Lauren Errington’s research while affiliated with State Library of New South Wales and other places

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Publications (5)


Special Issue: Bowen family systems theory editorial
  • Article
  • Full-text available

June 2024

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1,134 Reads

Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy (ANZJFT)

Linda MacKay

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Lauren Errington

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Download

Bowen family systems theory and practice: Illustration and critique revisited

May 2024

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4,450 Reads

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3 Citations

Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy (ANZJFT)

This paper overviews Bowen family systems theory and its approach to family therapy. It aims to introduce this influential approach and a sample of developments in theory and practice since Bowen's first publications of his research and theory. This paper is the second edition of a 1999 article with the same title (Brown, Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy , 20, 94 and 1999) and, 25 years later, offers new insights from the original author's ongoing research into the theory. This new edition is in collaboration with a second author and Bowen theory scholar, bringing fresh perspectives on the theory's applicability to family therapy practice. The core concepts are presented briefly, and a case example with a parent and symptomatic adolescent demonstrates how theory informs the role of the therapist and the therapeutic work. Examples of criticisms of Bowen theory are also discussed, including the misinterpretation around the idea of emotion in Bowen theory that is communicated in Gottman's training. Differentiation of self is clarified as the integration of emotion and intellect rather than privileging one over another, which affords the opportunity for individuals to avoid being governed by the invisible strings of sensitivities in relationships and instead be themselves in good emotional contact with the other person.


Tracking Emotional Process in Relationship Interactions Using Sequences

February 2022

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30 Reads

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3 Citations

Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy (ANZJFT)

This paper will explore the clinical application of tracking sequences in family therapy with a particular focus on Bowen family systems theory. It considers how sequences can be used to track the emotional process occurring in relationship interactions, and the similarities and differences of a Bowen theory‐informed approach compared with dialectical behaviour therapy and both classic and contemporary family therapy models. Case examples are utilised from the author's clinical practice to raise ideas about the therapist joining the client as a co‐researcher in this exercise and facilitating a process that helps assist the client develop their own self‐awareness and problem‐solving resources in the context of their relationships.


The Uncomfortably Important Place of Spirituality in Systemic Therapy

March 2017

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147 Reads

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16 Citations

Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy (ANZJFT)

This article presents some of the author's reflections and observations of the challenges and opportunities that arise when including matters of spirituality in the therapeutic process. Research indicates that many individuals want to incorporate their spiritual or religious ideas with therapy (Hull, Suarez, & Hartman, 2016), yet doing so can often raise discomfort in the client, therapist and the therapeutic process, and so frequently the topic is avoided. This article considers the presence and importance of spirituality for many clients in understanding the dilemmas they bring to the therapy room, and reflects on some of the personal and institutional challenges of integrating spirituality into the therapeutic process. It concludes with some thoughts about the modest contribution systemic therapy might make in this regard, including the usefulness of opening dialogue about a client's spiritual history with early enquiry (Payman, 2016) and considering the relational context of a person's spirituality using Bowen Family Systems Theory (Kerr & Bowen, 1988).


Using Dialogical Space to Create Therapy Enhancing Possibilities with Adolescents in Family Therapy

March 2015

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59 Reads

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4 Citations

Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy (ANZJFT)

In the exchange between living persons in the therapy room there is a dialogical space, which, when attended to, may create therapy enhancing possibilities. This article explores three aspects of the dialogical space – context, the therapeutic relationship and the therapist's use of self – to consider how this space promotes trust, acceptance and dialogue when engaging and working with adolescents in family therapy. It proposes that the focus of the dialogical approach on the human experience of therapy offers an authenticity, which is refreshing when working with adolescents and their families.

Citations (4)


... Similarly, motivational interviewing, informed by self-determination theory, aims to enhance intrinsic motivation for behavior change, particularly in substance abuse and chronic health conditions (8). Other examples include Mindfulness-Based Interventions (MBI) focus on fostering conscious, non-judgmental awareness of the present moment to enhance health and well-being (9), and family systems therapy, emphasizes understanding and addressing complex relational dynamics within families, which influence individual behaviors and relationships (10). ...

Reference:

Systematic Review Protocol: The Effects of Theory-Based Interventions for Self-Help Practices in the Management of Mild to Moderate Depression
Bowen family systems theory and practice: Illustration and critique revisited

Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy (ANZJFT)

... The central activity (skill) that emanates from the theory's focus on emotional process is tracing the 'who, what, when, how and what next' with family members in an effort to tease out observable facts rather than subjective opinions (Bowen, 1978, p. 360). This enables the client and therapist to think together about their repeated responses to symptoms and issues that are not helpful and to consider what they can adjust to serve the progress of the family (Bowen, 1978;Brown, 2020;Errington, 2022). ...

Tracking Emotional Process in Relationship Interactions Using Sequences
  • Citing Article
  • February 2022

Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy (ANZJFT)

... This study is pertinent to any clinician in the psychotherapeutic field since approximately 10% of clinical clients report that they do not believe in God (Weisman et al., 2006), particularly for the Family Therapist given the systemic nature of deconversion processes. Knowing how uncomfortably unprepared therapists might be to address issues of religion and spirituality (Errington, 2017) such studies are therefore significant to the family therapy field. ...

The Uncomfortably Important Place of Spirituality in Systemic Therapy
  • Citing Article
  • March 2017

Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy (ANZJFT)

... To be in a 'withness' relationship means that the therapist is trying to be attuned to her/himself and to the other people in the conversation. This allows the therapist to access his/her own experiences in a way that is relevant to the sequence of the conversation (Errington, 2015;Rober et al., 2004). This can include incidents from the therapist's own narratives that are not necessarily explicit or present in his/her inner dialogues. ...

Using Dialogical Space to Create Therapy Enhancing Possibilities with Adolescents in Family Therapy
  • Citing Article
  • March 2015

Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy (ANZJFT)