ABSTRACT
Object relations family therapy is built upon the supposition that the inner life of individuals can often best be understood in the context of the family which contains and supports them. For families with young children, the children's play is the vehicle of communication between children and other family members for the issues around focused relating—the expression of internal object relations. But the play also communicates the quality of the family’s capacity to supply holding for each other. It does so through the presence or absence of the children’s capacity to play, through sibling interaction and parental management during play, and through themes about holding. The family therapist learns a great deal by attending to play in family sessions—to its expression of themes which pertain to the individual child and to the family as a whole. The chapter also illustrates the use of play and how the interface between the family and therapist can be understood through the therapist’s countertransference.
