A chapter in an edited book on grounded theory (Glaser, 1994) changed my perception of grounded theory and my development of the grounded counselling approach. The chapter was titled: “Grounded Therapy”, written by Odis Simmons.

I first read Simmons’ work in the early days of my PhD studies. My supervisor at the time (Prof Ruth Deakin Crick) suggested I use grounded theory as my research method; reading Simmons’ work, and seeing how it challenged my thoughts about counselling, convinced me this was a good suggestion. This choice has had a profound impact on my PhD research and the way I approach counselling and living my life.

Simmons suggested that the way we provide therapy is driven by ‘preconceptions’: from our first contact with new clients, counsellors narrow down the range of issues that they would have to deal with. Intake forms often ask for name, age, address, marital status etc.  — all of which can lead the counsellor to make assumptions about the issues facing the client and affect how they listen to the story, rather than allowing the clients’ story to unfold organically. For Simmons, the organic unfolding of a story is a process facilitated by using the grounded theory (GT) research method,

In a separate series of posts, I will explain the grounded theory research method and how I use it in counselling in more detail. While the theoretical aspects of the GT method are deceptively simple, the variety of approaches to GT can be bewildering. It has been said that there are as many approaches to grounded theory as there are grounded theorists! While some will argue that their approach is the authentic method, I cannot, and will not, make that claim. All I can claim is that my approach is grounded (excuse the pun) in what is commonly called Classical Grounded Theory (CGT) as set out by the originator of the method Barney Glaser: but it is my interpretation. If you want to know the details of my understanding of CGT, please read my PhD thesis.

I built upon Simmons’ grounded therapy approach through my studies by drawing upon other theoretical lenses. The main influences were Bernard Lonergan and his approach to critical realism, Erich Fromm and his approach to psychotherapy, and Niklas Luhmann’s understanding of communication.

The process is deceptively simple and yet quite challenging. Luhmann argued that communication consists of two distinct acts. First, we decide what to communicate and then determine how to share that information. If we reverse that process, we have the beginnings of a conversation; how we hear something affects what we understand by that message. It is developing understanding that is central to my grounded counselling approach. By using the grounded theory method, informed by psychology and sociology, we can reflect on our experiences and understand what is happening in the present to choose the most effective actions or develop optimal skills to help us live our lives more fully.

Get in touch to experience how the approach may help you.

Reference:

Simmons, Odis. E. (1994). Grounded therapy. In Barney G. Glaser (Ed.), More grounded theory methodology (pp.4-37). Mill Valley, California: Sociology Press.