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Public Conversations Project
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Introduction
The Public Conversations Project (PCP), founded in 1989, arose as an attempt to explore the possibility of expanding family therapy techniques from the therapy room into the larger context of difficult societal topic discussions outside of the therapy room. The underlying premise was that specific techniques employed in family therapy settings that were designed to decrease polarization in the family system could also be applied to macrosystemic public discussions around divisive topics that caused polarization (e.g., abortion). The founders when considering the core foundation for the PCP drew primarily from family theories and methods in clinical contexts designated to transform divisive interactional styles (e.g., engaging in yelling and shouting) into mutually respectful and constructive interactional styles (e.g., mutual understanding). Therefore, one key foundational aspect in the PCP was to move a...
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References
Becker, C., Chasin, L., Chasin, R., Herzig, M., & Roth, S. (1995). From stuck debate to new conversation on controversial issues. Journal of Feminist Family Therapy, 7(1), 143–163.
Chasin, R., Herzig, M., Roth, S., Chasin, L., Becker, C., & Stains, R. R. (1996). From diatribe to dialogue on divisive public issues: Approaches drawn from family therapy. Mediation Quarterly, 13(4), 323–348.
Herzig, M., & Chasin, M. (2005). Constructive conversations about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict: A guide for convening and facilitating dialogue in Jewish communities in the USA. Watertown: Public Conversations Project.
Littlejohn, S. W. (1997). Moral conflict: When social worlds collide. Thousand Oaks: Sage.
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Wirick, D.M., Teufel-Prida, L.A. (2020). Public Conversations Project. In: Lebow, J., Chambers, A., Breunlin, D. (eds) Encyclopedia of Couple and Family Therapy. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-15877-8_1159-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-15877-8_1159-1
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