almost everybody else for whom there was no research or didn't agree with his perspective. It was refreshing to hear given that there is so much post-modern acceptance of almost everything as good.


          I would have though that there needed to be some organisational development models as well - the Systems Theorists - Snowden et al and others, perhaps Action Learning and Action Research. But I am not sure if sociodrama and hence cultural, community and organisational theories are part of the North American training process.


          Keeping standards up to date is a labor of love and invaluable to members. go for it.


          Cheers


          Peter Howie

          Brisbane, Australia


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