Conversational Realities Revisited (2008)
By John Shotter

Conversational Realities Revisited is a new edition of John Shotter’s 1993 book Conversational Realities. Like the first edition, it contests the traditional scientific view that naturally occurring psychological and sociological realities of a systematic and structured kind are to be discovered underlying appearances. Instead, it claims that such orderly ‘realities’ are both socially constructed and sustained in existence only within the context of people’s disorderly, everyday conversational activities. However, this second edition is much more oriented toward practical issues than the first.

Central to it, is a focus on people’s spontaneous, living, bodily responsiveness to the expressive movements of the others around them, and the dialogically-structured nature of the events occurring in the meetings between them. Due to the irreversibility of living processes of growth and development, such events occur always for another first time. Thus, instead of patterns and regularities, instead of seeking to solve problems, our task becomes the more practical one of struggling to create new ‘pathways’ forward into the uniquely new circumstances we create for ourselves as we all live out our lives together.

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240 pages
price: $25.00 plus shipping and handling
ISBN: 978-0-9712312-5-2

Horizons in Buddhist Psychology (2006)
Edited by Maurits G.T. Kwee, Kenneth J. Gergen and Fusako Koshikawa

This book is for those who are interested in Buddhist teachings and all who seek routes to growth in human well-being, particularly therapists, coaches, and scientists. It is a vanguard work that sets a cultural revolution in motion by bringing the fruits of the Buddhist heritage together with contemporary therapy, systematic research, and postmodern thought. The volume contains 28 chapters by 38 contributors from 12 countries, and introduces a range of useful practices, evidence of their efficacy, and integrative theoretical deliberations. Its contents move toward a climax called New Buddhist Psychology.

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$40 plus shipping and handling (volume discounts at Shopping Cart)
ISBN: 0-9712312-6-5
13-digit: 978-0-9712312-6-9

Therapeutic Realities: Collaboration, Oppression and Relational Flow (2005)
by Kenneth J. Gergen

Social constructionist thought transforms psychotherapy, opening new vistas in understanding and practice. This work provides a brief introduction to social construction, and then illuminates the landscape of change. Special emphasis is given to topics of therapeutic communication, narrative, and therapeutic practices both traditional and contemporary. Critical chapters focus on the oppression of psychodiagnostic categories and the neuro/biological and pharmaceutical investments that support them. Additional chapters provide a range of insights into the poetics of therapy, collaborative practices with clients, and the broader flow of relationships in which therapy takes place. Lively discussions with therapy doyens, Mony Elkaim and Michael Hoyt, conclude the work. This book contains Kenneth Gergen's major contributions to therapeutic thought and practice. Earlier writings are updated and orchestrated, and original chapters added to reflect his most recent thinking on therapy as a process of collaborative construction.

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279 pages; $32 plus shipping and handling (volume discounts at Shopping Cart)
ISBN: 0-7880-2166-4
13-digit: 978-0-7880-2166-4

Experiential Learning Exercises In Social Construction: A Field Book for Creating Change (2004)
by Robert Cottor, Alan Asher, Judith Levin, and Cindy Weiser, The Institute for Creative Change

This field book presents exercises that have been organized into Learning Labs that will invite innovative thinking and practice with those familiar with social construction theory as well as those who are newcomers to constructionist thinking. Learning Labs are designed to generate new thinking about diverse societal and professional issues. These exercises promote and enhance creative change strategies for mental health, educational and organizational development professionals.

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136 pages; $24.95 plus shipping and handling (volume discounts at Shopping Cart)
ISBN: 0-7880-2122-2
13-digit: 978-0-7880-2122-0

Dialogues About a New Psychology (2004)
by Jan Smedslund

This book presents a new paradigm for psychology. It is written in the form of dialogues between three fictional psychologists. In twelve sessions they develop a novel approach to psychology as the study of persons. The work is the outcome of Dr. Smedslund's sustained engagement in psychology for more than half a century as clinician, experimenter, and a theoretician. He presents here a new view and expands and discusses it in this book. By externalizing his own inner dialogues through these three fictional characters, he presents with maximal clarity, the considerations that have led him away from the old and towards a new conception of psychology. You, the reader, will soon realize that this is, indeed, a radical re-orientation. The dialogues help make the transition intelligible, and provide opportunity for critical evaluation of the arguments and counter-arguments.

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$27 plus shipping and handling (volume discounts at Shopping Cart)
ISBN: 0-7880-2115-x
13-digit: 978-0-7880-2115-2

SocioDynamic Counselling: A Practical Approach to Meaning Making
by Dr. R.Vance Peavy (2004)

This volume, by the founder of the Counseling Programme in Educational Psychology at the University of Victoria, Canada, launches the Professional Books series. The volume represents a distillation of a lifetime's work in teaching, research, and practice in the domain of counseling. Rich in insight and clear in exposition, the volume illuminates the intricate processes of relationship in the counseling process. The volume not only manifests Peavy's deep care for those with whom he worked, but as well makes clear recommendations for practice. Vance Peavy has been recognized as a leading voice in the profession of counseling in many parts of the world. In 2000 he received the Distinguished Senior Contributor Award from the Counseling Psychology division of the American Psychological Association. Shortly before his death he received an Outstanding Achievement Award at the International Human Science Research conference. The present work should be of keen interest to counseling psychologists, therapists and social workers in particular.

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$20 plus shipping and handling (volume discounts at Shopping Cart)
ISBN: 0-9712312-4-9
13-digit: 978-0-9712312-4-5