The Triplet Who Couldn't Be: A Matter of Language

This case study demonstrates the importance of attending carefully to the specific meanings evoked by the language of a client family, and of selecting specific components of the family's language to address therapeutically. Since therapists can at times become overwhelmed by the magnitude of a family's history of difficulties, and find themselves immersed in the details of complex problems, it is useful for them to attend selectively to particular components of a story which, if altered, provide new options for the family. The therapists and team in this case were able to shift meanings in ways which provided greater flexibility for all family members, and led to a positive therapeutic outcome.