| dc.description.abstract | This study is an inquiry on how Ethiopian therapists and helpers in Addis Ababa describe their thoughts and practices of including or excluding children in family therapy talks. The study focuses on how culture is explained as a key factor as to whether helpers include children or not. The researcher is both an African and a European. This calls for attention to the insider/outsider position in the study. The author was curious about the African Ethiopian perspective on including children in talks with families, this in comparison to the western perspective where children are sometimes seen as both a resource and a nuisance in family therapy talks. Western family therapists do not agree on when, how and if to include children in family therapy. Although children are not automatically included in family therapy in Ethiopian contexts, they are highly appreciated and prized in the Ethiopian culture. Due to globalization and multicultural societies and influences, the challenge for the Ethiopian helpers is how, when and who to include in family therapy. Theory from western and African literature is applied to interpret and understand the narratives in this study. Catherine Riessman’s emphasis on the performative in presented narratives is the angle used to understand and interpret the text. | en |
