Therapists Acting as Colonizers

Rober and Seltzer (2010) have introduced the concept of therapists acting as colonizers during therapy. Rober and Seltzer have illustrated their viewpoints with examples from their own therapy sessions so as not to place blame. Their work has substance. They state that the intention of most entrants into the psychology field is to help people. Repeatedly throughout time, history has seen conquerors “helping” groups of people be more civilized. Technology is oftentimes introduced or forced onto people, because, supposedly, the new methods present better and more effective ways of harvesting or growing. Did anyone take into consideration how the new subjects were living and working before the conquerors invaded? How did they get along without new fertilizers full of harmful chemicals and machines that put people out of work? This is what happens when the attitude of a conqueror or therapist is not checked at the door, and instead the therapist is allowed to know what is right for a patient without further investigation. Again, what is our motive for studying psychology? Is it to help people, or is it to help people to help themselves? The last question implies an interest in learning about the resources and culture of those we desire to help. For, if we are to help people to help themselves, we must be able to understand and comprehend the resources already in their possession or in the possession of their people before we start fixing things. Are therapists intending to circumvent the family’s own resources and networks by stepping in? Most likely not. Conquering or saving a family from the bad in the world can too easily occur when therapists rush in and do not step back to evaluate the process as they proceed. Rob...

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...g to school. When the therapist began asking questions for further insight, the therapist found that the mother’s inaction was actually from previous experiences growing up in a sometimes-abusive environment. Rober and Seltzer (2010) achieved the same result, namely that of increased client trust and feeling of being understood in different manners. This is what I see as the required element in family therapy—that of realizing that the sum is more than the parts and needs to be treated as such. No person exists as an island cut off from all humanity. The contact may be limited or uncomfortable, but it exists. These three therapies all recognize this basic premise and as such present a complementary support to the good relationships within the client’s circle as they begin to sort through the baggage to decide what to move forward with and what to leave behind.