Abstract

In order for family therapists to provide effective treatment to a family in which there is a deaf member, they must understand and integrate both the paradigms of family therapy and deafness. Clinicians must learn to see through these two lenses. This article provides a framework and rationale for handling the linguistic and psychological/systemic aspects of communication between a therapist and each family member and between the family members themselves. The article also describes when it is and is not helpful to implement the clinical procedures and guidelines as delineated by one paradigm while de-emphasizing the other. Several therapy transcripts are presented as illustrations.

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