Description:
Educational Objectives:
*Sessions may be edited for content and to preserve confidentiality*
Outline:
Salvador Minuchin's Introduction and Initial Impressions
Brent Geary introduces the session and hands over to Minuchin
Minuchin expresses admiration for Michael White, calling him a craftsman of language
Praises White’s ability to help clients see themselves differently through therapy
Michael White's Response and Admiration for Minuchin
White expresses deep respect for Minuchin’s work, noting its influence since 1973
Highlights Minuchin’s acute listening skills and sensitivity to conversational cues
Reflects on the political consciousness in Minuchin’s work and its personal relevance
Exploring the Craft of Therapy
White discusses therapy's political dimensions and importance of broader context
Expresses curiosity about Minuchin’s shift from analytic roots to relational openness
Emphasizes therapy as apprenticeship—valuing practice and live supervision
Credits Minuchin with fostering openness in family therapy
Minuchin's Philosophy and Approach to Therapy
Emphasizes relationship and context as central to therapy
Shares personal history: Argentine minority background, immigration to Israel, shift to family therapy
Advocates for active, safe therapeutic spaces where people can locate themselves
Discusses the “absent but implicit” in client expressions as a key therapeutic focus
The Role of Narrative and Relationship in Therapy
White values minimizing therapist centrality and elevating client voice
Shares a case with a young woman connecting to her grandmother through narrative
Minuchin notes White’s strength in mapping and scaffolding client stories
The Influence of People Consulted
Both reflect on how former clients continue to shape their work
White speaks of ongoing relationships and the impact of consultations on therapist identity
Minuchin highlights working within relational contexts—focusing outward toward family dynamics
The Role of Skills and Practice in Therapy
White underscores the discipline of skill-building, likening it to musical improvisation
Emphasizes that spontaneity in therapy is rooted in rigorous practice
Minuchin agrees, emphasizing continuous sharpening of therapeutic tools
The Ongoing Development of Therapeutic Practice
Both stress openness to new ideas and evolving approaches
White recounts being encouraged to prioritize relational dynamics over narrative in a presentation
Minuchin discusses the value of questioning certainty and being influenced by colleagues
Curiosity and lifelong learning seen as essential to therapeutic excellence
The Role of Identity and Labels in Therapy
Audience member asks about therapists’ identity and self-positioning
Minuchin speaks to openness and evolving identity shaped by peers
White stresses practice and values, balanced with openness to fresh perspectives
Both affirm the importance of staying true to core principles while growing
Final Reflections and Acknowledgments
White and Minuchin close with appreciation for the dialogue and mutual learning
Emphasize central themes: relationship, narrative, and skill development
Salvador Minuchin, MD, developed Structural Family Therapy, which addresses problems within a family by charting the relationships between family members, or between subsets of family. He was Director of the Philadelphia Child Guidance Clinic. Although it was minimally staffed when he began, under his tutelage the Clinic grew to become one of the most modeled and respected child guidance facilities in the world. In 1981, Minuchin began his own family therapy center in New York. After his retirement in 1996, the center was renamed the Minuchin Center. Dr. Minuchin is the author of many notable books, including many classics. His latest is Mastering Family Therapy: Journeys of Growth and Transformation. In 2007, a survey of 2,600 practitioners named Minuchin as one of the ten most influential therapists of the past quarter-century.
MICHAEL WHITE, B.A.S.W., is Director of Dulwich Centre, Adelaide, South Australia. He is engaged in the provision of therapeutic services, in teaching and supervision and in working with communities. He has published numerous articles and several books on the subject of narrative therapy.