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Conversation Analysis, Discourse Analysis and Psychotherapy Research: Overview and Methodological Potential

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Therapy as Discourse

Part of the book series: The Language of Mental Health ((TLMH))

Abstract

My aim in this chapter is to discuss certain ways in which Conversation Analysis (CA) and Discourse Analysis (DA) can methodologically contribute to psychotherapy research, particularly concerning systemic/discursive therapies. The use of qualitative research methodologies remains limited in psychotherapy research. Furthermore, research of systemic/discursive therapies is in need of methodological advances to address the context-specific, interactional perspective about change, espoused by such models. Following a brief overview of the place of CA and DA in psychotherapy research, I discuss certain notions/methodological tools of CA and Discursive Psychology (DPsy), a trend of DA, which bear potential to address such need. I conclude with limitations and implications of the use of CA and DPsy for the future of psychotherapy research.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratory of Psychology, Department of Early Childhood Education, University of Thessaly, Volos, Greece

    Eleftheria Tseliou

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  1. Eleftheria Tseliou
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Correspondence to Eleftheria Tseliou .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. University of Guelph, Guelph, ON, Canada

    Olga Smoliak

  2. University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada

    Tom Strong

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Tseliou, E. (2018). Conversation Analysis, Discourse Analysis and Psychotherapy Research: Overview and Methodological Potential. In: Smoliak, O., Strong, T. (eds) Therapy as Discourse. The Language of Mental Health. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-93067-1_8

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