Towards a family-centred therapy. Postmodern developments in family therapy and the person-centred contribution

The project for recent developments in family therapy has been to reject scientism and the potential for oppression within the modernist stance, in favour of more respectful collaborative practices. However, scientific certainty is being replaced by philosophical obscurity and there is a risk of missing the obvious in the recognition that, since successful family life is a function of love and respect, these qualities should be modelled in the therapeutic relationship. This paper argues that the humanistic tradition has been neglected and that the person-centred approach has an important contribution to make to the development of a family-centred therapy.