Systemic Family Therapy with Young Children and Their Families: Use of the Reflecting Team

This chapter addresses two issues: the inclusion of young children in family therapy and a discussion of a systemic approach called the "reflecting team". After a theoretical presentation, case examples will be utilized to discuss how the reflecting team incorporates young children's participation in clinical interviews as integral components of the therapy system. At some point in the interview, the therapist and family stop their interview: they then watch and listen to the reflecting team discuss their perceptions and explanations regarding the interview and the stuck system. The reflecting team model, offers a respectful and useful framework for their inclusion. The team was able to introduce several ideas, very tentatively, that the family was able to accept. With the strong theoretical emphasis of the reflecting team model on constructivism and that all views may be potentially useful ones, it seems particularly appropriate to utilize this model with families with young children.