Publications | Title: | How Therapy Helps When the Culture Hurts | | Author(s): | Maureen Walker, Ph.D. | | Abstract: | The purpose of psychotherapy is movement toward relational healing. However, the practice itself is embedded in a culture where relational disconnection and power-over arrangements are normative. The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of cultural disconnections on the therapy relationship. Because they embody multiple social identities within a power-over paradigm, both client and therapist are "carriers" of cultural disconnections. The paper examines the shifting vulnerabilities associated with those identities that may lead to impasse and violation or contribute to possibilities for growth. Scenarios from clinical practice illustrate how conflict becomes a pathway to deeper connection when embraced with such processes as empathic attunement, authentic responsiveness, and mutuality.
This paper was originally presented at the 2002 Summer Advanced Training Institute sponsored by the Jean Baker Miller Training Institute at Wellesley College. | | Order # | Price | Pub. Date | Preview | | WP 95 | $10 | 2002 |  | JBMTI/Stone Center publications are available in electronic files by going to the Wellesley Centers For Women web site: www.wcwonline.org
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