The Single-Parent Family and the Family Therapist: About Invitations and Positioning

Single parent families sometimes represent specific challenges to family therapists. In this article a dialogical frame with important concepts such as voice and positioning is proposed to reflect on family therapy practice. This frame is used to reflect on a common invitation in family therapy with single-parent families: the invitation to take the place of the absent parent. A case of family therapy with a single-parent family is presented in order to illustrate the importance of flexibility in the therapists positioning and the way the therapists experiencing can be used as an empathic bridge to create a dialogical space in which the important issues at stake can be addressed.