Robert Neimeyer

This collection of articles from constructivist, narrative and social constructionist theorists and therapists describes alternatives to dia gnoses and treatment that humanize the assessment process and allow for therapeutic change. This book focuses on the question of how psycho therapists can think of human distress in a way that gives direction to the course of therapy without stigmatizing or pathologizing their clients. The approaches in this volume emphasize the personal and social processes of language and meaning making in creating and resolving problems. The authors focus on such techniques as the experiential exploration of the client's tacit processes of self-construction and the deconstruction of oppressive cultural discourses. The result is a book that explores the relevance of postmodern clinical theory and fleshes out emerging alternatives to diagnosis that are more personally viable, contextually sensitive, and ethically defensible.