ABSTRACT
There are many dimensions that have been used by therapists to describe the factors involved in therapeutic style. Here we will consider two: the dimension of `intervention style' and the dimension of `relationship style'. To some degree family therapists possibly more than most therapists have a variety of styles that they can adopt. This is because within family therapy there are ranges of models that move from being very active in the therapy role to being quite passive and re¯ective. Traditionally, these differences have been characterised by the more re¯ective Milan style up to the more active and interventionist structural or strategic styles. In the development of a family therapist, the therapist needs to decide which place on this scale they feel most at ease with, but must also learn to adapt her style to the needs of the therapy session. It is important to establish that therapeutic style and therapeutic presence do not necessarily con¯ict with each other. Thus a therapist can have presence within any of the dimensions of style that we will discuss.
