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Collection Highlights

Materiality and Managerial Techniques : New Perspectives

on Organizations, Artefacts and Practices 1st Edition
Nathalie Mitev

To Govern China Evolving Practices of Power 1st Edition

Vivienne Shue

Action Learning in Health, Social and Community Care:

Principles, Practices and Resources 1st Edition John
Edmonstone

Nutrition and Cardiometabolic Health 1st Edition Nathalie

Bergeron
Best Practices for Occupational Therapy in Schools Second
Edition. Edition Gloria Frolek Clark

Taking Action Implementing Effective Mathematics Teaching

Practices in Grades 6 8 1st Edition Margaret Smith

Neurobiology of language 1st Edition Hickok

Debates, Rhetoric and Political Action: Practices of

Textual Interpretation and Analysis 1st Edition Claudia
Wiesner

Practices of Dynamic Collaboration A Dialogical Approach

to Strengthening Collaborative Intelligence in Teams Jan
De Visch
“This text offers the reader the opportunity to experience a pivotal
moment in their journey as a systemic therapist informed by modern
brain science. As all behavior is understood within its context; neurobi-
ology is an essential component of this context. For those who embrace
general systems theory, yet fully understand that our behaviors and
thoughts are governed by neurology, this book is an essential resource.
While we intuitively know the connection between collaborative therapy
and neurobiology, this text offers a road map for therapists working with
individuals, couples, and families within a clinical setting.”
—Peter D. Bradley, PhD, Cross Timbers Family
Therapy, pllc; Northcentral University

“This exciting, innovative book shows ways of integrating two disparate

clinical practices without losing sight of their differences. Beginning and
experienced therapists will appreciate the conceptual clarity and clinical
guidance provided by the interesting mix of chapters. No one has to leave
their skepticism behind while reading this book and few will finish it
without finding significant value in the ‘other’ way of working.”
—Kaethe Weingarten, PhD, founder/director,
the Witnessing Project

“By combining the literary sensibility of narratively-oriented practice

along with the rigor of neurological investigation, Beaudoin and Duvall
have achieved a remarkable marriage of two lenses on therapy. This
edited volume contains a treasure trove of material for practitioners curi-
ous about the synaptic activity accompanying conversations that make a
difference.”
—David Paré, PhD, full professor of counselling psychology,
University of Ottawa; director, The Glebe Institute, a Centre
for Constructive and Collaborative Practice; author,
Collaborative Practice in Counseling and Psychotherapy

“I love neuroscience and I love collaborative practices. For a long time,

I felt torn, as if these were two branches of my family that did not talk
to each other, and I was being disloyal to one of them by my interest in
the other. Marie-Nathalie Beaudoin, Jim Duvall, and their bright team
of contributors have created a bridge that allows neuroscience and col-
laborative therapy to enter into a fruitful dialogue. I am very grateful for
their innovative work, which enriches both fields and creates exciting
possibilities for therapy and beyond.”
—Margarita Tarragona, PhD, Grupo Campos
Elíseos & PositivaMente, Mexico City
Collaborative Therapy
and Neurobiology

Collaborative Therapy and Neurobiology is the book many clinicians

have been waiting for: an integration of twenty years of scientific and
therapeutic cutting-edge ideas into concrete clinical practices. Interper-
sonal neurobiology and the development of exciting new technologies
that allow us to better understand the brain have provided us with an
enriched perspective on human experience. Yet, many clinicians wonder
how to use this knowledge, and how these discoveries can actually ben-
efit their clients. In particular, what are the concrete practices that each
field uses to help clients overcome the issues in their lives, and how can
these fields build on each other’s ideas? Could minimally developed con-
cepts in each field be combined into innovative and powerful practices
to foster client wellbeing? This book offers a collection of writings that
provide theoretical food for thought, research evidence, and most impor-
tantly hands-on, concrete clinical ideas to enrich therapists’ work with
a variety of clients. Illustrated with numerous transcripts of conversa-
tions and clinical stories, the ideas in this book will stimulate the work of
people interested in renewing their practice with new ideas.

Marie-Nathalie Beaudoin, PhD, a pioneer in developing practical ways of

applying neurobiology, has published over thirty inspiring articles, DVDs,
and books, and has been featured in AAMFT’s Family Therapy. She is
the founder of SKIPS and maintains a private practice of clinical and
consulting services. Marie-Nathalie is an acclaimed international speaker,
well known for thought-provoking and energizing presentations. www.
mnbeaudoin.com

Jim Duvall, MEd, RSW, is the director of the JST Institute and has been
senior editor of Journal of Systemic Therapies for over ten years. He is
a consultant, trainer, and author who has facilitated hundreds of work-
shops and courses, and who has consulted with organizations throughout
Canada, the United States, Australia, and Asia. He has published numer-
ous articles, book chapters, and books, as well as co-authored a policy
paper about narrative therapy and brief collaborative practices. www.
jstinstitute.com
Collaborative Therapy
and Neurobiology
Evolving Practices in Action

Edited by Marie-Nathalie Beaudoin

and Jim Duvall
Foreword by Gene Combs
First published 2017
by Routledge
711 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017
and by Routledge
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Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business
© 2017 Marie-Nathalie Beaudoin and Jim Duvall
The right of Marie-Nathalie Beaudoin and Jim Duvall to be
identified as the authors of the editorial material, and of the authors
for their individual chapters, has been asserted in accordance with
sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or
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or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including
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Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks
or registered trademarks, and are used only for identification and
explanation without intent to infringe.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Beaudoin, Marie-Nathalie, editor. | Duvall, Jim, editor.
Title: Collaborative therapy and neurobiology : evolving practices in
action / edited by Marie-Nathalie Beaudoin and Jim Duvall ;
foreword by Gene Combs.
Description: New York, NY : Routledge, 2017 | Includes
bibliographical references and index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2016045310 | ISBN 9781138655447 (hardback :
alk. paper) | ISBN 9781138655454 (pbk. : alk. paper) | ISBN
9781315622484 (ebook)
Subjects: | MESH: Narrative Therapy—methods | Mindfulness |
Neurobiology—methods
Classification: LCC RC489.S74 NLM WM 420.5.N3 | DDC
616.89/165—dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2016045310
ISBN: 978-1-138-65544-7 (hbk)
ISBN: 978-1-138-65545-4 (pbk)
ISBN: 978-1-315-62248-4 (ebk)

Typeset in Sabon
by Apex CoVantage, LLC
To my husband and children who often invite me to
conceive of the inconceivable.
—Marie-Nathalie Beaudoin

To my partner, Caroline, who is always standing

alongside me, offering unwavering support as we
travel through many journeys together.
—Jim Duvall

To all the people who love to play with new ideas,

and in particular, to Michael White, who has
profoundly inspired us to constantly renew our
work.
—Marie-Nathalie Beaudoin and Jim Duvall
Contents

Foreword xi
GENE COMBS

List of Contributors xiv

Acknowledgments xix

Introduction: Merging Soft and Hard Sciences 1

M A R I E - N ATH A L IE B E AUDO IN AN D JIM DUVALL

SECTION I
Energizing Clinical Practices with Intriguing and
Cutting-Edge Ideas 13

1 Pivotal Moments, Therapeutic Conversations, and

Neurobiology: Landscapes of Resonance, Possibility,
and Purpose 15
J I M DU VA L L A N D RO B E RT MACL E N N A N

2 Helping Clients Thrive with Positive Emotions:

Expanding People’s Repertoire of Problem
Counter-States 28
M A R I E - N ATH A L IE B E AUDO IN

3 From Implicit Experience to Explicit Stories 40

M AG G I E CA R E Y

4 Supporting Young Children Visited by Big Emotions:

Mindfulness, Emotion Regulation, and Neurobiology 50
SA R A M A R L OWE
x Contents
5 Insights on Positive Change: An Exploration of the
Link between Drama Therapy and Neural Networks 62
PA M DU N N E

6 Tapping into the Power of the Brain-Heart-Gut Axis:

Addressing Embodied Aspects of Intense Emotions
such as Anxiety 75
M A R I E - N ATHA L IE B E AUDO IN

7 Narrative Neurotherapy (NNT): Scaffolding Identity

States 87
J A N E W I N G , RO N E STE S, A N D B RA N DO N L IKE

SECTION II
Research, Questions, and Theoretical Dilemmas Which
can Inform Clinical Practices 101

8 Single Session Therapy and Neuroscience: Scaffolding

and Social Engagement 103
K A R E N YO U NG, JIM H IB E L , JAIME TARTA R,
A N D M E RC EDE S FE RN A N DE Z

9 Neuroscience Discourse and the Collaborative Therapies? 116

TO M S TRO N G

Index 129
Foreword

I was surprised when Jim Duvall and Marie-Nathalie Beaudoin asked me

if I would be willing to write a foreword to the book you are now hold-
ing. In recent years I have talked with both of them to seek enlightenment
about what they find so interesting in “neuroscience.” I have worried
that all the hype surrounding pretty pictures of brains in action might be
diverting time, energy, and funding away from more urgent social issues.
When I told them that I still had reservations, they insisted that they
wanted my reflections, saying. “We are asking you for several reasons:

• We know you and trust you

• You are a narrative therapist who is also a psychiatrist/MD
• You have a healthy skepticism of this new neuroscience/neurobiology
discipline and we think that critical perspective and skepticism would
add value to your forward.
• You know that we are not remotely interested in promoting the drug
companies or big pharma—in fact, the opposite.”

They were convincing, and I am glad they were. Jim and Marie-Nathalie
have assembled an experienced and articulate team to help them share
their enthusiasm for what happens when the world of collaborative
therapies comes into respectful dialogue with the world of neuroscience.
The papers in this collection illustrate how the emerging knowledge of
mind as it forms brains and takes form in them inspires and supports
new interpersonal, relational practices in psychotherapy. As I read my
way through them, I developed a more nuanced understanding of how
legitimating it can be for a psychotherapist to know that palpable, visible
evidence of structural brain changes is taking place as a result of psycho-
therapy. I could also sense the excitement and innovation that come from
seeing things through a new set of metaphors (amygdalas, limbic systems,
mirror neurons, etc.).
In their introduction, Jim and Marie-Nathalie describe the energy and
interest surrounding the conference where this book was born and give a
clear overview of basic principles from both collaborative therapies and
neurobiology.
xii Foreword
Jim and Robert MacLennan, in their chapter on neurobiology and piv-
otal moments in therapy, use a lovely therapy story to illustrate how
neuroscience information concerning memory formation can be applied
to help a person get out of the “rut” of recurring negative experience and
into a “groove” of hope and positivity.
Marie-Nathalie contributes a chapter on how neuroscience under-
standings of positive emotions can help therapists increase people’s abil-
ity to move out of problematic states by cultivating counter-experiences
that support counter-states. I particularly enjoyed her description of ways
she helps people linger in and reflect on preferred ways of being.
Next comes a contribution from my long-time friend Maggie Carey.
If Maggie finds this neurobiology stuff inspiring and informative, there
must be something to it. Maggie describes the narrative therapy prac-
tice of listening for what is “absent but implicit” in people’s experience.
Thinking about the brain structures involved in affective processing (the
limbic system) and in reflection, conscious appreciation, and planning
(the neocortex) gives Maggie (and through her, us) a whole other way of
appreciating and orienting to therapeutic experience.
Much of what my colleagues have found interesting in the world of
neuroscience has to do with what is being learned about mindfulness
practices and how they shape our nervous systems and influence their
functioning. Sara Marlowe contributes a delightful chapter, sharing sto-
ries that entertainingly show how she adapts mindfulness exercises to
help young children develop body awareness of their emotions, modulate
“big” emotions, and cultivate positive emotional states.
Pam Dunne begins the next chapter with a riveting description of the
excitement she felt at a workshop led by Dan Siegel, and how what she
learned there invigorated her practice of narradrama. She gives useful
examples of how dramatic enactments can strengthen synaptic connections
through repetition, emotional arousal, novelty, and focusing attention.
While emotional arousal can strengthen synaptic connections, it mat-
ters what emotions are aroused and which connections get strengthened.
Panic, dread, and fear can be debilitating. Marie-Nathalie has contrib-
uted a chapter addressing ways to work with the embodied aspects of
strong negative emotions. She illustrates how the rich neural connections
in the brain, the heart, and the gut can be altered by repeated experience,
and how therapy that focuses on generating positive experiences is more
effective than therapy that focuses only on cognitions.
In Chapter 7, Jan Ewing, Ron Estes, and Brandon Like contrast the
metaphors of psychotherapy as healing and psychotherapy as learning.
They give examples to illustrate how they focus on developing new neural
networks, and how that differs from healing flawed networks. I enjoyed
their discussion of “scaffolding” and how they scaffold the experience of
new identity states.
 Foreword xiii
Karen Young, Jim Hibel, Jaime Tartar, and Mercedes Fernandez con-
tribute a report on physiologic research in which they measured changes
in salivary cortisol and amylase, as well as EEG changes, in people who
underwent single session collaborative therapy. They illustrate the impor-
tance of going slowly and carefully scaffolding new experiences in single
session therapy, and share how they found physiological correlates of
these changes.
The book concludes with a chapter in which Tom Strong describes
his personal intellectual struggles over the pros and cons of combining
collaborative and neurobiological worldviews. He reminds us that any
discourse opens up certain possibilities while closing down others, and
encourages us to use neurobiological discourse in ways that are flexible
and that maximize resources.
I was glad that Jim and Marie-Nathalie asked Tom to contribute his
chapter. It is respectful of the contributions of neuroscience while helping
us to remember that all paths to knowledge are only partial paths, and
that a multi-storied approach will always offer more possibilities than
any single-storied approach. That said, this collection of papers sheds
light on an increasingly popular and well-populated corner of the helping
professions. It is chock full of inspiring examples of resourceful practice. I
hope you read it with as much interest and pleasure as I did.

Gene Combs MD
Clinical Associate Professor of Psychiatry
University of Chicago
NorthShore University HealthSystem,
Co-director, Evanston Family Center
Co-author (with Jill Freedman) of Narrative
Therapy: The Social Construction of Preferred
Realities and Narrative Therapy with Couples
Contributors

Editors
Marie-Nathalie Beaudoin, PhD, is the director and founder of Skills for
Kids, Parents, and Schools (SKIPS), which offers a variety of counsel-
ing services to children, parents, educators and therapists of the San
Francisco Bay Area. Marie-Nathalie also maintains a private consulting
practice where she enjoys working directly, or through Skype, with pro-
fessionals, individuals or families wishing to untangle themselves from
a variety of struggles. Marie-Nathalie has published numerous profes-
sional articles and books, including the popular The SKiLL-ionaire in
Every Child: Boosting Children’s Socio-Emotional Skills Using the Latest
in Brain Research, which is written for parents, teachers and therapists,
and translated into French and Spanish (see www.skillionaire.org for a
sample of the book). She was also filmed in several Alexander Street Press
videos, including Narrative Therapy & Neurobiology: Making Changes
Stick in Every Day Lives (see www.emicrotraining.com). With a back-
ground in improvisational theater, Marie-Nathalie is an acclaimed inter-
national speaker, renowned for her entertaining and thought-provoking
presentations.

Jim Duvall, MEd, RSW, is the Director of the JST Institute and a con-
sultant, trainer, speaker and author who is recognized for his extensive
practice and research involvement in brief, collaborative approaches with
families, organizations and communities. He also operates an indepen-
dent training and consulting practice in Galveston Island, Texas. Jim has
served in the role of Senior Editor of Journal of Systemic Therapies since
2007. Jim is also a co-founder and previous co-director of the Windz
Institute, located in Oakville, Ontario. He is the previous director of Brief
Therapy Training Centres-International.
In addition to numerous articles and book chapters, Jim co-authored
a policy paper entitled “No More, No Less: Brief Mental Health Ser-
vices for Children and Youth” (Duvall, J., Young, K., Kays-Burden,
A., 2012). As a result of the recommendations of this paper, brief core
 Contributors xv
services (non-pathologizing) were mandated by the Ministry for Chil-
dren and Youth of Ontario to be available to children and families in
every community in the Province. His book, Innovations in Narrative
Therapy: Connecting Practice, Training and Research (Duvall & Béres,
2011, WW Norton & Company) is the first book to integrate training
and research with narrative therapy, resulting in a compelling practice
evidence base.
Jim consults and trains with organizations throughout Canada, the
United States, Australia and Asia.

Contributors
Maggie Carey, BA (Psych); Dip Ed; Dip Narrative Therapy, is the
Co-director of Narrative Practices Adelaide (Australia). She has taught
narrative therapy in many local and international contexts and enjoys
the opportunity to share both the theoretical principles of the approach
and the detailed practices that come from the philosophical underpin-
nings. Her interest in neurobiology was sparked early in her undergradu-
ate psychology degree and she appreciates the way in which many of
the recent findings of neuroscience give support to current practices in
therapy. Her therapeutic work has included responding to grief and loss
within Aboriginal communities; working with people who live with men-
tal health issues, homelessness or disability; and responding to women
and children who have been subjected to violence and abuse.

Pam Dunne, PhD, RDT/BCT, serves as a clinical psychologist, registered

drama therapist board-certified trainer, California State University Los
Angeles professor emerita and executive director of the Drama Therapy
Institute of Los Angeles (DTILA) and the Creative Therapies Center
(CTC). Along with authoring well over a dozen books, films, articles and
book chapters, Dr. Dunne is also credited with developing narradrama,
which is a specific method in drama therapy that integrates drama, nar-
rative and the creative arts. She operates a private practice and conducts
support groups and training programs, including an annual, week-long
summer-abroad intensive in European locales ranging from Croatia to
Scotland to Stockholm. Dr. Dunne has also pioneered drama therapy and
narradrama training in both China and Russia. She is past president of
the North American Drama Therapy Association and a founding member
of the Board of Examiners. In 2014, she was honored with the Teaching
Excellence Award in recognition of outstanding dedication to education
in the field of drama therapy. A proud mother of six children and two
grandchildren, she and her husband live in Los Angeles.

Ron Estes, MFT, practices, teaches and supervises marriage family ther-
apy in community and university contexts in San Diego, California. His
xvi Contributors
investigations into the inseparability of meaning-making and physical
processes began while studying communication, design, art and dance
in the early 1980s. A decade later, postmodern body-centered practices
including contact improvisation converged with post-structuralist thera-
pies. He learned about what has come to be known as narrative therapy
inspired by Michael White, David Epston, Jeff Zimmerman and Marie-
Nathalie Beaudoin. Simultaneously, his body-centered practices gen-
erated complex acts of interpretation and attention to physical states;
how did these knowledges fit with narrative practices? Ron is a parent,
co-leader of Narrative Health Initiatives, co-founder of LIVE practice
and contributor to Leslie Seiters/little known dance.

Jan Ewing, PhD, became involved with narrative practices after studying
with Michael White in Australia in 1994. Her clinical practice, teaching,
training and research explore lifelong questions about how narratives
affect our body/mind and relational practices, as well as address politi-
cal social justice concerns. In 2006, she launched Narrative Initiatives
San Diego (NISD), a nonprofit counseling center bringing narrative prac-
tices to low-income clients and offering trainings to persons interested
in narrative. She also founded Narrative Health Initiatives (NHI) in col-
laboration with an integrative medical center. Here, she collaborates with
a growing practice community of therapists and medical providers to
advance an understanding of how narrative relational practices shape
identity states and health. She has directed three university clinics focus-
ing on narrative therapy, including San Diego State University, where she
is a full-time faculty member in the MFT program.

Mercedes Fernandez, PhD, is an associate professor of psychology and

director of the graduate program in experimental psychology at Nova
Southeastern University (Fort Lauderdale, Florida). As a clinical neuro-
psychologist, she studies brain-behavior relationships. Her current research
focus is in the area of experience-dependent neuroplasticity in humans.

Jim Hibel, PhD, is a family therapy professor at Nova Southeastern Uni-

versity (Fort Lauderdale, Florida). He serves as a special sections edi-
tor for JST. Jim practices, teaches and supervises narrative work, and
has published and presented internationally on narrative teaching and
training. He is the PI on a research project investigating the relationship
between narrative conversations and physiological markers, including
EEG patterns.

Brandon Like has been a member of the narrative health initiatives com-
munity since 2014. He regularly implements biofeedback and neurofeed-
back into his counseling work. He holds an MS in counseling from San
 Contributors xvii
Diego State University, and is currently employed in both psychiatric
and integrative health settings. He is interested in how neuroscientific
research is changing both the field of psychotherapy and national public
health policy. He lives in San Diego, CA with his wife, Dana, and spends
as much time outdoors as possible.

Robert Maclennan, MA, RP, is a psychotherapist in private practice in

Toronto, Canada. He trained in relational psychotherapy with the Cre-
ative Healers Institute, where he later served as an assistant instructor,
and studied collaborative psychotherapy at the Hincks-Dellcrest Centre,
where he developed a passion for neuroscience. His graduate degree at
the University of Western Ontario focused on medieval religious litera-
ture and informed his earlier career as an editor and publisher.

Sara Marlowe, MSW, RSW, is a clinical social worker, children’s author,

university lecturer, musician and mindfulness practitioner and teacher.
She has developed and facilitated numerous mindfulness programs for
children, adolescents, parents and families in mental health, educational
and community settings. Sara has a private counseling practice where she
works collaboratively and creatively to support children and families to
move towards their hopes, dreams and preferences for their lives. She is
the author of two children’s books. The first, No Ordinary Apple: A Story
about Eating Mindfully, playfully teaches mindful awareness to children
through the process of eating an apple. Her latest book, My New Best
Friend, teaches children how to be compassionate towards themselves.
Sara lives in Toronto with her partner, their two children and a ginger
cat named Chutney. She can be found online at www.mindfulfamilies.ca.

Tom Strong, PhD, is a professor and counselor-educator at the Univer-

sity of Calgary who researches and writes on the collaborative, critically
informed and practical potentials of discursive approaches to psycho-
therapy. Author or co-author of over 100 articles and chapters, he is
co-author (with Andy Lock) of Discursive Perspectives on Therapeutic
Practice (Oxford University Press) and Social Constructionism: Sources
and Stirrings in Theory and Practice (Cambridge University Press), as
well as Furthering Talk (with David Paré; Kluwer/Academic). For more
details on Tom and his research, please consult http://www.ucalgary.ca/
strongt.

Jaime Tartar, PhD, is an associate professor of behavioral neuroscience

and psychology at Nova Southeastern University (Fort Lauderdale, Flor-
ida). She is widely published in many areas of psychology and neurosci-
ence with topics ranging from clinical neurological impairments to basic
cell physiology.
xviii Contributors
Karen Young, MSW, RSW, is the director of the Windz Institute, operated
by the Centre of Learning with Reach Out Centre for Kids (ROCK). She
is an institute faculty teaching many of the Windz workshops and certifi-
cate programs. She provides supervision to interns, organizes and designs
training, oversees research projects and, for over 14 years, has super-
vised and provided single session therapy at the ROCK walk-in therapy
clinic. Karen has provided consultation and clinical training to many
organizations in Ontario, across Canada, and internationally regarding
re-structuring service pathways to include brief services such as walk-in
clinics. She has been teaching narrative and brief narrative therapy for
over 25 years and is a therapist with 30 years of experience working
with children and families. Karen has contributed numerous publications
regarding applications of brief narrative therapy and research in brief
services and walk-in therapy. She co-authored the Brief Services Online
Course for CMHA Ontario (Duvall, J. & Young, K., 2015) and the Brief
Services policy paper for the Ontario Centre of Excellence for Child and
Youth Mental Health (Duvall, J., Young, K., Kays-Burden, A., 2012),
entitled No More, No Less: Brief Mental Health Services for Children
and Youth. Karen was the lead in the first in Ontario Brief Services Evalu-
ation Project, 2014, a multi-organization evaluation of brief services.
Acknowledgments

Collaborative Therapies and Neurobiology arises out of years of rich dis-

cussions, intriguing questions and inspiring ideas with many people.
This book would not have been possible without its wonderful contrib-
utors. We have enjoyed the stimulating back-and-forth process of read-
ing, questioning, reviewing and at times talking on the phone involved in
crafting the chapters. We have all learned a great deal from each other!
We have both been involved in teaching for a long time, and workshop
participants have a way of raising the most interesting questions that
stretch our minds. We are grateful for those, and hope that this book will
continue stimulating possibilities and imagination.
Our editor Elizabeth Grabber provided an incredibly supportive envi-
ronment that nurtured a burgeoning project into an actual book. We are
very thankful for her open-minded and flexible approach.
Last but not least, we appreciate the encouragements and day-to-day
support provided by our respective life partners! Marie-Nathalie would
like to thank her husband Paul for his loving presence on all fronts of
life, and Esther for keeping everyone fed and organized during the school
year! Jim would like to thank his partner Caroline for her constant
encouragement and unwavering support.
Introduction
Merging Soft and Hard Sciences
Marie-Nathalie Beaudoin and Jim Duvall

Collaborative Therapy
As a therapist, trainer and journal editor I (JD) had been steadfastly
committed to practicing various forms of collaborative therapies for many
years. Then, a few years ago, I noticed a new and unusual movement in
the field, which was the interest in linking collaborative therapy with
new discoveries in brain science. Students in our training courses began
submitting papers addressing the linking of collaborative therapy and
neuroscience. Some were claiming that the new discoveries in brain
science were, in fact, validating the practices of collaborative therapies.
Our journal began receiving submissions addressing the integration of
collaborative therapies and neuroscience. More and more the linking of
these ideas became a controversial topic in conversations among colleagues
throughout the United States and Canada. Many of us questioned this
new and unusual initiative. How could this be? The notion of linking
collaborative therapy, which is embedded in a backdrop of postmodern
and social constructionist theory, with what we understood to be a
modernist, hard science approach seemed like mixing ice cream and
mustard together. Both interesting and compelling on their own; however,
when combined, the result can be a strange dish. Yet, many of my respected
colleagues remained compelled by the recent neuroscience discoveries and
the promise for moving our work in collaborative therapies into new
territories. Many noticed conceptual similarities and links, suggesting the
possibility that the new discoveries in neuroscience could contribute to
our work in collaborative therapies.
These conversations grew to a groundswell of stories from innovative
practices that combined the two worlds. Research projects were springing
up utilizing equipment that would monitor the brain activity of both
the therapist and client(s) pre-, during and post-therapy session. The
collaborative therapy conversations and specific questions seemed to be
influencing brain activity, not only with the clients, but with the therapists
as well. Thus, the importance of the relational aspect of the therapeutic
conversation was underscored.
2 Marie-Nathalie Beaudoin and Jim Duvall
Of course, there were and remain the voices of skepticism, quick to
warn us not to create a theory of the brain, and once again succumb to
the “medical model” to control the art of the therapeutic process. This
skepticism is, in fact, the underpinnings of solid critical theory, calling
into question these new knowledges and practices as they are emerging,
offering clarity and rigor as it takes shape and form.
Finally, in 2012 the conversations and experiences from practice and
research had continued to grow substantively. After consulting with col-
leagues, it appeared to be an important time to create a forum to bring
together the various practitioners and researchers with the purpose of
sharing their current work and facilitate discussion regarding the emer-
gent developments in innovative practices and research projects that were
addressing and linking collaborative therapies and neuroscience.
In April 2014, we produced a conference in Toronto, Ontario entitled
“Innovative Therapeutic Practices and Interpersonal Neurobiology.” Dan
Siegel presented the first day of the conference on his latest work in inter-
personal neurobiology and the notion of the social brain. The second
and third day was a conference format of inspiring keynote presentations
and concurrent workshops. Theoreticians, practitioners and researchers
from throughout the United States and Canada came together to share
their ideas, projects and innovative practices. Some projects were com-
pleted and well polished. Some were half-baked and still in the oven, in
an exciting stage of development. There were over 450 participants in
attendance. The excitement was in the air. In addition to the many excit-
ing presentations, the hallway discussions were charged with energy and
curiosity.
This conference and the events leading up to it provided the inspiration
to produce this book about the groundbreaking integration of hard science
with the art of therapy and the implications for emerging practices.
But first, let’s understand what we mean when we use the term
“collaborative therapy.”

What is Collaborative Therapy?

Rather than a particular model of therapy, collaborative therapy as we
refer to it describes a range of therapeutic approaches that share a robust
client-centered philosophy about people and how they change (e.g.,
solution-focused brief therapy, narrative therapy, collaborative dialogi-
cal therapy, etc.), These therapeutic approaches are non-normative and
non-pathologizing, as well as situated within a postmodern and social
constructionist backdrop. A collaborative therapy approach “avoids
slipping into well-established traditions of thinking and talking about
persons as ‘disordered’.” The therapeutic conversations “break free
of habitual patterns of deficit-focused talk, honing in on versions of
identity that foreground person’s values and intentions” (Pare, 2011).
 Merging Soft and Hard Sciences 3
Rather than a normative standard defining what is a “healthy” identity,
a collaborative approach acknowledges that there are multiple realities,
people’s lives are multi-storied and there exist numerous possibilities for
performing identity. The philosophy, values and ethics of this approach are
socially constructed and “have been historically, culturally, contextually,
communally and linguistically created” (Anderson, 1990).

Therapeutic Posture and Relationship

It is worth noting that the word “collaboration” risks being a term that can
be understood as contemporary rhetoric, representing a broad definition
of the term that many aspire to in their practice. The collaboration we are
referring to is not confined to that definition. We are proposing to take
collaboration out of rhetoric and to “do” collaboration. We are suggesting
that collaboration be put to work as an on-the-ground relational practice
with the people who consult us.
The strong philosophical underpinnings inherent in collaborative prac-
tices provide a platform for working with people in partnership toward
the development of their hopes for a better future. The de-centered but
influential posture of the therapist is a key factor that contributes to a
therapeutic relationship working productively with people to produce
preferred therapeutic outcomes. Through this relationship, the therapist
actively uses listening skills in particular ways, such as listening in ways
that separate the person from the problem, reducing the amount of shame
and frustration experienced by them. This may help the therapist to get to
know the person away from the problem and, in doing so, discover what
skills and abilities they may bring to bear to address the problem.
An important aspect of the therapist’s posture is curiosity. It’s a par-
ticular kind of curiosity that is in search of meaning. It’s about being curi-
ous about people’s values and conscious purposes. Through this curiosity,
a collaborative therapist brings a particular orientation to a therapeutic
conversation. They focus on people’s abilities rather than their deficits,
their strengths rather than their weaknesses, their possibilities rather than
their limitations. This represents a paradigm shift away from an over-
focus on what is wrong in people to an attentive focus on what is strong
in people.
The “posture” or way of being in the therapeutic relationship could
likely include the following:

• Being respectful and welcoming, a “host”;

• Transparency and openness (including writing practices);
• Non-expert, not-knowing position;
• Collaborative, a partnership, co-authored conversations;
• Influential, but not central;
• Taking responsibility for facilitating the conversation;
4 Marie-Nathalie Beaudoin and Jim Duvall
• Engaged in thinking outside of what is routinely thought;
• Situated away from taken-for-granted ways of thinking;
• Interested in the details of people’s experience; and
• Curious about meaning, values, commitments, hopes, dreams.

Language-Based Approach
Collaborative therapy is a language-based approach. In my (JD) research
with Laura Béres we stated: “Our field research inspired us to reflect
much more critically about the use of language within therapeutic con-
versations” (Duvall & Béres, 2011). The works of contributors such as
Anderson (1997), Delueze (1994), Delueze and Parnet (2002), Derrida
(1974, 1978, 1991), Foulcault (1965, 1980, 1997), and Goolishian and
Anderson (1987) have contributed greatly to our understanding of the
complexity and fluidity of the social construction of meaning through the
words we use (Duvall & Béres, 2011). This understanding makes evident
the significance of privileging the voice of the “teller” of the story. This
becomes an ethical concern as we become more aware of how we use
language in our conversations with people and how we talk with oth-
ers about them. Michael White (1995, 2007) emphasized the need to be
careful and precise in our use of language with the people who consult
us. We need to ensure that we intentionally use the words and phrases of
those people rather than interpreting what they say. In doing so we want
to be particular about which words to pay attention to as we support the
development of preferred storylines. For example, an over-focus toward
gaining certainty through words and phrases that appear to represent
“facts” may lead to a more linear, problem-focused and, thus, problem-
solving (fixing) conversation. In contrast, a tolerance for ambiguity and
tentativeness, while choosing words and phrases that are metaphorical
and evoke imagery, may invite people into more reflective positions and
lead to more possibilities for preferred movement.

Conversation
Because this is a language based approach, it is reasonable to assume that
conversation is the central medium for conducting collaborative therapy.
Based on the notion that what people bring to the therapeutic process
(e.g., their language, culture, abilities, local knowledges, commitments,
hopes and dreams—that is, their story) count more than any other factor
toward desirable outcomes (Lambert, 1992; Lambert & Bergin, 1994;
Miller, Duncan, & Hubble, 1997) in the therapeutic process, then the
therapeutic conversation becomes the medium for eliciting and bringing
forth people’s stories. A typical linear, question-answer interviewing
method closes down space for the person seeking the consultation to
fully express their story. Conversation creates dialogical space for people
 Merging Soft and Hard Sciences 5
to come forward and fully express their life events and experiences
in an effort to make sense of their current situation. The quality and
quantity of their participation and involvement are also strong predictors
of desirable therapeutic effects. The conversational process between the
therapist and people seeking consultation makes it possible to co-create
new knowledge. This may be in contrast with normative, unified notions
of professional, expert knowledge, which remains located outside of the
therapy room and is situated within the realms of theory. Practitioners
often experienced a gap between the rules of the theories they were
taught and the lived experience of the practices in which they worked
(Fook, 1999; Fook & Gardner, 2007; Schon, 1983).
A collaborative conversation leaves dialogical space for people to step
into the conversation, while they reconsider, imagine, and realize different
options and possibilities for action.
Collaborative theory is summarized in the following way:

• What people bring to the process, their story, counts significantly

toward positive therapeutic outcomes.
• Therapists and people seeking consultation form a therapeutic rela-
tionship and conversational partnership.
• Relational expertise—people are the experts about their own lives.
Therapists bring their facilitation skills to the process.
• Position of curiosity and fascination about various aspects of people’s
lives.
• Transparency—the therapist is open with their thoughts.
• Ambiguity and tentativeness—the therapist privileges ambiguity and
remains careful and tentative with questions.

Why Such Excitement about the Brain,

Neuroscience and Neurobiology?
In the last two decades, the subject of the brain has escaped from the
confine of medical schools to books on the bedside table of many avid
readers. Why are so many people suddenly interested in better grasping the
functioning of this three pounds of tissue we carry around with us every
day? Well, for the same reasons we seek to comprehend the meaning of life
and how our food is digested, but also because the revolutionary invention of
the fMRI in the mid-1990s has opened the door to greater understandings!
The fMRI allows scientists to view the complex processing of the brain
in action! This spectacular improvement in technology has allowed
scientists to get a better sense of what happens when people do a mental
task or process an emotional experience. For example, what happens in
the brain of research participants told to subtract 17, twenty times in a
row, from 20,679, and informed that this will reflect their IQ? As people
go from determination to frustration and discouragement about the task
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