Talking into Being
Collaborative Language Systems (CLS)
Collaborative Language Systems (CLS), developed primarily within the systemic and post-modern traditions, views therapy as a conversational partnership that challenges the idea of objective reality. It assumes that problems exist in the language and narratives that clients and systems create. The goal of CLS is not to solve the "real" problem, but to create a new, non-problematic meaning and understanding through shared, dialogical conversation, opening up new possibilities for action.
Who Created Collaborative Language Systems?
Collaborative Language Systems was primarily developed by Dr. Harlene Anderson and Dr. Harold Goolishian in the 1980s and 1990s, alongside their colleagues at the Galveston Family Institute. Their approach was heavily influenced by postmodern philosophy, which emphasizes that reality is socially constructed through language, and by the work of philosophers like Hans-Georg Gadamer (Anderson, 1997). They shifted the focus of therapy away from diagnosis, technique, and fixed goals toward mutual dialogue and meaning-making.
Perspectives in CLS
The Therapist's Perspective
The CLS therapist adopts a stance of "not-knowing," curiosity, and transparency. They explicitly reject the role of expert on the client's life or the problem. They believe the therapeutic relationship is a genuine, egalitarian dialogue where client and therapist co-create new meanings.
The therapist's role is to be a conversational partner who prioritizes:
Mutual Inquiry: Entering the conversation with genuine curiosity, acting as a listener and facilitator, allowing the client's language and meaning to guide the process.
Dissolving the Problem: Focusing on dissolving the problem-saturated narrative rather than "fixing" the individual. The problem is seen as a language-based dilemma that disappears when new language and meanings are generated.
Public Dialogue: Being transparent about their own thoughts and feelings regarding the conversation, which models authenticity and enhances the collaborative nature of the session.
The Client's Perspective
The client shifts from viewing themselves as having a definable flaw or disorder to seeing their distress as a stuck narrative or a limiting story they have been telling themselves.
The client learns to:
Become the Expert: Recognize that their knowledge, language, and culture are the most important resources in the conversation.
Explore New Meanings: Participate in the dialogue to discover new descriptions of themselves and their situations that were previously unavailable within the "problem language."
Embrace Possibility: Accept that the simple act of talking about the problem differently can create new, tangible possibilities for action in their lives.
What to Expect in a CLS Session
Sessions are characterized by a free-flowing, circular, and highly dialogical conversation that may include family members, friends, or other professionals as a "collaborative team."
Genuine Conversation: The session often feels less like traditional therapy and more like an open, reflective discussion. There is no predetermined agenda; the conversation goes wherever the clients' curiosity and concerns lead.
Circular Questioning: The therapist might use questions to explore relational patterns and perspectives (e.g., "What does your husband think about how you handle stress?"). However, the questioning is driven by curiosity rather than assessment.
Reflective Process: The therapist and, often, a therapeutic team (behind a one-way mirror) may share their genuine observations and ideas with the client, allowing the client to take what resonates and discard the rest. This fosters transparency.
Language Transformation: The therapist listens intently for the "problem language" and subtly introduces new vocabulary or phrasing to challenge the established narrative, helping the client expand their descriptions of self and possibility.
How CLS Can Help a Person
CLS promotes deep, lasting change by changing the way the client understands and talks about their reality.
Fosters Self-Agency: By being treated as the expert and having their voice centered, the client gains a powerful sense of competence and control over their own story.
Reduces Stigma: The non-pathologizing approach ensures that the client is not defined by a diagnosis or a problem; the focus remains on the ongoing, unfolding process of living.
Creates New Opportunities: The creation of new language and meaning in the dialogue naturally allows the client to see new possibilities for action, unsticking them from old, limiting routines.
Common Uses and Applications (DSM-5 Disorders and Life Problems)
CLS is highly flexible and useful for a wide range of issues where people feel stuck in a rigid, fixed narrative. It is less suited for crisis intervention but excellent for chronic, pervasive difficulties.
Relationship and Family Conflict: Where rigid roles, communication patterns, and fixed beliefs about others (e.g., "He is always irresponsible") maintain the conflict.
Identity Issues and Life Transitions: Helping clients author new, more complex, and empowering identities following major life shifts, such as career change, divorce, or diagnosis.
Chronic Mental Health Issues: Used to help clients and systems (families, treatment providers) engage in less judgmental and more respectful dialogue about the issue, particularly when the client feels defined by their DSM-5 diagnosis.
Life Problems: Persistent feelings of "stuckness," low self-esteem rooted in limiting self-narratives, and difficulties in professional or social settings caused by fixed, negative beliefs.
References
Anderson, H. (1997). Conversation, language, and possibilities: A postmodern approach to therapy. Basic Books.
Anderson, H., & Goolishian, H. A. (1992). The client is the expert: A not-knowing approach to therapy. In S. McNamee & K. J. Gergen (Eds.), Therapy as social construction (pp. 25–39). Sage Publications.
Corey, G. (2021). Theory and practice of counseling and psychotherapy (11th ed.). Cengage Learning. (Discusses postmodern, constructionist approaches like CLS).
Ready to Step Into a Conversation of Possibility?
If you are tired of talking about your problems in the same old ways and ready to co-create a new narrative for your life, Collaborative Language Systems therapy offers a genuine, expert-free dialogue.
Connect with a therapist trained in this authentic and empowering approach.
