Utilising discursive positioning in counselling

Foucault's concern with the production of subjectivity has led to the development of positioning theory, as it has been called by Bronwyn Davies, Rom Harre and Luk van Langenhove. The concept of discursive positioning has particular value for counselling because it shows how people are positioned in discourse in particular moments by their own and by others' utterances. Positioning theory also points to the efforts people make to resist and refuse discursive positions they are called into in conversation. This article demonstrates how listening to the nuances of discursive positioning in a conversation can enrich professional practice. I shall use several examples from narrative counselling conversations in order to demonstrate these principles in action.