Human Systems: Therapy,Culture and Attachments

This paper re-visits a familiar family therapy technique, ‘tracking’ which is often regarded to be part of the first phase of family therapy and associated especially with strategic approaches. We suggest that it is consistent with constructivist approaches to family therapy and can be employed in a collaborative way to co-construct and enrich relational narratives. Ideas from attachment theory and neurobiology are integrated to show that circularities are also influenced by the emotional states and physiological arousal of family members. An attachment narrative therapy (ANT) approach is employed to describe how tracking can be understood and employed to promote changes at multiple levels, including attachment relationships. Families are encouraged to adopt an ‘observer’ position on their relationships and in turn to become authors of their interactions in contemplating ways they can chose new avenues of actions. Details of the procedure of engaging in tracking with individuals and families are described with clinical examples.

The Sea Voyage Interview is a new and original method grounded in attachment narrative therapy, which serves as a therapeutic metaphorical framework to enhance clients’ narratives relating to safety and security, and to cope with the latter’s loss. It encourages clients to introspect and enrich their narratives by integrating cognitive and affective information, thereby improving threat identification and response strategies. This interview process acknowledges the distortions people create in their stories to feel secure, without judging the veracity of these narratives. The method employs a systemic approach, emphasizing context in shaping a sense of security and incorporates a playful element with kinetic sand and figurines to facilitate expression. It is non-diagnostic, designed for adult therapy, and does not explore childhood safety experiences, leaving this to established instruments. The Sea Voyage Interview prioritizes flexible conversational guidance, focussing on perceived threats, coping mechanisms, and psychological resources to foster a strengthened sense of security.

This study highlights metaphors as ways of articulating the nature of spiritual experiences. A secondary analysis of data from a previous study revealed that spiritual experiences were described using metaphors. A sample of six participants was selected. The study aimed to describe metaphors of inpatients’ spiritual experiences in mental health care. The study had a qualitative design. The metaphors were interpreted as individuals’ embodied meanings of spirituality. These meanings were identified through a hermeneutic phenomenological framework, informed by the approach of interpretative phenomenological analysis. The analysis identified three superordinate themes, to capture the embodied lived experiences of spirituality: the meaning of the immortal diamond, the meaning of the lion-hearted warrior and the meaning of navigating by divine compasses. By acknowledging metaphors as important sources of subjective knowledge, this study reflects on how mental health professionals can use metaphors to gain insight into inpatients’ spiritual universe to facilitate relationships of resonance within a Relational Recovery perspective.

This paper is presented as a response to an invitation from the editor of Human Systems. Systemic theory and therapy have evolved over the last 70 years and each new generation of practitioners encounters the historical and contemporary literature through fresh eyes. Clinical psychology is one discipline which continues to value systemic approaches. Multiple Clinical Psychology (DclinPsy) programmes nationwide facilitate training approved by the Association for Family Therapy and Systemic Practice (AFT). The University of Plymouth is one such example. This paper offers a window into the experience of a trainee clinical psychologist attending a foundation in family therapy course, undertaken as part of their wider training on the DclinPsy. It covers a brief summary of the history of family therapy, the practitioner’s insights into how it is utilised in NHS services and its modern-day application for clinical psychology.

Mental health work in Norway has undergone extensive market-based liberal shifts in recent decades, which has put time under pressure. While streamlining services is claimed to improve quality of care, researchers have expressed concern about a devaluation of face-to-face relationships. This article explores how young service users experience the role of time in mental health work and how temporal dimensions affect professional relationships. To do so, we draw on the case of young service users from two third-sector organisations that provide low-threshold mental health services in Norwegian municipalities. In total, 14 semi-structured interviews with service users were conducted and analysed through a hermeneutic phenomenological approach. Hartmut Rosa’s theory of resonance, as well as the concepts of chronos and kairos, were applied to shed light on the temporal and relational experiences of participants. The findings showed how time was experienced through presence and availability, including sharing vulnerable moments and being flexible in the use of clock time. Additionally, the findings revealed that professionals who stayed connected and supported young users over time obtained a more holistic view of the person and were able to provide stability during difficult phases. Through such continuous relationships, the young people experienced gradual inner and outer transformations where they saw themselves in a different light and explored new ways of being.