Pluralistic collaborative formulation in online practice
Working around the digital partition
Keywords:
Online practice, training, reflective learning , practice innovation, online counselling, collaborative case formulationAbstract
This article offers a personal reflection on finding my feet with pluralistic collaborative formulation in online therapeutic work, putting theory into practice for the first time. It centres around the work that unfolded with my first placement client during my training as a pluralistic counsellor, in relation to the process of creating an online collaborative formulation timeline diagram using video conferencing software. The paper discusses how I struggled to adjust and adapt a technique originally developed for in-person practice, to arrive at a point where my client and I were able to work together to produce a formulation that was meaningful for them. Core themes in this process included handling my novice’s anxiety and way of being in the online space, and developing strategies for overcoming the impact of the digital partition between therapist and client. My hope is that this reflective piece might stimulate dialogue around how to develop and refine pluralistic principles and concepts in the context of online practice.
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