EP90 Panel 10 - Therapeutic Uses of Humor - Arnold Lazarus, PhD; Miriam Polster, PhD; Carl Whitaker, MD; Cloe Madanes, Lic. Psychol.
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- Not yet rated
- Topic Areas:
- Topical Panels | Humor | Psychotherapy | Therapist Development
- Categories:
- Evolution of Psychotherapy | Evolution of Psychotherapy 1990
- Faculty:
- Arnold Lazarus, Ph.D. | Miriam Polster | Carl Whitaker, MD | Cloe Madanes, HDL, LIC
- Duration:
- 58 Minutes
- Format:
- Audio Only
- Original Program Date:
- Dec 15, 1990
- License:
- Never Expires.
Tags: Humor Psychotherapy Therapist Development Arnold Lazarus Carl Whitaker Miriam Polster Cloe Madanes Adaptation Attunement Autonomy Behavioral Change Double Bind Emotional Growth Ericksonian Therapy Experiential Experiential Learning Expressive Communication Flexibility Learning Metaphors Naturalistic Observation Paradoxical Interventions Pattern Interruption Phenomenology Problem-Solving Therapy Rapport Receptive Communication Reframing Resilience Self-Discovery Storytelling Strategic Interventions Strategic Therapy Tailoring Therapeutic Alliance Therapeutic Experimentation Validation
Description
Description:
Educational Objectives:
- To compare and contrast clinical and philosophical perspectives of experts.
*Sessions may be edited for content and to preserve confidentiality*
Outline:
Introduction
Michael Yapko moderates a panel with Dr. Arnold Lazarus, Miriam Polster, Chloe Madanes, and Carl Whitaker on humor in therapy. Lazarus critiques an article warning against humor in psychotherapy, emphasizing it should foster connection, not mock clients.
Humor in Therapy
- Lazarus: Humor builds rapport and helps clients reframe situations. He shares examples, including using cartoons and light teasing to shift perspectives.
- Polster: Humor should offer insight, not push therapy forward or belittle clients. She recounts a client teasing her about sounding like a "Jewish mother," which led to greater honesty.
- Madanes: Humor addresses personal and family issues, such as reframing insults, playfully handling authority struggles, and even improving relationships.
- Whitaker: Humor should be spontaneous and parallel to therapy. He describes using humor to help a schizophrenic patient embrace their hallucinations playfully.
Challenges & Considerations
- Panelists discuss what to do when humor fails, suggesting apology and recalibration.
- Humor in supervision helps model self-awareness and learning.
- Using humor with depressed or low-functioning patients requires sensitivity, sometimes involving the therapist as the humorous example.
Encouraging Clients to See Humor
- Whitaker shares a story of a family coping with a dying mother through humor.
- Polster emphasizes balancing humor with seriousness.
- The discussion highlights the power of both laughter and tears in therapy.
Conclusion
The panel stresses humor as a valuable therapeutic tool when used thoughtfully and in balance with serious discussions.
Credits
Faculty
Arnold Lazarus, Ph.D. Related Seminars and Products
Arnold A. Lazarus, Ph.D., was Distinguished Professor at the Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology at Rutgers University. Lazarus served on the editorial boards of ten professional journals. He was president of the Association for Advancement of Behavior Therapy and received the Distinguished Service to The Profession of Psychology Award from the American Board of Professional Psychology. His Ph.D. was granted in 1960 from the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa. He has authored four books; co-authored, edited, or co-edited seven; and authoered or co-authoered more than 150 professional papers and chapters.
Miriam Polster Related Seminars and Products
Miriam Polster, Ph.D, is co-director of the Gestalt Training Center in San Diego, and Assistant Clinical Professor at the Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, University of California, San Diego. Along with her husband, Erving Polster, she is co-author of a book on Gestalt therapy. She received her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from Case Western Reserve University in 1967.
Carl Whitaker, MD Related Seminars and Products
Carl Whitaker, MD, was an American physician and psychotherapy pioneer family therapist. Whitaker is most well-known for acknowledging the role of the entire family in the therapeutic process. He is the founder of experiential family therapy, or the symbolic-experiential approach to therapy. Rather than scapegoating one family member or even a specific family problem, experiential family therapy looks at the entire family system. Several other approaches to family therapy have drawn heavily from Whitaker's theories.
Cloe Madanes, HDL, LIC Related Seminars and Products
Cloé Madanes, HDL, LIC, is a world-renowned innovator and teacher of family and strategic therapy and one of the originators of the strategic approach to family therapy. She has authored seven books that are classics in the field: Strategic Family Therapy; Behind the One-Way Mirror; Sex, Love and Violence; The Violence of Men; The Secret Meaning of Money; The Therapist as Humanist, Social Activist and Systemic Thinker; and Relationship Breakthrough. She has presented her work at professional conferences all over the world and has given keynote addresses for The Evolution of Psychotherapy Conference, the American Association of Marriage and Family Therapy; the National Association of Social Workers, The Erickson Foundation, the California Psychological Association and many other national and international conferences. Madanes has won several awards for distinguished contribution to psychology and has counseled outstanding individuals from all walks of life.