ABSTRACT
The usual family response to `how can I help?' is for the family spokesperson to provide an account of the dif®culty, typically intermingled with some history. This account will probably have been rehearsed mentally. Moreover, other family members will have certainly heard elements of it, though not necessarily in the version that is given on this occasion. Everyone in the room knows this bit of the interview will happen and it is likely that it will follow a predictable pattern that will ®t particular family rules. At this stage it may not be possible for the therapist to identify what these rules are, but she should mentally record any that become noticeable. One such classic family rule would be that the mother or father always begins the process of relating to outside professionals. Another might be that interactions begin with a criticism (e.g. `It's all Robert's fault'). Some therapists will seek to delay the discussion of the `story' with a view to having some `problem-free talk', but usually the family will know they have come to the session for help and will soon assert the need to talk about the problem. The therapist needs to listen, clarify essential details as they arise and essentially be a recipient of the information.
