Jan is a high-functioning woman who is dealing with a difficult moral dilemma that many therapists will recognize: she is a wife and mother, unfulfilled in her marriage, and she recently began having an affair. In this session with Jan, Dr. Doherty demonstrates Value-Sensitive Therapy by first honoring both sides of her dilemma, and then making it clear that he values marital commitment. From this values-based perspective, he encourages Jan to work on finding more fulfillment in her marriage, beginning by being honest with her husband about the affair.
Many therapists will find this approach controversial, because most of us have been taught not to bring our own values into the therapy room. However, according to Doherty, neutrality is a myth and “we cannot not influence our clients.” The group discussion after the session is particularly fascinating, as the therapists grapple with the complexities of bringing morality into therapy.
This video is part of the 10-video series, Family Therapy with the Experts. Other self-study videos in this series include:
- Adlerian Family Therapy
- Bowenian Family Therapy
- Empowerment Family Therapy
- Integrative Family Therapy
- Narrative Family Therapy
- Object-Relations Family Therapy
- Satir Family Therapy
- Solution-Oriented Family Therapy
- Structural Family Therapy
- Value-Sensitive Therapy
