Informed Therapy: using ethnographic interviews in family therapy

Abstract

<p>Through the use of ethnographic interview methodology, researchers have begun to build client-based descriptions of family therapy. In addition, investigators have examined how the introduction of ethnographic interviews into the therapeutic process affects the therapeutic process. This dissertation describes therapists' and clients' perceptions of therapy when ethnographic interviews are a part of the therapeutic process. The results suggested that introducing information from ethnographic interviews into family therapy provided a useful addition to the overall therapeutic process for both therapists and clients. Five primary domains emerged from the interviews which are discussed as important areas in understanding how ethnographic interviews influence family therapy. These include: (1) intervention/ fine tuning, (2) validation, (3) supervision/processing, (4) the role of the ethnographer, and (5) the informed process. The primary results suggested that the interviews served to positively influence the therapy process by correcting client dissatisfaction or dissonance; by ensuring that the therapy process was "on track;" and by providing an additional form of supervision to the therapy process. The results provide insight into effective ways to incorporate ethnographic interviews into the therapy process.</p>