Control-Mastery: Theory and Application.

This article will introduce the theory of Control-Mastery, an empirically supported, cognitively oriented interpersonal theory of psychotherapy. Control-Mastery theory offers a distinctive approach to counter-transference in particular and suggests a unique way to understand unconscious functioning. The theory also provides specific guidelines for conducting psychotherapy as well as a useful framework for understanding the impact of familial as well as cultural context on individual psychological struggles. Control-Mastery theory offers a new way of understanding some old issues of particular relevance for social workers especially, given an of- ten difficult practice environment. It is a view of human dilemmas that preserves the dignity of people and provides empirically supported guidelines for how social workers can be useful to them. It suggests a different explanation for behavior that other theories might label as acting out, resistance, non-compliance, or dependency. It is especially powerful for working with people whose backgrounds differ from the therapist's as well as for understanding and making changes in the impact of oppression on clients.