| It is the purpose of this study to reconsider Bradford P. Keeney's contributions to family therapy. This study will explore Keeney's devotion to stimulating the field of family therapy and to influence thinking in regard to conceptualizing how to organize therapy while viewing therapy contextually and in a completely cybernetic manner. The present focus will be on how Keeney's foundation in cybernetics, the advancement of those ideas into family therapy, and his own distinctive life experiences created a unique form of therapy that focuses on the experiences and resources of both client and therapist. Keeney evolved through the 1980s and 1990s into a truly unique therapist, researcher and teacher adding a significant contribution to the field of marriage and family therapy. Keeney developed an incomparable approach he called Improvisational Therapy, analysis of which will be addressed throughout the section devoted to review of the literature. In addition to the literature review, one case example that Keeney and the author conducted will be analyzed utilizing Recursive Frame Analysis (RFA) as the research method (Keeney, 1990). The case will demonstrate a single consultation on an ongoing case. The case will provide representative examples of improvisational therapy as well as Bradford Keeney's unique presence in the therapy room. This study adds to the existing literature by providing a detailed analysis of the contributions of a vitally important master theoretician/therapist/researcher, offering therapists, researchers and teachers alike an invitation into more creative practices of marriage and family therapy. |
