ABSTRACT
Family therapists are very keen to attend to language in a particular way. On the one hand they listen for phrases and language used by family members. They do this so they can create alternative descriptions of patterns, problems and persons that may be more helpful to the family. Bateson called this process the process of `double description' (1972). What he meant was that while we have one description of a situation, there is little room to change it. Once we have more than one description (the more the better), alternatives become possible. Family therapists therefore seek to offer reframes and positive connotations as often as possible: these are respectful invitations to the family to `see' things differently.
