Talking Therapy Episode 35: Humor in Therapy

Hosts:

Producer:

Alan Kian, MA, York University
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Marvin Goldfried is a distinguished professor of psychology at Stony Brook University, where he helped to develop the graduate program in clinical psychology—he is the cofounder of the Society for the Exploration of Psychotherapy Integration. Allen Frances is a professor of psychiatry and chair emeritus at Duke, and was chair of the DSM-IV task force.

Marvin describes the evolution of his psychotherapy orientation as psychodynamic, behavioral, CBT, and eventually integrative. He practices, teaches, and supervises what works clinically using direct and indirect evidence base.

Allen describes his approach to psychotherapy as “whatever works” or “no one size fits all”. He was trained and taught at the Columbia University Psychoanalytic Center, but remains equally interested in brief, supportive, cognitive, behavioral, interpersonal, and family therapies.

Please enjoy this week’s episode!

[jennifervarelamswlcsws]

YES - If you laugh it feels good. And sometimes it can soften something difficult. And increases connection and just being human together. Thanks for this!

[shimritfisher]

The best episode ever! Loved it, thank you 😂

[NikPriest]

Comedy is about bonding and being authentic, surprise with a new/alternative perspective, reinforcing shared values, and highlighting absurdities. All things that are part of the common factors of effective therapy. To be human is to have humor and humor requires flexibility of thought/emotion without being in "survival" mode. Humor is detaching/de-fusing yourself from your circumstances or behavior. Thank you for the humor in this.

[michaelmellett]

I think humor draws on and interacts with fundamental human capacities similar to those of metaphor. It can serve as a generative forge of new meaning and new relationship to meaning/experience.

[panayotadestiny]

Very interesting conversation! I think a reference to Albert Ellis could fit it nicely! REBT views humour as a technique!

[HesGotaGun]

I love the old men arguing show. Like Stadler and Waldorf without the felt.

[olivierkreitner]

is there any chance that you both could speak on the topic of being a good client inside / outside of session ?

[Ciskuss]

So funny and insightful. I can listen to you 2 all day!!!!

[paullevenson]

I am wondering about jokes during therapy sessions that “bomb”. Perhaps these jokes may leave some lingering sense that the therapist is showing some kind of acceptance of the person’s pain or struggle. Also, I think that it is interesting to think about the effect on us, the therapists, when a patient/client laughs at our funny comments. It does make us fell closer to the person and it al
so makes us feel that we are having this salubrious effect on the person.

[christinemolnar]

I am struck by how humor is supportive of at least 4 of the 5 trans-orientation principles of change you (Marvin R. Goldfried) have described: • Establishing an optimal therapeutic alliance (when timing is good); • Facilitating client awareness of the factors associated with his or her difficulties (humor really does "wake people up" to reality sometimes;);
• Encouraging the client to engage in corrective experiences (it promotes integration of new perspectives); &
• Emphasizing ongoing reality testing in the client’s life.