collaborative therapy

Collaborative therapy forms the foundation of my approach to being a therapist. The basic assumptions of this theory outline the specific roles of knowledge and language in constructing reality. One of the foundational ideas is that knowledge is created through language. In order for language to obtain meaning and value it must be used and shared among people. Due to the social nature of language, the development and transformation of both language and knowledge are fluid and shared processes. Language provides meaning which creates socially constructed realities. Therefore, there is no absolute reality. This allows space for you to construct your own reality based on your own perceptions. The philosophy of multiple realities allows therapists to co-create a unique system with each client in the form of a joint relationship and unique therapeutic environment for each client.

In collaborative therapy, problems are viewed as part of life because of the way we make meaning from them. Since language is transformative in shifting the definition and meaning of problems over time, change is created through conversations that shift the meaning of the problem. Untangling your initial problem may lead to changes in your understanding which allow space to additional options to be explored. Therapy is not an act that “cures” you of your problems. Instead, it is a relationship that empowers you to challenge the meaning you make of a problem and create new meaning, rather than fix the problem.