ABSTRACT
Contextual family therapy (Böszörményi-Nagy & Krasner, 1986) is an integrative approach in dealing with the family that fits within the framework of a family of origin or psychodynamic therapy. The focus of the approach is the interplay between the four dimensions of relationships (Hargrave & Pfitzer, 2003). The first of these dimensions is facts—objectifiable realities about the individuals in the family—which include such elements as health factors, socioeconomic realities, and history of events. The second dimension is individual psychology, which relates to the individual personality perspectives of each member of the family and the psychodynamic forces that have shaped behavior and motivation. Family and systemic interactions are the third dimension of contextual family therapy and have to do with the communication and processes in the family that govern aspects of family power, hierarchy, structure, and beliefs.
