Talk as Therapy: Psychotherapy in a Linguistic Perspective

The book is an empirical study of naturally occurring talk between psychotherapist and clients experiencing various anxieties and traumas that most of us recognize and can relate to. By relying on contemporary theories about sequential, situated discourse as well as drawing on “praxis” literature, it aims to investigate how psychotherapy as practice is contextually and interactionally accomplished. By scrutinizing patterns of language use, which reflect the core norms of the speech event of psychotherapy, it offers a unique look into the therapeutic dialogue at the micro level. The book presents a host of practical guidelines as to how to conduct ethnographic fieldwork at the (inter)professional research site in order to produce practically relevant findings. It also addresses the infiltration of therapeutic norms and strategies into new social contexts. Talk as Therapy is about disclosing one’s (usually) dysphoric experiences, clarifying and exploring them in the interactional here-and-now as well as focusing on their emotional aspects in the safety of the relationship with the therapist.