EP95 Panel 18 - Therapeutic Neutrality or Social Commitment? - Mary Goulding, MSW; James Hillman, PhD; James Masterson, MD; and Salvador Minuchin, MD
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- Not yet rated
- Topic Areas:
- Topical Panels | Psychotherapy | Communication | Family Therapy | Systems Theory
- Categories:
- Evolution of Psychotherapy | Evolution of Psychotherapy 1995 | Pioneers in Couples and Family Therapy
- Faculty:
- Mary Goulding, MSW | James Hillman, PhD | James F. Masterson, MD | Salvador Minuchin, MD
- Course Levels:
- Master Degree or Higher in Health-Related Field
- Duration:
- 57:27
- Format:
- Audio Only
- Original Program Date:
- Dec 16, 1995
- License:
- Never Expires.
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:
Evolution of Psychotherapy Panel Introduction
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Camillo Loriedo moderates panel on “Therapeutic Neutrality or Social Commitment”
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Panelists: Mary Goulding, James Hillman, Salvador Minuchin, Jim Masterson
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Mary Goulding opens, asserting that therapeutic neutrality is an illusion
Mary Goulding on Therapeutic Neutrality
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Critiques therapists who claim neutrality but act from personal bias
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Advocates therapist transparency about personal and political values
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Shares her own commitments (e.g., Democrat, environmentalist)
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Argues openness fosters authenticity in the therapeutic relationship
James Hillman’s Critique of Neutrality and Empathy
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Rejects neutrality as fantasy and “cool empathy” as a dodge
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Views empathy as sometimes masking disengagement
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Emphasizes therapists must connect with their own countertransference and passions
Minuchin’s Perspective on Family Therapy and Social Commitment
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Frames neutrality in family therapy as impossible and counterproductive
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Cites early work in Harlem with juvenile delinquents where social advocacy was essential
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Describes Milan School’s shift from “neutrality” to “curiosity”
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Advocates for therapists to direct their social engagement constructively
Jim Masterson on Neutrality in Personality Disorder Treatment
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Defends neutrality as useful in providing a screen for transference
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Argues it is essential in work with personality disorders, but not across all contexts
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Shares political activism through National Coalition of Mental Health Providers
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Stresses the separation of clinical neutrality and external political action
Mary Goulding on Cultural Sensitivity and Therapist Limits
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Reflects on work with Okinawan war survivors—importance of cultural attunement
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Uses “Wooden Leg” game to identify fit between therapist and client
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Acknowledges her own limitations (e.g., not good with children) and stresses therapist self-awareness
Hillman on Ritual, Politics, and Therapist Humanity
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Frames neutrality as ritualized containment, but not detachment
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Shares anecdote of therapist offering coffee—blurred boundaries
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Calls for therapists to trust their emotional insight in both therapy and activism
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Encourages political engagement even if clients are not affected directly
Minuchin on Expanding Units of Intervention
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Promotes moving from individual to family to community systems
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Cites National Association for Home-Based Services as model
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Encourages channeling commitment into effective community/policy interventions
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Believes therapists can use their wisdom to influence systems beyond therapy room
Panel Discussion on Balancing Neutrality and Engagement
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Masterson: neutrality depends on diagnosis and context
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Goulding: addresses racism and value conflicts directly in session
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Consensus: neutrality is not a universal rule—openness and context matter
Conclusion and Final Thoughts
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Panelists urge therapists to remain politically conscious and socially active
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Minuchin: therapists must leverage their influence for systemic change
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Goulding: supports Emily’s List; calls for political engagement
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Unified message: therapeutic practice must evolve with awareness and transparency
Credits
Faculty
Mary Goulding, MSW Related Seminars and Products
Mary Goulding, MSW, is one of the leading exponents of Transactional Analysis. Along with her husband Robert Goulding, she developed an approach called Redecision therapy which synthesizes Transactional Analysis and Gestalt. Together they founded the Western Institute for Group and Family Therapy in Watsonville, California, and co-authored two professional books about their approach. There is also an edited volume about the Redecision model. Mary has served as a member of the Board of Trustees of the International Transactional Analysis Association and is a Teaching Member of that organization. Her M.S.W. was granted in 1960 from the School of Social Welfare, University of California, Berkeley.
James Hillman, PhD Related Seminars and Products
James Hillman, PhD, who received his Ph.D. degree from the Univeristy of Zurich, has served as honorary secretary of the International Association for Analytical Psychology and for 10 years was Director of Studies at the C.G. Jung Institute in Zurich. He has written 12 books and was nomiated for a Pulitzer prize.
James F. Masterson, MD Related Seminars and Products
James F. Masterson (M.D., Jefferson Medical School, 1951) was Director of the Masterson Group, P.C., which specializes in the treatment of adolescent and adult character disorders. Additionally, he was Director of the Masterson Institute (formerly Character Disorder Foundation); attending psychiatrist at New York Hospital, Payne Whitney Clinic; and Adjunct Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at Cornell University Medical College. Masterson has authored seven books and edited two volumes, mostly on the topic of psychoanalytic approaches to character disoreders and adolescents. His seminal work on the borderline personality has made him one of the most influential and studied practitioners of modern psychoanalytic methods.
Salvador Minuchin, MD Related Seminars and Products
Salvador Minuchin, MD, developed Structural Family Therapy, which addresses problems within a family by charting the relationships between family members, or between subsets of family. He was Director of the Philadelphia Child Guidance Clinic. Although it was minimally staffed when he began, under his tutelage the Clinic grew to become one of the most modeled and respected child guidance facilities in the world. In 1981, Minuchin began his own family therapy center in New York. After his retirement in 1996, the center was renamed the Minuchin Center. Dr. Minuchin is the author of many notable books, including many classics. His latest is Mastering Family Therapy: Journeys of Growth and Transformation. In 2007, a survey of 2,600 practitioners named Minuchin as one of the ten most influential therapists of the past quarter-century.