ABSTRACT
Contextual therapy was developed to deal with family-related problems. The therapist leaves it up to the couple to work toward finding solutions, using previously untapped relational resources uncovered through dialogue. The therapist’s aim is to “loosen the chains of invisible loyalty and legacy, so each partner can give up symptomatic behaviors and explore new options”. One of the primary interventions in contextual therapy is multidirectional partiality. With multidirectional partiality, the therapist models the process of understanding and empathizing with others’ experiences by validating the various perspectives of each partner, even when they may seem to be in conflict with one another. The ability of the therapist to have empathic understanding with each member of the couple is a key to the utilization and success of the technique. The therapist leaves the responsibility for finding solutions to their problems up to the couple, helping them identify and draw upon unused or dormant relational resources the couple and therapist discover through dialogue.
