Dr Oliver Thomson talks with Gestalt psychotherapist Dr Karin Mohn Engebretsen about the clinician's role in the clinical encounter for The Words Matter Podcast CauseHealth Series.
Show Notes
Welcome to another episode on The Words Matter Podcast, I’m Oliver Thomson.
So on this episode of the
CauseHealth Series, I’m speaking with Dr Karin Mohn Engebretsen about her
Chapter 11 of the
CauseHealth Book, titled “
Reflections on the Clinician’s Role in the Clinical Encounter”. Karin is a Gestalt Psychotherapist, working in private clinical practice in Oslo, Norway.
Her doctoral research (see
here) was on phenomenology and medically unexplained symptoms, with particular focus on burnout. She has Published a series of research papers from her PhD studies, many of which are open access (see
here,
here and
here).
So in this episode we talk about:
- Her journey into Gestalt psychotherapy and the congruence of her clinical role with dispositionalism.
- Burnout, and how it been treated in a reductionist way, with the attempt to reduce it to depression.
- Her experience interviewing participants in her PhD studies, who were experiencing burnout and how they felt about such a simple reduction of their situation.
- Her experience of tensions working in the tension between different paradigms/methods (positivism, constructivism, phenomenological).
- How she sees any therapeutic process as a function of the relationship between the interacting therapist, client and their common field as a whole.
- The important role clinicians have in the the clinical encounter, and the zone of intersubjectivity where meaning and causal stories are constructed
- And finally, Karin has some suggestions for those of us who are not psychotherapists, but would like to adopt a more embodied-relational understanding and approach to their clinical practice.
So this was really enjoyable discussion, with someone who has integrated dispositionalist theory with existing research and practice theories, namely existential phenomenology and constructivism.
This episode offer a real insight into the utility and compatibility of causal dispositionalism for person-centred clinical practice for all forms of healthcare, not just psychotherapy.
So I bring you Dr Karin Mohn Engebretsen
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What is The Words Matter Podcast with Oliver Thomson?
The Words Matter Podcast brings you insights, reflections and conversations focused on the latest evidence, theory, philosophy and practice of communication-focused healthcare.
Find out about the more tacit, 'softer' and personal side of clinical practice such as the role of philosophy, beliefs, behaviours, developing therapeutic relationships or the purposeful use of language with people experiencing pain from expert academics, clinicians and researchers from across the world and spanning the musculoskeletal disciplines. This podcast will help you reflect on your own current practice and inform and stimulate you to consider new ways of approaching your practice and patients, to create a better clinical experience and outcomes in people with musculoskeletal pain.
Hosted by Dr Oliver Thomson PhD, an osteopath and Associate Professor who is passionate about researching and educating clinicians on a revised narrative, communication and biopsychosocial approach to musculoskeletal therapy. If you like the podcast, subscribe and check out the online learning and resources at www.wordsmatter-education.com.
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