Práticas colaborativo-dialógicas em terapia de casal

: o olhar dos terapeutas portugueses

Abstract

Changes in the present historical and sociopolitical context led to the adoption of new clinicalpractices, namely the collaborative and dialogical approach. However, the literature is stillscarce regarding the use of this approach, namely in Portugal. Hence, this study aimed tounderstand the scientific knowledge and understanding of Portuguese family therapists aboutthe collaborative and dialogical approach in couple therapy, both from the perspective of thedialogue between the couple, as well as the dialogue established in the therapeutic system.Twelve family/couple therapists participated in the study (eight women, M = 40.7 years, SD =10.3 years). An exploratory qualitative methodology was adopted, through the realization ofsemi-structured interviews and subsequent content analysis. The results suggested that theparticipants thought of dialogue as meeting, attunement, ability to listen to others, a desire toshare, construction of a safe and trustworthy context for the conversation and enhancer ofchange; while non-dialogue was described as the absence of dialogue, difficulty in buildingnew narratives and new versions together, and an interaction that does not seem to flowbetween partners, contrary to what was perceived to be the “dialogue”. Despite the participantshave not, for the most part, sustained their operationalization of these two central concepts in an explicit theoretical framework, these perceptions are in line with what the literature conceptualizes. Moreover, the results suggested that most participants considered to have little knowledge about these approaches and do not use them in their clinical practice. These results contribute to a greater understanding of the current knowledge and use of these practices infamily/couple therapy in Portugal, allowing not only to leave clues for future research but also to rethink training options for family/couple therapists in Portugal.

Date of Award	8 Nov 2021
Original language	Portuguese
Awarding Institution	Universidade Católica Portuguesa
Supervisor	Rita Francisco (Supervisor)