ABSTRACT
Optimistic practice can embrace both preparing for the future, including the possibility of the family's coming back to work with the worker or agency, and celebrating the achievements of today, not just as a technique but as a genuine response to what the family has done. Workers can gauge their commitment to focusing on the family's capacities by listening to what happens in sessions with the family. From the family worker's point of view, the attitudes of other people in the family's life may be working to diminish the possibility of change. Sometimes the term 'medical model' is used to describe situations in which expert knowledge is given precedence over the family's knowledge of their situation. Practising optimism means remembering to behave as if change is possible.
