An Adlerian Family Therapist Reflects on Family Therapy Theories and Mentors
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Amanda La Guardia University of Cincinnati Judith A. Nelson Sam Houston State University An Adlerian Family Therapist Reflects on Family Therapy Theories and Mentors James Robert Bitter has more than 38 years of the first author in 2015 at Bitter’s home in Ten- teaching experience and has authored numerous nessee. With his integrative approach to family publications focused on marriage and family therapy and his advanced training in multiple tra- therapy. Bitter credits Adlerian therapy and the ditions, Bitter provides a very personal look at early pioneers of marriage and family therapy the history and changing landscape of efforts to for his professional development in the field. help couples and families. His theoretical ori- Mentored and heavily influenced through his entation has its foundation in Adler’s individ- training with master therapists, Virginia Satir ual psychology, but he has received advanced and Michael White, Bitter reflects on the history training from and worked with some of the most of family therapy, its theories and practices, and important family therapists of the past half cen- his anticipation of future developments. tury, including Oscar Christensen and Manford Sonstegard, pioneers in Adlerian family therapy; Virginia Satir, a founder of the family therapy After more than 40 years of teaching and train- movement; Erv and Miriam Polster, the mas- ing family practitioners around the world, James ter Gestalt therapists; and Michael White, the Robert Bitter discussed with the authors theo- cofounder of narrative therapy. ries and the fields of family therapy and family counseling.1 This interview was conducted by The Beginnings Interviewer: How did you get interested in School of Human Services, University of Cincinnati, 2610 family therapy? McMicken Circle 460 U, Teachers Dyer, Cincinnati, OH 45221 ([email protected]). Jim: The very first family work I did was Key Words: Family therapy, interview, theory, historical per- at Idaho State University under the guidance of spectives. 1James Bitter is Professor of Counseling and Human Dr. Tom Edgar. Tom had gone to a conference Services at East Tennessee State University in Johnson in Denver, I think, and he had watched a man City, Tennessee, where he has taught couples and family from the University of Oregon named Ray Lowe therapy for 22 years. Before that, he spent 8 years teach- (Dreikurs, Corsini, Lowe, & Sonstegard, 1959) ing in the Marriage/Family/Child Counseling Program at demonstrate Adlerian family therapy—an actual California State University at Fullerton. He started his teach- demonstration in an open forum (Bitter & Byrd, ing career at the West Virginia College of Graduate Studies 2017). Edgar returned to [Idaho State Univer- in Charleston, West Virginia (13 years), after he graduated from Idaho State University’s Counselor Education program sity], saying that we should do open-forum fam- in 1975. His book Theory and Practice of Family Therapy ily therapy at Idaho State: By “we,” he meant and Counseling (2014) is in its second edition. his graduate students should do the counseling. Journal of Family Theory & Review 9 (September 2017): 391–402 391 DOI:10.1111/jftr.12200 392 Journal of Family Theory & Review So, we started to listen to audiotapes of Ray in Charleston, West Virginia. Sonste was the Lowe and Oscar Christensen (2004) and read- chair of the counseling program there. We spent ing books by Adler (1927) and Dreikurs (1948; 13 years together in West Virginia; in addition Soltz, 1964). Gradually, we pieced together the to five family education centers that we started structure and process of these counseling ses- in the state, Sonste was responsible for setting sions. The whole approach of an open forum up an additional seven family education centers fit with my 1960s perspective on life: Itwas across the United States and Canada. He took community-based, inviting participation by peo- me with him to most of these places. It was not ple in the audience; it was open, observable, and uncommon for him to use a trick on me he had its crowning glory was that it made common learned from Dreikurs: He would introduce me sense. Nothing could be offered to a family that to a group as his colleague and then announce did not have the support of the larger commu- that I was going to do the demonstration coun- nity group—and this was true whether we were seling that day. It did not matter whether it was working in communities rich or poor; predom- family therapy, group counseling, or individual inantly White or communities of color; or with lifestyle assessment. Suddenly, I was on stage people young or old. In these public demonstra- with him, and later he would usually sit in the tions, what was lost in confidentiality was gained audience, available for backup. in accountability, support, and encouragement. It was a thrilling time to be working in the public Learning From the Greats domain. Tom Edgar opened the first open-forum fam- Jim: Toward the end of 1970s, a friend of ily education center in the state of Idaho; he mine went to a monthlong training experience would go on to open others—one in Boise, and with the woman many called the “Christopher some in more rural parts of the state. Some Columbus of family therapy,” the late pioneer of of these centers offered parent study groups as communication-based family therapy, Virginia well as family therapy, but all of the services Satir (1983). The month seemed transforma- were focused on helping parents and commu- tional to my friend, so the following summer, I nity leaders understand children’s misbehaviors think it was in 1979, I sold my old car and went and on teaching parents methods of prevention just north of Montreal, Canada, to a wonderful and remediation with skills like encouragement, mountain community where 100 of us partici- active listening, and the use of natural and logical pated in another monthlong training with Satir consequences. I conducted the first open-forum as the leader. She had a couple of partners work- family therapy session ever done at Idaho State ing with her, and the entire experience was con- University. I think it was in 1973, and we actu- ducted in both French and English. I learned a ally did it in a television studio at the ISU pub- great deal about myself and a great deal more lic broadcasting station. Fortunately for me, not about the role of communication in a systemic many people watched public broadcasting in orientation: We literally spent 8 hours a day, Idaho in those days, because I did one of the 5 days a week, for a month working with fam- worst four-hour counseling sessions ever. ily maps, examining modes of communication, In the spring of 1974, we held a conference embracing the power of congruence, and learn- on Adlerian psychology at ISU, and we invited ing to support others in the process of change. Ray Lowe back—for the fourth time—as well as Satir herself was the most amazing role model I the developer of the DUSO (Developing Under- have ever had in my life: She did not just teach standing in Self and Others) kit and later the her model; she lived it. She and Manford Son- STEP (Systematic Training for Effective Par- stegard both demonstrated in every part of their enting) program—Don Dinkmeyer. But the two beings how life could be lived more abundantly. stars of that conference for me were Heinz Ans- At the end of the month. I went back to teaching bacher, who many consider to be the dean of in West Virginia. I changed how I taught every Adlerian psychology, and the man who was to course, making it much more experiential and be my friend, colleague, and mentor for the next beginning the process of integrating Adler and 36 years, Manford Sonstegard (or “Sonste” as he Satir in my family work (Bitter, 1987). was called by his close friends). Over the following couple of years, I did I left Idaho in 1974, taking a position at additional training with Virginia Satir, and in the West Virginia College of Graduate Studies the late 1980s, I was asked to be one of nine An Adlerian Reflects on Family Therapy 393 trainers at her Process Community in Crested that fit with an Adlerian orientation, still the the- Butte, Colorado. That was probably the summers oretical foundation of my work. An Adlerian from 1987 to 1989, 1989 being the year she lifestyle assessment (Powers & Griffith, 2011) died. But I got to learn something with her every is just a process for developing a clear picture year for 10 years. Losing Virginia, to me, was of the story that individuals and their families like losing a parent or your best friend, a loving are living so far. It is a great tool, but up until partner. I did serious grieving after her loss for I began to study White’s (2007, 2011) approach, at least 3 years. As I look back on it now, Satir I was unclear about how to help people change gave me two special gifts: She wrote with me their stories. (Satir, Bitter, & Krestensen, 1988; Satir & Bitter, My friend Jon Carlson introduced me to 2000), and she introduced me to lifelong friends Michael White at an ACA convention in Atlanta, who still give me hope for the world. Georgia. Jon asked me to introduce Michael In the mid-1990s, I spent two monthlong before his workshop at that convention, and training experiences with the master Gestalt because of that, I got to spend a couple of hours therapists Erv and Miriam Polster (1974).