Family Therapy as Re-Coordinating and Moving on Together

Abstract

We relate a social constructionist view of therapy that focuses on how conversation helps or doesn't help family members, or families and therapists, to “move forward together.” Conversation is seen as the means by which differences are both understood and performed by family members and therapists. Where such conversational differences are understood and performed in objectionable ways we see therapy as potentially helpful in bringing forth preferred and alternative understandings and performances that can help family members in moving forward together. We conclude by sharing the therapeutic experience of one family and therapist where this view of therapy was enacted.