Paradigms and Epistemologies in the Promotion of Therapeutic Change: A Synoptic Re-Examination
Keywords:
Paradigms and Epistemologies; Psychological practice; Promotion of Therapeutic Change; Human Psychological Problems; Traditions and Approaches of Therapeutic Practice
Abstract
Although psychological clinicians in Africa and the wider world are usually exposed to several paradigms and epistemologies for promoting therapeutic change in clients, not many of these clinicians tend to look back and draw their clinical guidance from most of those therapeutic approaches and philosophies. Rather a vast majority of practising clinicians tend to adopt only one of those existing therapeutic paradigms or epistemologies, ignoring others, influenced by the conviction that psychological problems originate from one single master cause which when discovered and dealt with will lead to the amelioration of the challenge presented. This article argues that this tendency to adopt a single assumption theory of aetiology of human psychological problems is mistaken and needs to be reconsidered as problems which many clients present for psychological attention often do originate from multiple sources or factors. Against this background, the major objective of this article is to encourage practising clinicians to form the habit of looking back and drawing clinical insights from important variety of paradigms and epistemologies that promote effective therapeutic change which they were exposed to in the course of their training. Through such a strategy they will avoid the regrettable error of continuing to neglect important clinical approaches that they have routinely ignored but which may merit a second chance of attention in promoting their practice.
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Tomm, K. (1988). “Interventive Interviewing: Part III. Intending to Ask Lineal, Circular, Strategic, or Reflexive Questions?” Family Process, 27, no. 1: 1-15. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1545-5300.1988.00001.x
‘
Tomm, K., & T. Gover (2007). “Acknowledgement: Its Significance for Reconciliation & Well-being.” In Hope and Despair in Narrative and Family Therapy, edited by C. Flaskas, I. McCarthy, and J. Sheehan (139-149). Routledge.
White, M. (1989) Selected Papers. Adelaide: Dulwich Centre Publications.
Anderson, H. (2007). Creating a space for a generating community. In H, Anderson & P. Jensen (Eds.) Innovations in the reflecting process (pp. 33-45, dig. ed.). Routledge.
Anderson, H. (2007b). Dialogue: Peoplecreating meaning with each other and finding ways to go on. In H. Anderson & D. Gehart (Eds.) Collaborative therapy: Relationships and Conversations that make a difference (pp. 37-42, dig.ed.) Routledge.
Barney, K. (1994). Limitations of the critique of the medical model. Journal of Mind and Behavior, 15, 19-34.
Bateman, A., & Holmes, J. (1995). Introduction to Psychoanalysis: Contemporary theory and practice. Routledge.
Beck, A. T. (1976). Cognitive Therapy & the Emotional Disorders. International Universities Press.
Carr, A. (1997). One Perspective on Karl Tomm’s Current Approach to Systemic Practice. Feedback, 7, 13-20
Carr, A. (2010). Ten research questions for family therapy. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy, 31, 119-132.
Carr, A. (2000). Chapter 3. Karl Tomm’s approach to systemic practice. In A. Carr (Ed.) Clinical Psychology in Ireland, Volume 4. Family Theory, Practice and Research (pp. 39-64). Edwin Millen Press.
Chodoff, P. (2002). The medicalization of the human condition. Psychiatric Services, 53, 627-628. doi:10.1176/appi.ps.53.5.627
Colapinto, J. (1991). Structural family therapy. In A. S. Gurman & D. P. Kniskern (Eds.), Handbook of family therapy, vol. 2, pp. 417-443. Brunner/Mazel.
Frankl, V. (1978). The unheard cry for meaning. Simon and Schuster.
Falloon, I. R. H. (1988). Handbook of Behavioural Family Therapy. Routledge.
Furman, B. & Ahola, T. (1992). Solution Talk: Hosting Therapeutic Conversations. Norton.
Geertz, C (1984). ‘From the native’s point of view’: On the nature of anthropological understanding. In: R. A. Shweder and R. A. LeVine (eds), Culture Theory: Essays on Mind, Self and Emotion. Cambridge University Press.
Geertz, C. (1973). The Interpretation of Cultures. Hutchinson.
Geertz, C. (1983). Local Knowledge: Further Essays in Interpretive Anthropology. Basic Books.
Geertz, C. (1988). Works and Lives: The Anthropologist as Author. Stanford
Gehart, D. (2007). Creating Space for children’s voices: A collaborative and playful approach to working with children and families. In H. Anderson and D. Gehart (Eds.). Collaborative therapy: Relationships and Conversations that make a difference (pp. 183-96). Routledge.
Gelles, R.J. (1995). Contemporary Families: A Sociological View. SAGE Publications, Inc
Goolishian, H. A. and Anderson, H. (1987) Language systems and therapy: an evolving idea. Journal of Psychotherapy, 24, 529-538.
Gruanaes-Lorenzi, C., Sesma-Vaquez, M., Silva, J.G., Samethand, I., Tomm, K. (2025). Bringing Forth Generativities within Relational Disquiet: An Interview with Karl Tomm. Family Process, 1-9
Haley, J. (1973). Uncommon therapy: The Psychiatric Techniques of Milton H. Erikson, M.D. Norton.
Haley, J. (1959). The family of the schizophrenic: a model system. Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, 129, 357-374.
Haley, J. (1973). Problem Solving Therapy. Jossey-Bass.
Haley, J. (1976a) Development of a theory: a history of a research project. In: C. E. Sluzki and D. C. Ransom (Eds), Double Bind: The Foundation of the Communicational Approach to the Family. Grune & Stratton.
Haley, J. (1978). Ideas which handicap therapists. In: M. M Berger (ed.), Beyond the double bind. Brunner/Mazel
Hansen, J.T., & Scholl, M.B. (2018). Chapter 1: Introduction to postmodern perspective on contemporary counselling issues. In M.B. Scholl & J.T. Hansen (Eds.) Postmodern perspective on contemporary counselling issues: Approaches across diverse settings. Oxford University Press.
Hoffman, L. (1981). Foundations of Family Therapy. Basic Books.
Hoffman, L. (1990) Constructing realities: an art of lenses. Family Process, 29: 1-12
Kaner, A. & Prelinger, E. (2007). The craft of psychodynamic psychotherapy. 1st Edition, EBook. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers.
Kleinman, A. (1980). Patients and Healers in the context of culture: An exploration of the borderline between Anthropology, Medicine and Psychiatry. University of California Press.
Krause, I. (1993). Family therapy and anthropology: a case for emotions. Journal of Family Therapy, 15, 35-56.
Larner, G. (2004). Family therapy and the politics of evidence. Journal of Family Therapy, 26, 1, 17–39
Larner, G. (1994). Para-modern family therapy: deconstructing post-modernism. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy, 15: 11–16.
Lemma, A. (2003, 2006). Introduction to the practice of psychoanalytic psychotherapy. Chichester, England: John Wiley.
Madanes, C. (1991). Strategic family therapy. In S. Gurman & D. P. Kniskern (Eds.) Handbook of family therapy, vol. 2, pp. 396-416. Brunner/Mazel.
Maturana, H. R. (1980) Man and society. In: F. Benseler, P. M. Hejl and W. K. Kock (eds), Autopoiesis, Communication and Society. Campus Verlag.
Maturana, H. R. (1988). Reality: the search for objectivity or the quest for a compelling argument. The Irish Journal of Psychology, 9, 25-82,
Maturana, H. R. and Varela, F. J. (1980). Autopoiesis and Cognition: the Realization of Living. D. Reidel.
Mead, M. (1930). Growing Up in New Guinea. Mentor.
Minuchin, S. (1974), Families and Family Therapy. Harvard University Press.
Minuchin, S., Montalvo, B., Guerney, B. G., Rosman, B. L. and Schumer, F. (1967). Families of the Slums: An Exploration of Their Structure and Treatment. Basic Books.
Minuchin, S., Rosman, B. L. and Baker, L. (1978). Psychosomatic Families. Harvard University Press
Nichols, M. (1984), Family Therapy: Concepts and Methods. Gardner Press.
Satir, V. (1967), Conjoint Family Therapy. Rev. Ed. Science and Family. Behavior Books.
Strong, T., & K. Tomm (2007). “Family Therapy as Re-Coordinating and Moving on Together.” Journal of Systemic Therapies 26, no. 2, 42-54. https://doi.org/10.1521/jsyt.2007.26.2.42
Tomm, K. (1984). One perspective on the Milan systemic approach. Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, 10: 113-125, 253-271.
Tomm, K. (2002). Bring Forth Generativities within relational disquiet: A backgrounder for the CFTC 50th Anniversary Conference (Unpublished Manuscript) Calgary Family Therapy Center, Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
Tomm, K. (2023). Hopes for a generative gathering (Paper presentation). Calgary Family Therapy 50th Anniversary & Conference: Bringing Forth Generativities within Relational Disquiet, Calgary, AB, Canada.”
Tomm, K. (2025). “Interviewing the Internalized Other and the Distributed Self”. Family Process, b4: e70025. https://doi.org/10.1111/famp.70025
Tomm, K. (1987). “Interventive Interviewing: Part I. Strategizing as a Fourth Guideline for the Therapist.” Family Process, 26, no.1, 3-13, https://doi.org/10.1111/J.1545.1987.00167.x
Tomm, K. (1988b). “Interventive Interviewing: Part II. Reflexive Questioning as a means to enable self-healing.” Family Process, 26, no. 2: 167-187. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1545-5300.1987.00167.x
Tomm, K. (1988). “Interventive Interviewing: Part III. Intending to Ask Lineal, Circular, Strategic, or Reflexive Questions?” Family Process, 27, no. 1: 1-15. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1545-5300.1988.00001.x
‘
Tomm, K., & T. Gover (2007). “Acknowledgement: Its Significance for Reconciliation & Well-being.” In Hope and Despair in Narrative and Family Therapy, edited by C. Flaskas, I. McCarthy, and J. Sheehan (139-149). Routledge.
White, M. (1989) Selected Papers. Adelaide: Dulwich Centre Publications.
Published
2026-02-23
How to Cite
Nwoye, A. (2026). Paradigms and Epistemologies in the Promotion of Therapeutic Change: A Synoptic Re-Examination. International Journal of Social Science Research and Review, 9(3), 169-185. https://doi.org/10.47814/ijssrr.v9i3.3282
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