ABSTRACT

Families do not interact in a random fashion. Their interactions follow patterns that have been set up over a period of time and these patterns will emerge in the therapy room. The therapy situation itself provides a `task' for the family to perform and their usual interactions in problem-solving situations will come into force. Thus how the family interact will have some bearing on the way they interact about the problem that brought them to therapy and it will inform the therapist of their general interactive style. It is quite probable that certain interactions observed in the room will be similar to the interactions that are signi®cant in maintaining the problem.