Jointly created authority: a conversation analysis of how power is managed by parents and systemic psychotherapists in children’s social care

Abstract

Social care settings provide a complex landscape for systemic psychotherapists, particularly in relation to issues of power that are particularly pervasive. Conversation Analysis (CA) was used as a research method to understand the detail of how systemic psychotherapists and parents work together in the safeguarding context. The study aimed to examine the power issues arising, and how they were being managed. CA literature, seen as a reminder of the centrality of ‘talk as action’, is used as a lens through which to present the findings, and the concept of authority as joint action is introduced. The findings of the study showed how systemic approaches, put to use through systemic techniques, can uniquely contribute to safeguarding work in contexts where issues of power prevail, with a particular emphasis on the importance of the concept of self-reflexivity. Practitioner points: Notice and work with the complex circular ways that power issues arise in relationships in social care settings Use the concept of Jointly Created Authority to provide a relational frame for managing issues of power Revisit the concept of self-reflexivity which is of primary importance to effective working in this context Develop understanding of how, using reflexive practice, adjusting responses in the moment can invite agency in clients.