ABSTRACT
Family therapists are interested in applying systems theory to families whatever their structure may be, e.g. `nuclear' families, gay and lesbian families, lone parent families, step-families and extended families (Walrond-Skinner 1976; Nock 2000; McGoldrick and Hardy 2008). Accordingly, the focus of family therapists is on the pattern of connections between one individual and another, each component of a family system being seen as contributing to its operation as a whole.
