ABSTRACT
This chapter presents the Scales for Reflection, a series is provided that centres on the therapist's reactions and provides a means to appreciate the complexity of our moment-to-moment moves in response to clients. If the therapy room is full of chaotic interactions, indecision, or too many directions in which to go, the therapist simply aims to create a structure to make the session safe enough to begin to work by promoting reflection and interrupting reactivity. Sometimes the "playful" atmosphere in a therapy room can signal an avoidance of facing up to serious matters that seem to require attention. It is necessary to avoid merging with the faux light-heartedness and pleasantries and, instead, adopt a more serious posture. Not every therapeutic encounter requires a warm, emotionally proximal relationship with each family member for engagement to be useful. Sometimes practice will indicate that this is absolutely essential to good engagement and fundamental to establishing a trust between clients and therapist.
