Collaborative Influence

Collaborative therapists acknowledge their role in influencing clients and the outcomes of therapy. But the word ‘influence’, for many new to the collaborative therapies, can be mistakenly connoted as an undue exercise of therapist power. From a dialogic and social constructionist perspective, this article reflects on how therapists can be influential in collaborative ways. Negotiating ‘shared intentionalities’ with clients, while privileging their preferences in meaning‐making and change—as part of respecting their primary authorship over their lives—assists therapists to employ their influence in ways that stay collaborative. Furthermore, by regarding client ‘resistance’ and misunderstanding as instructive, therapists can enhance their efforts to stay collaborative.     

Creating Treaty-based local governance in New Zealand: Māori and Pākehā views

This article explores the need for Treaty-based local governance, raised to national prominence by the 2014 outrage against New Plymouth Mayor Andrew Judd, who advocated a Māori ward for 2016. The Treaty of Waitangi influenced the creation of Māori seats in Parliament in the nineteenth century, and a provision for Māori seats in local councils in 2001. There has been limited uptake of the latter and Māori remain significantly under-represented. Innovations in governing arrangements have allowed non-elected Māori to take up advisory roles and, in some cases, decision-making roles. We argue that these do not ensure fair and effective Māori representation. Ad hoc and unpredictable structures have failed to deliver fair and effective representation to all New Zealanders. There is a pressing need for a New Zealand constitutional debate – a conversation among Māori and non-Māori – to devise a governance model that addresses the Treaty of Waitangi as New Zealand’s founding document.     

Maternal Regulation of Daughters' Emotion During Conflicts From Early to Mid‐Adolescence

Primary caregivers play an important role in emotion socialization. Real‐time mother–daughter emotion socialization was examined in 45 mother–daughter dyads with early‐adolescent daughters (age M = 11.80, SD = .27) at the first observation point. Maternal supportive emotion regulation and daughters' emotions were coded during two conflict discussions, 2 years apart. With multilevel survival analysis, the likelihood of maternal supportiveness was predicted both over time, between early and mid‐adolescence, and by daughters' pubertal status. Mothers were more likely to respond to daughters' negative and positive emotions with supportiveness for daughters whose pubertal maturation occurred relatively early. Results suggest that mothers adjust their socialization of daughters' emotions according to their daughters' pubertal development.     

A Preliminary Analysis of Procedures to Teach Children with Autism to Report Past Behavior

The Analysis of Verbal Behavior - Deficits in reporting past behavior may have implications for a child’s social development and safety. Behavioral interpretations of memory and research on...     

The Rape Joke as Ur-Joke

In this paper I argue that the rape joke is the joke par excellence. The ur-joke. Jokes speak the truth like dreams and symptoms and errors. The rape joke does not simply speak a truth—the truth about rape, or rapists—its truth is oddly the truth of joking itself and the tragicomedic vicissitudes of human sexuality. This is one way to understand the importance of Vanessa Place’s work and its ethical stakes.     

Asking the Question: Childhood Sexual Abuse in Adults with Mental Illness

Enquiry about childhood sexual abuse (CSA) is not routine practice for mental health practitioners undertaking client assessment. This study audited 100 patient charts to determine rates of enquiry and response by mental practitioners around CSA. Fifty-seven mental health staff also completed a subsequent questionnaire exploring factors that influence practice in regard to sexual abuse. Staff lacked confidence in how to ask and effectively respond to sexual abuse disclosure. Mandatory training focusing on trauma informed care could improve staff confidence and capacity to identify and effectively address not only sexual abuse, but childhood trauma and abuse more generally.