ABSTRACT
Frequently the therapist is faced with a difficult situation when there are behavioral signs that a serious condition exists and at the same time there is a strong prohibition against speaking about it. The presence of an unspoken family secret casts a menacing shadow over the process of treatment. The family is pleading with the therapist to help them break the vow of silence while threatening with retaliation if the breach is actualized. Therefore, the goal of the intervention is to encourage the family to speak in ways that respect their anxieties and support their resistances. Nowhere is this more true than with sexual issues.
