ABSTRACT

It is oftentimes difficult to assess and understand the unique perspectives of all members of a family when counseling initial family sessions. This chapter introduces a process for symbolically assessing multiple family members at the same time in an initial counseling or therapy session. The process interacts with all members through an expressive, symbolic, projective process of the Family Life Space Drawing (FLSD). Before introducing a new process and manual for meeting and engaging multiple family members, this chapter reviews common concepts related to family assessment and also reviews the way that different orientations to family therapy would pursue assessment.