'Seeking permission': an interviewing stance for finding connection with hard to reach families

The systemic therapy literature is dominated by clinic-based accounts of therapy. The work of an outreach, home-based therapy team is described, in a tradition of systemic therapies which directly seek to challenge service access constraints and social injustice. In paying careful attention to the micro-interactions of initial contact, seeking permission is suggested as an interviewing stance for connecting with families who are not engaged with services, where there have been histories of partner violence.