ABSTRACT
This is the final of three chapters that use one couple and family therapy case to illustrate the Socio-Emotional Relationship Therapy (SERT) clinical sequence from beginning to end. This chapter details phase III, practicing, in which clients, who have begun to see themselves and their relationships through a larger socioculturally attuned lens (phase 1) and have experienced relational connection as a result of shifting the flow of power (phase 2), now embody these new experiences. The case example outlines steps for each of three phase 3 clinical competencies: (a) envision new mutuality, (b) enact new options for shared responsibility, and (c) reinforce new mutuality. The case demonstrates how through shared focus and embodiment, clients use images of mutual support to describe and evaluate how they relate, incorporate images of mutual support into their felt identities, intentionally break from dominant discourse to consider and enact new options, and experience confidence that they can safely and equitably communicate on hard topics and envision and embody a wider range of options for themselves as individuals, family members, and part of the larger community.
