ABSTRACT
I start by thinking about some emotional and functional complexities within family life which influence clinical work. I make use of a traditional model of a family which may need some adjustment according to the actual circumstances of any individual family: what are described as male or female roles may, for example, be shared in various ways, and a degree of parental functioning, following a separation or divorce, may be carried by an adult who is not a biological parent. I go on to discuss indications for initial exploratory work with families, the purposes this can serve, and how it can be carried out. Much of the thinking in this chapter is based on the experience of the Family Workshop in the Adolescent Department of the Tavistock Clinic and is discussed more fully in Box et al. (1981/1994). I am grateful to Mary Boston for personal discussion of exploratory family work which includes younger children.
