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This paper highlights the question, often asked, why does racism persist despite the many attempts to eradicate it? The paper provides some answers, first for social relations generally and second for systemic psychotherapy. Central to the answers is an acknowledgement of the obstacles in both spheres to address the structures, systems, organisation and processes which lie behind conceptualisations of race, racism, identity and relationships. It is in these structures and systems that the suffocating and inevitable effects of racism originate. The paper suggests that, if we want to begin to eradicate racism, we need to look in those places (mostly White) where we least suspect it, the places which seem 'natural' and therefore foundational. It concludes that we cannot teach race and equity, because by singling out this topic without looking behind it, we perpetuate a violence through which the very relations we want to eradicate are produced. This does not mean, however, that we should ignore the topic. Practitioner points: Racism is deeply rooted in action and ideas.The recent murders of Black persons demonstrate the slow, suffocating and strangling aspects of racist systems and structures in our society.Ideas and concepts are difficult to address because they tend to be buttressed by basic assumptions about life and relationships.Race, ethnicity and culture are processes rather than a list of items/things.Tools such as the Social GRRRAAACCEEESSS and the cultural genogram are inadequate for training because the assumptions they are based on are rarely made transparent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Family Therapy is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Journal of Family Therapy is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This study explores the ways in which African Caribbean families communicate with each other and the outside world in the context of post migration. The Big and Small Story in narrative inquiry was used to make sense of the data as it pays attention to the manner and style in which this story is told, and what identities are being claimed post migration. The key findings are set out using three archetypal positions: the trickster, passer/conformer and resister/revolutionary. These were used to capture different ways people responded to power and identities claimed within their daily life. Findings in part of reflect Du Bois' concept of double consciousness to consider the way black people carry out their negotiations with power. These African Caribbean participants were having to think about what is acceptable to the power base and how can this be negotiated. This paper is intended to be helpful to practitioners interested in indigenous knowledge of self and its clinical implications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Family Therapy is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Journal of Family Therapy is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Journal of Family Therapy is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Journal of Family Therapy is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This paper seeks to review the history of discussions about lesbian and gay male sexuality in family therapy theory and practice. It examines whether homophobic and heterosexist attitudes are present in family therapy thinking. Possible connections are explored between attitudes towards lesbian and gay issues and the professional backgrounds of family therapists, wider debates on homosexuality within society, and conceptualizations of the family life cycle. The question of why relatively little has been written on the issues raised by lesbians, bisexuals and gay men in therapy is discussed. The implications of this oversight on practice are addressed and suggestions made for future work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Family Therapy is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Journal of Family Therapy is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This paper considers what a systemic understanding of empathy might be in the context of recent developments in systemic approaches. Clinical work is the basis for an exploration of which systemic ideas might be useful in thinking about ‘systemic empathy’. The question of whether empathy is inherent in the systemic approach is considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Family Therapy is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Journal of Family Therapy is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This article reports a systematic review of the literature examining therapists' views and experiences of utilizing treatment manuals. Key databases were searched and a thematic narrative analysis was conducted. Twelve articles were identified. The literature contains four distinct subthemes: (i) exposure to and use of manuals; (ii) therapists' beliefs about manuals; (iii) therapist characteristics, such as age/gender/training and (iv) characteristics of the work, such as client group. The analysis finds that clinicians who have used manuals appraise them positively, and view them as facilitating flexibility, allowing for therapeutic relationship and keeping therapy on track. The review is a helpful contribution to the literature and is a prompt to practitioners to consider their own views and exposure to manualized treatments and how this relates to generating the ‘hard’ outcome data that governments and service commissioners internationally find credible and persuasive. Practitioner points: The positive appraisal of manuals is increased through exposure to them in clinical practice or research settings. Clinicians may wish, therefore, to seek out opportunities to use manuals.Clinicians are rarely exposed to manuals, which presents a potential topic for training courses to address. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article introduces various topics covered in the issue including a single case involving a family originating from Pakistan, cross-cultural supervision in Cambodia, and relationship between illness and migration.