Neutrality in couple and family therapy was first defined by the Milan group (Selvini et al. 1980). Since then, neutrality has primarily been defined as (1) the clients believing that the therapist is not aligned against any one person and (2) the therapist not internally aligning with or against any person.
Neutrality has also sometimes been referred to as a therapist not bring personal values into therapy or not taking a stance regarding client behavior. These ideas of neutrality have been consistently rejected as being both impossible and destructive (Fife & Whiting 2007; Doherty 1995).
Neutrality from the Perspective of Clients
Selvini et al. (1980) said that if a therapist maintained a neutral stance and after a session the family was asked whom the therapist supported or sided with or what judgments the therapist made regarding each individual or the family as a whole, the family would be “puzzled and uncertain.” (p. 11). Cecchin is quoted as saying if each family member was...
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References
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Woolley, S.R. (2016). Neutrality of Therapist in Couple and Family Therapy. In: Lebow, J., Chambers, A., Breunlin, D. (eds) Encyclopedia of Couple and Family Therapy. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-15877-8_541-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-15877-8_541-1
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