Developing the therapeutic conversation: a conversation analysis of information giving in Family Domains Therapy

Abstract

Family Domains Therapy is an intervention based on the work of Hill et al. (2014). A key feature of Family Domains Therapy is the provision of information on the model that underpins the therapy. This study is the first to use applied conversation analysis (CA) to explore the interactional impact of giving information regarding a therapeutic model during therapy sessions. Using techniques of conversation analysis this paper offers a description of the four formats therapists used to give information in this therapeutic setting (non‐technical scenarios, ‘if X then Y’ format, technical paraphrase and formulation format). Additional turn‐by‐turn conversation analysis uncovered how families were more likely to give extended responses when information was given using the format of non‐technical scenarios. Implications of the use of this type of applied conversation analysis for the study of therapeutic processes for future research and clinical practice are discussed.Practitioner points Practitioners can use different ways of providing information in order to open up or close down topics of conversation Using everyday terminology often leads to family members sharing additional information Using the terminology of the domains model often leads to minimal acknowledgement from family members Corroborating findings from other settings suggest that therapists could use these ways of interacting strategically to structure therapy sessions