| Abstract: | This article applies systems principles to an appreciation of the couple therapist. It offers an overview of the changing role of therapists and addresses the philosophical debate of the therapist as scientist or artist. It demonstrates how the worldviews, beliefs and values of clients and therapists are influenced by, and in turn influence, the therapeutic and wider social contexts to which they belong. The question of how a therapist simultaneously maintains personal values and neutrality is considered. The implications of examining the therapist's role from a systems framework are discussed. It is concluded that research needs to adopt a more holistic methodology and that impasses need to be analysed by examining beliefs at different levels within the systems involved. Finally, a personal account of the effect that therapy has on the therapist is offered. |
