ABSTRACT
Actor Christopher Reeve once said, “I’m more than just my body.” The parents, children, and adolescents with whom we work are bigger than any one aspect of themselves. There are cul tural, ethnic, societal, biological and genetic, relational (family, friends, work, etc.), religious and spiritual, and other contextual influences, which, to varying degrees, extend beyond the physical person. For some clients, being able to draw on religious or cultural upbringing and be liefs, for example, can be enough to get them through times of trouble. Conversely, there are times when contextual influences can keep them from moving on. The task of the clinician is in honoring clients’ beliefs and all aspects of who they are while simultaneously searching for pos sibilities for change.
