ABSTRACT
The first stage of our therapy program, which lasts approximately four to six months, is conceptualized by its title, “Creating a Context for Change.” Many family therapists (e.g., Anderson & Stewart, 1983) have suggested that for change to be elicited, a context must first be established that encourages such change. This context must be positive, must create an expectation for change, and must recognize the difficulty in producing such change. Many programs that treat incest appear to the families to operate within a context of punishment. We, however, have found that a punishment context usually results in increased resistance on the part of the family, which leads to an increase in a punitive therapeutic posture, which leads to more resistance, and so on.
