Counselling in a Discursive World

Dominant psychological theories receive ongoing criticism for their reliance on deficit-based models of human being and an adherence to individualistic notions of social action. Recent offerings from the fields of discursive psychology and community psychology provide counsellors with alternative conceptual and practical resources for strategic engagement. This paper briefly introduces both areas and suggests how they may contribute to counselling in educational settings. An example is given showing how discourse works through language to construct and inform accounts of school exclusion. The primary question for each of us, counsellors and community members alike, is whether prevailing constructions promote (or discourage) the mental health of school communities.