ABSTRACT
Social power is reflected in access to being known, feeling felt, and being viewed as credible and in the ability to have an impact on others and one’s own social world. Socio-Emotional Relationship Therapy (SERT) emphasizes power as a relational process that moves from one person or group to another or accumulates toward one. Power imbalances are likely among distressed clients and relationships, yet identifying and tracking power processes can be confusing. This chapter shows how to recognize and track the flow of power in relational systems. The social context of power processes and how they relate to clinical issues and the therapist’s role are illustrated, with special attention to implications for trust and vulnerability across varying sociocultural contexts and the effects of trauma, oppression, and marginalization. A case example demonstrates seven guidelines that help individual, couple, and family therapists translate social justice principles into the moment by moment of clinical practice. Implications for assessment and treatment planning are addressed.
