ABSTRACT
Involving the parents and families of younger clients in the therapeutic work can present a challenge for practitioners. If the therapist can create an environment in which the parents too experience some sense of safety then it is possible that family dynamics, which may be a significant factor in a client's difficulties, can be examined and hopefully treated in a way which will prove beneficial for the client. This chapter presents a case example that demonstrates how a therapist might come to this decision, with his client, to meet with them and their family together and how such work might take place. It also looks at how a therapist might decide on a session with the parents only and at how that might benefit the therapeutic work with the client by using a case material. There has been substantial research into the emotional and psychological effects of separation, divorce, and remarriage on the children involved.
