ABSTRACT
Family therapists, especially therapists new to the family therapy field, find it difficult to shift their orientation from an exploration of the individual to the system, the family. Further, they tend to view therapy through an assessment of the client/family and the techniques they may use. This chapter presents a foundation for understanding the craft of family therapy—how therapists utilize themselves as part of the therapeutic system to help bring forth change within the family. To do so, the authors present the family therapist pouch, which provides therapists with the tools that will help them to rearrange relationships while also keeping in mind the self of the therapist.
