Giving children a voice: children’s positioning in family therapy

Moore, L. and Seu, Irene Bruna (2011) Giving children a voice: children’s positioning in family therapy. Journal of Family Therapy 33 (3), pp. 279-301. ISSN 0163-4445.

Abstract

Studies of users' views of family therapy have rarely explored the means by which children construct their experiences. Family interviews after a first session of therapy included thirteen children aged 8 to 15 years. An analysis of the transcripts demonstrated that, like adults, children draw on forms of explanation generated by acknowledged experts. They used discourses of counselling, therapy, consumerism and education to construct and assess their experiences. The ages of the children affected the construction and evaluation of therapy and the positions taken up in relation to adults. Older children demonstrated more independence from parents. Like adults, the children adopted a variety of stakes, their sophistication increasing with age, suggesting a developmental path towards full membership of adult discursive communities. Recognition that children are active in construing therapy should enhance therapists' insights and facilitate positive therapeutic relationships.

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