What does inventive therapy look like? It’s easy to point to styles of therapy that seem extemporaneous, untried, fresh, and daring, but we often overlook that for all skilled therapists, there are well-established patterns and techniques underlying even the most innovative decisions.

According to Steve Andreas—author of Virginia Satir: The Patterns of Her Magic—longstanding practices that inform clinical choices are the unacknowledged wellsprings of creativity. 

In this clip Steve talks about what he believes to be the most misunderstood aspect of creativity—the background. While he acknowledges that spontaneity and novelty have their place, he argues that it’s the background of therapy—which includes protocol, practice, and knowledge—that allows the creative process to unfold.