ABSTRACT
This intervention is most closely associated with the Milan systemic orientation of therapy (Selvini Palazzoli, Boscolo, Cecchin, & Prata, 1978; Tomm, 1984). The Milan systemic orientation believes that:
the mind is social: that is, problems are viewed as problems in interactions between people not within them;
a circular epistemology is most effective: the therapist should look for circular, rather than linear patterns. Linear (blaming) hypotheses are viewed as one piece of the whole circle; and
understanding and knowledge lies in the differences between things: for example, in therapy a Milan therapist would be interested in how a problem is different than it was five years ago or how it might be five years in the future. Two interventions often used by the Milan group are systemic reframing, where problem behaviors are given new meanings, and rituals, where the therapist asks the family members to perform certain behaviors that will hopefully create more clarity about the problem situation.
