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23 April:  Re-authoring Lives


Madigan pp. 71-172

19 February:  Toward a Conversational Psychology


Mair pp. 33-81


Kelly, G. A. (1969).  Man's construction of his alternatives.  In B. Maher (Ed.), Clinical psychology and personality. New York:  Wiley.

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19 March:  Working with Emotion


Greenberg pp. 3-63

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12 February:  Performing Change: 

Bringing Stories to Life


Barak, A. (2013).  Playback theatre and narrative therapy:  Introducing a new model.  Dramatherapy, 35, 108-119.




Smigelsky, M. A., Neimeyer, R. A., Murphy, V. et al. (2016).  Performing the Peace:  Utiliizing Playback Theatre in the strengthening of police-community relations.  Progress in Community Health Partnerships: Research, Education, and Action, 10, 533-539.

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5 March:  Spring Break

29 January:  Constructing Career, Constructing the Self


Savickas pp. 5-36

22 January:  Intervening in Meaning


Neimeyer, R. A., Anderson, A. & Stockton, L. (2001).  Snakes versus ladders: A validation of laddering technique as a measure of hierarchical structure. Journal of Constructivist Psychology, 14, 83-103.

26 February:  A Psychology of Questioning


Mair pp. 82-142


Neimeyer, R. A., Ray, L., Hardison, H., Raina,, K., Kelly, R. & Krantz, J.  (2003). Fixed role in a fishbowl:  Consultation- based fixed role therapy as a pedagogical technique.  Journal of Constructivist Psychology, 16, 243-271.

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12 March:  The Community of Selves

Mair pp. 146-211

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5 February:  The Life Portrait


Savickas pp. 37-80

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26 March:  Chair work


Greenberg pp. 65-133

9 April:  Immunity to Change


Kegan, R. & Lahey, L. (2009).  Immunity to change.  Boston:  Harvard. (pp. 209-251)

Weekly Schedule

Note:  All readings and the associated reflection papers are  due on the dates listed.  Because students will be evaluated on the basis of their general participation in class and their performance in small group exercises, attendance is essential, and more than one class missed without prior excuse will result in a  lowering of the course grade.

Except as noted, all readings will be drawn from the class texts, denoted below by their author.  Occasional  supplemental readings can be downloaded directly from this site.

2 April:  Coherence Therapy


Ecker, B. & Hulley, L. (2008).  Coherence Therapy:  Swift change at the roots of symptom production.  In J. Raskin & S. Bridges (Eds.), Studies in meaning 3:  Constructivist psychotherapy in the real world.  New York:  Pace University Press.

16 April:  Narrative Therapy


Madigan, pp. 3-70



Konopka, A., Neimeyer, R. A., & Jacobs-Lenz, J. (2017).  Composing the self:  Toward the dialogical reconstruction of self-identity.  Journal of Constructivist Psychology, doi.org/10.1080/10720537.2017.1350609.