Therapie als veldwerk

Abstract

How does change begin in therapy? This article suggests that each theoretical perspective reveals only part of the whole. Change often arises not only through insight, but also when something small shifts in everyday life. Drawing on systems thinking and the philosophy of Bruno Latour, the article seeks to show that problems are not located solely within an individual, but emerge in a network of relationships, habits, tensions, words, objects, and circumstances. From this perspective, the article introduces systemic field experiments: small, meaningful actions in daily life through which people can explore what brings about positive change. Such field experiments can help shift a stuck pattern step by step. Through a case study of a boy with obsessive-compulsive symptoms, the article shows how slight changes within a family can have far-reaching effects. Therapy thus becomes a shared process of trying, observing, and discovering what works.