Second-order psychotherapy: How psychotherapists use theories and how psychotherapy theories use psychotherapists?

Abstract

For Graham Barnes, the starting point of his research was the observation that most psychotherapists are trained in a theory-centered style of practice, neglecting epistemological and hermeneutical aspects. The consequence is an absence of critical self-reflection about some basic assumptions of psychotherapy theories and clinical practices in the psychotherapy community. When using a particular theory, therapists forget that the theory is “using” them, as well, i.e., they are unaware of the effects the theory has on them and on their relationships with clients.

As an alternative to this ignorance, Barnes developed the concept, research project and clinical application of what he called “second-order psychotherapy”, in which the central question is: How can we encourage therapists to engage in systematic self-reflection on the influence of theory on the content and structure of their therapeutic conversations? Following Bateson’s epistemological guidelines, we give an example of how our conversation about understanding his ideas includes conversation about our understanding of the conversation about an understanding of his ideas.

Bateson created a new didactic form of dialogical presentation to facilitate the understanding of knowing, called a »metalogue«, in which the content and the structure of the conversation are intertwined in such a way that it becomes more transparent how the metalevel of relationships between the speakers influences the content and vice versa. Such second-order understanding opens the space for the inclusion of self-reflection on our relationship (and its evolution) and how our relationship has shaped our understanding.

This article is written to the memory of Graham Barnes (1936-2020). It includes revised version of metalogue that was published in Slovenian language in Bateson, G. (2019). Ekologija idej [Steps to an Ecology of Mind]. Ljubljana: Beletrina and SFU Ljubljana: 515-535. It also includes Možina's introduction to the metalogue that was published in the journal Constructivist Foundations: Barnes, G. in Možina, M. (2020). Metalogue: How to Understand Bateson? In Memoriam Graham Barnes (1936-2020). Constructivist Foundations, 16(1), 101-107.